[Paal Gulli]

" Virtually no Tesla owner bought their car thinking an EV best fits their driving habits."

How many diesel-swilling dualies do you see going down the road with NOTHING in the bed or on the trailer hitch? Or mini-vans on the hiway with nobody on board but the driver? In both cases, the answer is a significant majority. So buying without regard for what fits your driving habits is hardly the exclusive province of the Tesla owner.

I'd say that ^^^^^^^^^^^^ has a lot to do with why a lot of Tesla owners bought one. They are quicker than a scalded cat. You could buy a new Corvette for about the same money, but then you'd be accused of having a "mid-life crisis." And a Model S will suck the doors off any Corvette you can buy, even after Hennesey or Callaway have sprinkled their pixie dust on it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fastest_production_cars_by_acceleration#By_acceleration_to_60_mph_(97_km/h)_(less_than_3_seconds)

In a sense it comes down to whether you'd rather look fast or be fast (at least until your car catches fire and roasts you).

[Tell It Right]

The Tesla owners I talk to at the charging stations speak little about the instant torque. And they give blank stares when I ask them when the savings in gas will pay for the difference in cost of an EV, or how much their home charging increases their power bill, etc.

Without exception their stated reason for buying a Tesla was to save the world from the cow fart warmageddon they believe in.

With the other EV owners I meet at the charging stations on the road, I'd say about half of them can answer my questions on costs and such. This is for Volkswagen, Kia, Ford, and Hyundai owners. Yes, some of them fear life will come to an end if we don't create more carbon taxes. But that mood isn't as prevalent among non-Tesla EV owners as it is with Tesla and Leaf owners.