Old habits certainly die hard, and the incident of a Tesla Model Y owner trying to fill gas in her electric car is a recent example of the phenomenon
A UK woman has been at the butt end of jokes after she pulled over at a gas station to fill petrol in her Tesla Model Y. The entire episode was recorded by another driver present at the gas bunk. Now, as drivers who have used ICE cars for a good part of their lives, the switch to an EV brings about plenty of changes. And, in some cases, it might take time for the old ways to change at the subconscious level.
UK Driver Pulls Up at Gas Station in Her Tesla Model Y
Identified as one Danielle Wright (22), the Tesla Model Y driver was filmed frantically looking for the fuel filler cap on her electric car. She held the fuel nozzle and circled her vehicle to locate the fuel filler cap. In fact, she ended her hunt only after people around her told her that the car she was driving runs on electric power. Soon, though, the video went viral, and several netizens called out the Tesla driver for her ‘dumbness’. Some even claimed that the video was staged and recorded merely to gain some eyeballs on social media platforms. In fact, the video even reached Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who was quick to respond to it.
However, unlike most others, he didn’t mock at the owner or call out her lack of mindfulness. Instead, he remarked how this is something that “happens from time to time” and that “habits die hard”. By then, the video had clocked over 40 million views. The chatter even reached Danielle, who thought it was time to put an end to all the debate. Speaking to media, she explained how she had a long day as a professional digital creator, and that as she had just acquired her Model Y, it took her a while to realize that she no longer uses an ICE-equipped car. “I honestly don’t know what I was doing, it was the end of a long day and the car is brand new. I just rolled up into the petrol station thinking about the sweets I was going to get from the counter rather than the fact my car doesn’t actually need petrol,” she said.
.@elonmusk see what you did to people 🤣🤣
— حسن سجواني 🇦🇪 Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) May 6, 2023
Enjoyed Attention from Elon Musk
She even expressed her frustration at some of the remarks. That said, she was quick to admit that it was an “embarrassing mistake” on her part to visit the fuel station in her EV. Still, she was unhappy about how many viewers commented that the car didn’t belong to her or that she doesn’t deserve to drive a nice car like the Model Y. “They were even saying it’s not my car and I’ve got more money than sense, which was probably the most frustrating. I’ve earned every penny to buy this and I love cars. It really is a dream come true to own a Tesla,” Wright said. However, she definitely enjoyed the attention from Elon Musk. “I mean, Elon replied and stuck up for me – and he’s meant to have the biggest brain in the world,” she added.
