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Etiquette when encountering a fellow Model S owner

Driving to the office today on the 91 east in Southern Cal spotted a black 85 just ahead of me. Cruised on his tail in my 85 for 30 miles at 85 mph passing morning traffic in adjacent lanes. Felt like I had found a new buddy or maybe not. He eventually left the carpool lane and got lost in traffic. As I passed him tried to catch his eye but he turned away. Not even a Tesla wave. Very uncool. Wonder if this is the guy who parks at the superchargers and goes off to watch a movie.

To each his own. Maybe it was some celeb. Here in Virginia we give big rebel yells and high 5's.

Whats the Tesla wave?

So you stalked him and he didn't happen to notice you, thus you're offended? Come on. ;-) Many other explanations. He didn't notice--he was really focused on his hectic day--he was on the phone--he thought you were stalking him. Pick one; I'm betting "didn't notice and just happened to turn away when you happened to try to catch his eye."

Also, not everyone likes pretending to be buddies with strangers. Some folks are shy (I am shy, but also unfortunately obvious as hell; I don't try to look at/catch the look of other drivers...busy with my own stuff).

Don't assume the worst of people. :-)

P.S. but just so I don't give the wrong impression ;-).... If I do happen to notice someone or they notice me--Tesla owner or not--I try to be polite or wave or whatever is appropriate, e.g., when someone yields the way to me (or waves when I yield to them), I wave/return the wave (no matter what they're driving).

Hey, so you're that Silver S? I also drive every day 91 E in the morning.

I usually see the black on on the way back in the afternoon. Today I saw a silver one taking an exit at like Imperial. Which one is you?!

There's also a white one I see once in a while on the same route, but I go to work at different times on different days. Def makes my day haha. After seeing one of you, I spend those 30 mins daydreaming, replaying the short squeeze in my head. Kicking myself for not buying more and putting my house up lol. Dreaming about when I can buy an S. Not a Gen III, but an S. Maybe a 2018?

Makes the drive worth it.

I'll wave next time lol!

Oh yeah, and don't be offended. You're a part of a club, and the friendliness is cool. But not everyone wants all that.

I don't drive an S btw. Black Mitsu Galant. So don't feel like I'm stalking you lol.

"I waved to a guy in a Prius and he didn't wave back." -Larry David

I agree with KendallPB, furthermore I think it's rude to *expect* someone to react to you while driving on the freeway. Owning a car doesn't make you a mandatory club member (though I'm not against voluntary spirit), and of course, safety first.

With that said, last week a Model S driver waved to me heading the opposite way on Coldwater Canyon, I felt bad I didn't have the awareness to wave back in time.

Post was tongue in cheek. Definitely not offended. Seeing more Teslas pop up. This was a cool experience as we cruised in tandem for 30 miles. Nothing personal against the owner. @jonesalexander I am the silver S that exits at Weir. Give the Tesla wave next time you see me. @kidjay not sure the Tesla wave is official but before I got my carpool privileges a Tesla in the carpool lane cruised by me with a big smile on his face and a wave of his hand.

Too bad. I remember when I had my first bimmer in the late 70s, other BMWs would flash their high beams when they passed. It's odd to think that a BMW was a relatively rare sight in some parts. As they became more prevalent, the camaraderie died off. Tesla's already reached that point in parts of SoCal. A few weekends ago, every EV parking space at Santa Monica Place was occupied by a Model S. That's five or six in a row. Nowadays, I see at least three or four on my commute each way and there are at least five in my parking structure at work. Ultimately, it's a good thing.

Nobody waves in Bay Area anymore :-(

Earlier we used to flash lights, wave, smile at each other...

Now that TMS are fairly common, there is no camaraderie.

I love the fact I see at least as many Model S cars on the road as I do Chevy Volts lately.

The T-wave is pinkie and thumb outwards, fingers curled, hand waggled.

I will always wave when safely possible. I love it. It makes me happy. My husband will not. He's the reserved one. Since I'm usually the passenger I notice when other ICE cars wave or point and smile as they pause on the road and I always acknowledge them. I see it as part of our Ambassador duties....We are in a unique period of time with Tesla products. It won't be long before everywhere will be like the Bay Area, which will be great too, but I'm going to enjoy the freshness while we can.


I keep my eyes on the road, so don't expect me to wave as you drive by my red Sig. If another Tesla driver ignores my wave, I know they are driving safely as they concentrate on the task at hand.

