2nd Buffalo Tesla Demo Drive Weekend Builds on the Success of the 1st

This past weekend in Buffalo, one particular corner of one particular strip mall was particularly busy. That happens to be the location of Brennan's Bowery Bar, which was kind enough to host our 2nd Buffalo Tesla Demo Drive Weekend!

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Background: Back in April, TOCNYS invited the Tesla team from Paramus, NJ to allow the good folks of Buffalo to enjoy an experience behind the wheel of a Tesla vehicle. At that time, there were exponentially more sign-ups (~750) than they had capacity to fill (~50), so we invited the Tesla team back to give a chance to those who hadn't the first time 'round.

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To those who attended the July 13/14 event, it was obvious that TOCNYS and the Tesla team had gotten a pretty good system down as there was a steady flow of drivers showing up for their driving reservations, signing-in, taking off, and returning - with a minimum of just-standing-around-waiting. These, interspersed with the regular drive/walk-by visitors curious as to what all these cool cars were doing in front of Brennan's, filled in the margins.

For those whom the busy Tesla team couldn't get to immediately, the friendly TOCNYS member-volunteers were happy to answer questions, show off their cars, and even give demo rides. Often, the demo riders would go in groups, so that a couple parties were taken care of simultaneously. Oh, the efficiency of it all!

The only time when things diverged from the official itinerary were around closing time on Sunday (2pm), when several parties of people decided to show at the last minute and the gracious Tesla team and devoted TOCNYS volunteers extended the event an hour to accommodate.

Speaking of efficiency, the team inside of Brennan's was taking care of business at the same time. Not only were they giving us space to host the event, but they even had a Tesla-themed menu! This author can attest that the tastiness of the "Tesla Tuna Tacos" was truly not trivial!

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The weather back in late April was enough to cause anyone to question the theory of Global Warming (ie: extreme cold & snow). Let's just say however, that the meteorological phenomena must have heard and taken offense because the weather was clear & sunny with a vengeance this past weekend - to which this author's sunburn will attest! That (hot), the wind (strong), and the low-flying passenger jets* from the Buffalo Airport (loud) all made big impressions. in their own way.

*Unfortunately, those vehicles were not available to test drive.

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Overall, it was a very successful weekend. It's estimated that over 40 demo drives were conducted by the Tesla team (both reserved and walk-in) and another 20 demo rides were given by TOCNYS volunteers. Other notable guests in attendance were an employee of the Buffalo Gigafactory 2, Tesla's mobile service technician that covers Western NY, and... a guy in a Smart car :)

So goodbye from Brennan's Bowery Bar in Buffalo. The Tesla team has taken their 6 Tesla vehicles and driven the 7 hours back to New Jersey. If these Tesla Demo Drive events were movies, they'd be among the rare ones where the sequel is even better than the original. Perhaps a part 3 in 2020? We'll keep you updated.

Special thanks to:

• David R. and the rest of the Paramus NJ Tesla team
• Jill and Tim from Brennan's Bowery Bar
• TOCNYS member John W. for organizing the event
• Tesla Mobile Tech Chris for showing up and fixing a car and conducting an impromptu show-and-tell
• And the following TOCNYS member volunteers: Anthony B, Kevin B, Anthony C, Dan & Kathy C, Chris G, Patrick H, Robert H, Anthony J, James M, David O, Jeff & Andy P, Dick S, and Kevin V.

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