Drive Sustainable!

Drive Sustainable!
Our club members drive all kinds of EVs (Teslas, BMWs, Jaguars, Leafs, Bolts, Fords, Audis, electric bikes...)

Monday, December 31, 2018

A fortunate unfortunate event

Ouch! I had a curb strike on Saturday returning home in the snow. I could tell I needed an alignment on the few blocks remaining home, but the next day no warnings were displayed. I drove the vehicle the day after, no problems. Little did I know I had damaged the ball joint and likely the axle.

I was leaving the wheel repair shop I was visiting when I put the car in reverse and moved about 1 foot backwards when...boom. The wheel fell off. Actually, the ball joint fell apart.

This was unfortunate for me, my insurance deductable and my car but very fortunate for when it occurred. Had I *not* driven my car to the wheel repair shop (AutoSpa) on Northpark Drive, I would've assumed all was right with my car and possibly driven it on the highway when it might have failed. As you can see from the pictures, the failure was catastrophic and could've been deadly had I been traveling at interstate speeds. Note that I was fully planning to drive my car to the Tesla Service Center in Littleton next week for a check on the car.

It's further fortunate that my car was disabled in an empty parking lot. The AAA tow truck driver could pull right up to my car at the proper angle and not have traffic swarming all around him. This made his placement of my car on the flatbed much easier.

And a tip of the hat to the AAA tow truck driver - he assured me that he would slide the flatbed under the car without dragging it on the damaged wheel and sure enough, that's exactly what he did. The car had to move/roll no more than a foot to fit on the flatbed. I am immensely grateful to the tow truck driver who prevented further damage to my car.

For the curious, my car was driven to Stuttgart Auto Body in Englewood, CO. It has a 5-star rating from Tesla on body repairs. The Tesla representative on the phone said that the Littleton Service Center couldn't repair suspension damage, which was surprising to me.

BTW, the AutoSpa wheel repair place gave me an excellent quote of $150 a wheel to refinish them. Since my wheels are not made any longer, I will have that done.






Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Welcome our latest member, David!

David H. lives in Colorado Springs and has a Tesla Model X 75D and a Volvo XC90 T8. Make him welcome when you see him!

Thursday, December 13, 2018

New members Michelle and Rich Milner

Our latest new members are Michelle and Rich Milner. Let's make them welcome when we meet them!

Here's their message to me:

Hi! We are likely moving to Colorado Springs in July.

I am a model S owner - have been since moving to Hawaii in 2016. My husband has put his deposit down on his impending Rivian R1T, due late 2020.

Thank you and looking forward to living in CO and putting my Tesla to the Cold and Snow Test!

Michelle & Rich Milner

Thursday, December 6, 2018

New Member Robert Latham!

Our latest new member is Robert Latham, both a club member and a member on our Facebook page. Robert is a Model 3 owner and lives in Colorado Springs. Please make him welcome!

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Ribbon Cutting on Dec. 19, 2018!

YOU ARE INVITED!


You're invited to help us celebrate at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new Electric Vehicle Charging Station being installed at the Pueblo West Library.

When: December 19, 2018 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Where: Pueblo West Library, Room A located at 298 S. Joe Martinez Blvd.

The Pueblo West community is holding a ribbon cutting for the new electric vehicle charging station, currently under construction at the Pueblo West Library on December 19 at 2 p.m. The key note speaker will discuss how consumers can take advantage of EV rebates and tax credits. The speaker will also discuss funding programs such as Charge Ahead Colorado, which will fund up to 80 percent of EV charging stations and ALT Fuels Colorado which funds up to 40 percent of electric transit and freight vehicles and explain the economic and environmental benefits of EV adoption. The chargers are brought to you by San Isabel Electric, Pueblo County Energy Office, Pueblo City-County Library District, Bank of the San Juans, the Renewable Energy Owners Coalition of America, and Pueblo West Metro District. 



CHRISTINA CALACCI
Communications Specialist
San Isabel Electric
P: 
719-647-6248 M: 719-415-0226
christina.calacci@siea.com
781 E. Industrial Blvd.
Pueblo West, CO 81007

www.siea.com
1-800-279-7432

Saturday, December 1, 2018

CSEVC Holiday Party 2018 a success!

And a good time was had by all.

Some proposed activities for 2019: A visit to the Butley's in Hygiene, CO to see their solar farm and charging setup; PPIR racing days, Tesla Rally in Cheyenne, SD. It was also suggested to have a "tech day" for owners that installed their own dash cams to show how they did it.

Thanks, everyone, for a great 2018!


















Friday, November 30, 2018

Model 3s get dual motor badging!

Thanks to Tom Michel who sent me the photo of his recently badged Dual-Motor Model 3.