Screndo, that was you! Haha I'm not too familiar with the exits there. That must have been the right exit. Right on will do!

Going south on Hawthorne Blvd, I actually beeped at someone and chased him down when he didn't respond thinking maybe he didn't see me. I beeped again and then waved. He waved back, but now I'm thinking it's the valet taking a loaner car back to the service station.

In my area there are so many Tesla's that you can hardly move without bumping in to one. The other day I stopped at the gym and had forgotten my ID card, so had to leave my key to get a locker card. When I came back the guy said, "you had the Tesla key, right? " He sorted around in his drawer and came out with THREE Tesla keys and asked me "which one?" Luckily, the other two had strings attached to them so it was easy to tell who's was who's.

I have always known I live in a reality distortion field, but....

Spotted another silver Tesla on my commute today. A newbie. No permanent plates or car pool sticker as yet. As I passed him there was an exchange of broad smiles and Tesla waves. The Tesla spirit has returned to the 91

>> In my area there are so many Teslas that you can hardly move without bumping in to one.

My Model S is the fifth one at my office (the 12th EV!) and there's a sixth one on the way. We have only 150 employees. :)

A little off-topic, but since you're talking about the CA carpool lanes...

Do you guys stick the carpool stickers on your car? I don't want to stick anything on ours, and only need the carpool lane for occasional trips, so I'm thinking about how I can temporarily affix them without adhesives. Maybe put the stickers on static cling decals and put those on the car. Anyone doing something like this successfully?

Jeff & Randy--please use to search and also go to Tesla Motors Club for way too much information on the CA carpool stickers and how/where to mount them.

My daily commuter is a 1996 Corvette, and I get as many waves from other Corvette owners today as I did the day I got it 17 years ago. And that is virtually from every other owner whose eye I catch. If the Tesla comraderie is percieved as fading already, perhaps it never existed.....

As a proud new Tesla S-85 owner in a community thick with Teslas (some households have 2 and 3) I will endeavor to build Tesla comraderie by waving to every other Tesla I encounter. See you out there.

Very cool to hear the numbers of model s increasing tomthenpoint that they are common in some parts.
My 85S is coming in August. In Rochester New York, I am yet to see one. I may be the first, certainly an early adopter.
Would love to hear from any owners from Buffalo, Syracuse, Ithaca or Rochester. Need some people to share a knowing wave with.....

Three blacks, a silver, a white, a Sig red and a brown have blinked lights at us in or near Boulder, CO.

@Jeff and Randy

Go to the New York club and look at the Clean Pass thread. The Austin gives a detailed account of using clear vinyl cling to mount his clean passes without using adhesives.

I'm in the Bay Area. Used to wave all the time in the winter before production really ramped up. Then they became so common that no one was waving or acknowledging, so I stopped. I pass 1 or 2 per mile going the opposite durection in the carpool lane during rush hour. I realized I miss the camaraderie, so now I've started winking my headlight again. I haven't had a wink-back yet, but it will be fun when it happens!

In the Bay Area and still waiving. Still hoping to convert all those non-enthusiasts :-) !

New Orleans is just picking up and it is a blast. I got a new testimonial today -- my wife was loving the car, then a month ago rashed the front right wheel like a crescent moon. Though I didn't blink and was supportive thanks to forum foreknowledge that that day would come, she quit driving the MS. I've painted the wheel over with the little pen from Tesla, and finally convinced her to drive it again.

I'm on a flight back to New Orleans from CA and she's been driving the MS in my absence, and in between flights texted that she feels like a celebrity driving the car and can't believe how much people love it and wave and respond to it. She hates drawing attention to herself, and could never drive an expensive car otherwise.

So, the camaraderie is alive and well, while it is novel at least. And, my wife is back to feeling like she can drive the car, so that's a victory.

Somebody called it "the silicon valley Camry" which I thought was funny. I'd hate for the car to be so common to lose our sense of community, but I think I'd have to cry myself to sleep over the TSLA share price if we get to that point nationwide :)


+1 @bethkingsley200

/me waves :)

We, also in the Bay Area, still give the Tesla wink when driving & ALWAYS wave or even chat when welcomed.
We've had our blue P85 since December 2012 and are as excited today as we were then.
'Course we call it excited, some call it obsessed. Uh-huh.

Still Grinning ;-)

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