Free fuel — any other questions?

tesla-pv-caption-contest-photoTesla Motors is running a Facebook contest in which it’s asking people to come up with the best caption for a photo of a Tesla Roadster plugged into a solar-EV charging station [see photo above].

As of Jan. 21, more than 600 people had offered possible captions for the photo. We read all 663 suggestions — other than some un-paid interns at Tesla Motors, we’re pretty sure we’re the only ones who’ve read them all 😉 — and we found the suggestions fall into seven basic categories:

  • Solar EV Envy
  • The Future
  • Driving on Sunshine
  • Environmental Benefits
  • Fueling Independence
  • Goodbye Oil!
  • Tongue-and-cheek

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Below are some of the ones we liked the most, or, in the case of the Solar EV Envy posts, disliked the most [will Facebook ever offer a “dislike” button?].

Please feel free to comment on the caption suggestions below and/or offer your own suggestions in our comments stream below this entry. You might also wish to surf to the Facebook page directly and offer suggestions: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150554157917801&set=a.398080447800.166146.18790602800&type=1&theater

Solar EV envy

  • [This picture] says: $120,000 that I don’t have.
  • So long solar suckers, I’ve just gassed up and I’m off!
  • Your car will be fully charged some time after you are done fully paying for it in 2020…
  • I am a corporate pompous punk with a lot of money. I can be mindful of the envrionment [sic] too. lol just kidding. I think it says “AT Least I DON’T Drive a Damn Prius.”
  • It says: Lame atempt [sic] to make you feel better about wasteing [sic] money.
  • Waiting… waiting….. waiting… FINALLY! 10% CHARGED!

The last comment — which indicates sheer ignorance about how much electricity a solar EV charging station can produce and how quickly it can charge an EV — was posted by someone who works for a company that’s in bed with the oil industry. Big surprise, eh?

The Future

  • The future is here now!
  • The future will be clean, no more pollution, goodbye petroleum, hello sun energy.
  • My future parking spot.
  • The way it should be!

Driving on Sunshine

  • I’m driving on sunshine!
  • How’s this for a sunroof!
  • Sun is fun 🙂
  • PV EV
  • This is what I do with sun. What can you do?
  • Got Sun?
  • Way to go sun!
  • Filler up…wit Sunshine!!
  • You are my sunshine!
  • ‎*SLURP SLURP SLURP* — “Mmmm, Sunny D from a straw. My favorite.
  • The sun never sets on a Tesla.
  • Next Fuel Station 93,000,000 Miles.
  • PV 2 EV 4 ME
  • Electric sunshade!
  • Free Sun Miles© for Life! [This is ours ;-)]

Environmental Benefits

  • ‎101% Sustainable
  • Completely green and totally clean! :]
  • 0 emissions, 100% fun

Fueling Independence

  • Freedom.
  • Independence.
  • Free fuel, any other questions?
  • Freedom… What’s in YOUR tank?

Goodbye Oil!

  • Solar>Oil
  • F— gasoline!
  • Oil lol.
  • Bend over OPEC.
  • Strait of Hormuz? They can keep it!
  • EV Parking Only – Fossils Will Be Towed.
  • No pipeline needed here!
  • Look ma, no oil!

Tongue & cheek

  • Finally, some shade…
  • Is that Bill Gate’s car?

A couple of comments were posted by representatives of solar companies, many of whom are just now waking up to the power of PV + EV. For example, Jamie Duran wrote, ” My solar installation company is doing just this for our customers. We would love to partner with Tesla :-)”

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Finally, we found this comment, a critical one, but one we nonetheless can agree with. Arnd Thamer wrote: “Great thing, but must be more affordable for more people :-)”

This is a kinder, more rational way to critique the cost of a Tesla Roadster than some of the comments we placed under the ‘Solar EV Envy’ category at the top of this entry. At $100,000, a Roadster is clearly out of reach for most Americans. Solar can be expensive upfront too, although solar leasing, now available in more than a dozen states in the U.S., has made solar much more cost-accessible to many more people than before.

We couldn’t agree more with ‘Arnd’, and we’re looking forward to the day when PV + EV becomes cost-accessible for virtually anyone. It’s getting there, the big hurdles continue to be upfront costs of EVs and solar, both of which discourage many people from taking advantage of the long-term savings EV + PV can deliver.

However, in contrast to the sarcasm of some of the Solar EV Envy folks, we’re convinced it’s only a matter of time before solar-charged driving becomes affordable and breaks into the mainstream, both in the U.S., and around the world.

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