Tom says:

Just thought I'd share this picture of the Dual Motor badge that Tesla mobile service installed on my Model 3 yesterday. Apparently every dual motor 3 will get one (if so desired), but this was the first one that the Tesla tech had installed in Colorado.


Thursday, November 29, 2018

How about $100 worth of free advice?

After having my Model S for 3 years, I thought it a good idea to replace the wiper blades even though they worked fine. Here's the advice:
1) Leave well enough alone. If your wipers work like they're supposed to, let them be (or continue reading).
2) Don't trust the wiper recommendations at an auto parts store, the book of wiper lengths is wrong for a Tesla. The correct lengths are 18" and 28", just FYI. You'll have to take the wipers back when you realize they don't fit.
3) Don't buy non-Bosch wipers at an auto parts store, they have multi-part connectors that are pretty cheap plastic and will break if you don't install them very carefully.
4) Don't buy Bosch wipers online, even at the proper lengths. The passenger wiper, even though it wipes clean, "hops" off the windshield over 70 miles per hour and makes quite a thump and a bump when wiping. This is due to the aerodynamic design of the wiper not being as good as a Bosch wiper sold by Tesla.
5) Just go to the Littleton service center and get Tesla wipers. When all the returned/wasted wiper purchases and time spent are accounted for, it's really just cheaper to get the real thing from the real store.
And thus ends my wiper story.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

2018 Holiday Party this Saturday!

Don't forget our club Holiday Party is this Saturday, Dec. 1, 2:00pm - 4:00pm at Country Buffet on Academy Blvd. in Colorado Springs, CO!

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all who celebrate, this is Thanksgiving week and bound to make us all busy. CSEVC wishes you a happy holiday season. I'm picking up my brother from DIA today in my 3-year old Tesla that he's never seen. Hopefully I can talk him into going electric with his next vehicle purchase.
-Wilson Hitchings


Sunday, November 11, 2018

New member Jonathan Sercel

Our newest member is Jonathan Sercel from Colorado Springs, CO. He drives a 2017 Tesla Model S AWD. Make him welcome when you see him!

Monday, November 5, 2018

New Member, Jim Lewis

Our newest member is Jim Lewis from Monument, CO. He has a 2018 Tesla Model 3 – Long Range, RWD, Black with Enhanced AutoPilot. Make him welcome when you see him!


Thursday, November 1, 2018

New member Abe Braverman

Our latest new member is Abe Braverman from Colorado Springs. He owns a 2017 Kia Optima Hybryd Plug-in (Blue) and a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Midnight (Metallic Gray). Make him welcome!

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Tentative Club Holiday Party

The tentative plans for the CSEVC Holiday Party are 2:00pm - 4:00pm, Saturday, December 1, 2018 at the Country Buffet on 801 N. Academy Blvd. in Colorado Springs, CO. We've met there before and they'll let us reserve a room without a deposit or minimum food purchase. A detailed email will be coming out soon.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Holiday Lighting Exchange

Thought that this might be of interest to you efficiency and sustainability minded groups/individuals.

This program over the last six years has generated;
Over $20,000 for Project Cope
Recycled 11 tons of lights
More than 340 MWh of energy savings.


Please distribute where beneficial.

Regards,

Doug Bursnall
DSM Conservation Specialist Sr
Colorado Springs Utilities
Office Phone: (719) 668-8503

Office Fax: (719) 668-4599
Mail Code 1300

E-mail: dbursnall@csu.org

Andrew Soeldner attends PPIR

CSEVC Senior VP of Racing, checking in! We had a great day at the track for the final PPIR TimeAttack series! It got up to 85F and there wasn't a cloud in the sky all day!

My Performance Model 3 competes in the GT class based on my power-to-weight ratio. I competed against 41 other racers, and placed 15th overall. I was happy to improve my time during every run. First time I've done that!

Joe, one of our club members, came out to watch and got to ride along with me on two laps. It was great fun having him there!

Here's a video of my fastest time, along with the corresponding Dashcam video. Obviously, don't plan on using the Dashcam for your racing videos!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxp4IsbzMzw

Next season picks back up in February, but they may have some impromptu days in November if the weather all of a sudden looks good.

TimeAttack #8 - Run 5 - 56.113 seconds

-Andrew Soeldner




New member Adam Bushman

Our latest new member, Adam Bushman, will soon live in Fountain, CO and has a 2018 Tesla Model 3. Make him welcome!

Friday, October 12, 2018

Club Meeting, Saturday Oct. 20, 2018

Our next club meeting is at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 at noon. Please visit our Events page for directions and details, see you there!

Thursday, October 11, 2018

New member, Joe Rorick

Our latest member is Joe Rorick from Colorado Springs, CO. He will be picking up a 2018 Metallic Silver Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor on October 15! Please make him welcome. Joe, send us a photo of the new addition when you get it...

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

From our member, Doug Bursnall

Hadn’t noticed this till today.

Nissans Fleetail offer has been extended till Jan 2nd 2019, so opportunity available to pick up a Nissan Leaf for $3,000 less.

https://coloradosprings.gov/EV

https://coloradosprings.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/3rd_qtr_colorado_springs_flyer.pdf

Doug Bursnall
DSM Conservation Specialist Sr
Colorado Springs Utilities

Electric Pickup Truck on the way?

Bollinger Motors announced the first "real" electric SUV some time ago. Personally, I think it's a great design but they lack any kind of production facilities. The company is a design house and will outsource production. They just announced plans for a pickup truck recently, I think it's a great add-on to their line if they find a way to make them economically.

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/10/10/bollinger-motors-b2-electric-pickup-truck/

-Wilson Hitchings

Friday, October 5, 2018

Last of the First this Saturday!

Just as a reminder, the last of the First Saturday's Car Show happens this Saturday at the Cinemark Theater on Powers Blvd. in Colorado Springs. This is a free "cars & coffee" type show, and usually sees several hundred cars displayed. Any make or model of EV can attend this show from Colorado Springs, bring you new Model 3 if you have one! The parking lot gets busy by 7:30am and it looks to be in the 50's F in the morning, so bring a jacket. See you there!


Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Michael Rhodes joins the club!

Our latest new member is Michael Rhodes from Colorado Springs. He has two Model 3s, a Red Performance Model 3 and matte grey RWD Model 3. Please make him and both of his cars welcome when you see him!


New member, Jeremy Farnes

Everyone please welcome Jeremy Farnes as our newest member. He has just received a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor, Blue, with Enhanced Autopilot. He lives in Colorado Springs, CO.


Our member, Nicholas Brace, with a new car!

I just received this message from a long-time club member, Nicholas Brace:

Have not been able to make it to any meet ups or events since bishops castle as life has been busy but I picked up my 2nd tesla and drove it back from Branson MO this last weekend, 16hrs 47min to drive it back. We are now an all tesla and solar family :) The one I picked up is also midnight blue like mine so twin cars for the twin babies that are comming in Feb! But this one has the rear facing kid seats and is for my wife to drive.




Saturday, September 29, 2018

Welcome to Joel Simmons!

Our newest member is Joel Simmons from Manitou Springs, CO. He drives a red 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance. Let's make him welcome when we see him!

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Welcome Stefan Kochis to our club!

Stefan Kochis is our latest new member. He lives in Colorado Springs and has a Light metallic Blue 2013 Volt. Please make him welcome!

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Welcome Jay and Caz Oswald

Our latest members are Jay and Caz Oswald in Colorado Springs. Jay drives a 2011 Nissan Leaf SV-E maroon, but is picking up a new Model 3 this Saturday! Caz Oswald drives a 2013 Chevy Volt that is cyber metallic grey. Please make them welcome!


Welcome new member Anthony Wendt

Anthony Wendt hails from Colorado Springs, CO and is the proud owner of a 2015 Kia Soul EV. Make him welcome!


Monday, September 24, 2018

One of our own is famous!

I will let the identity of our club member remain a mystery, but TeslaGuy was quoted in the below article for helping new Tesla owners pickup their new cars.

Read here: https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-3-delivery-weekend-volunteers-wakeup-call/

And another article mentioning our mystery club member: https://insideevs.com/jaguar-dealer-tesla-store/

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Two new members - say howdy!

Our first new member is Mario Branciforte from Colorado Springs, CO. He has a 2018 Tesla Model 3 - Dual Wheel Drive – Deep Blue Metallic w/ Premium White interior.

Our next new member is R. Scott Simms from Florissant, CO. He will be picking up a  2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance AWD Red in early October of this year.

Please make both of them welcome when you meet them!

Teslas are impervious to aircraft

You may drive with confidence around low-flying aircraft and DEA agents in your Tesla Model X...

https://electrek.co/2018/09/20/tesla-model-x-owner-saved-them-plane-crash-electric-suv/

Monday, September 17, 2018

New member, Tad Foster

Our newest member is Tad Foster from Colorado Springs. He has a 2018 Nissan Leaf, make him welcome when you see him!

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Newest members T.I. & Kathleen Weintraub

T.I. & Kathleen Weintraub attended the National Drive Electric Week in Colorado Springs this past Saturday and discovered the CSEVC! Please make them welcome with their 2015 Nissan Leaf and 2016 BMW i3 REX.