The 2015 Raffle was a HUGE success. Over 1,700 tickets were sold. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made an impact with their participation! Have a look back at our 2015 raffle below.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Al Nierenberg
(Ticket #643)
2nd prize — Ronald Alberico (Ticket #308)
3rd prize — Michael Moone (Ticket #303)
4th prize — Harry Scott (Ticket #116)
5th prize — Scott Gilbert (Ticket #615)
6th prize — James Decker (Ticket #1382)
September 26, 2015: Ticket Sales Opened!
We kicked off the raffle launch with a huge party in Wellesley, MA at the house of Jessica & Alan Langerman. Over 300 Tesla and Climate XChange enthusiast joined together for food, cocktails, music, and of course a very special surprise raffle announcement, where we told guests about the prizes and opened up ticket sales. In attendance was special guest Senator Mike Barrett who spoke about the importance of his bill S.1821 An Act Combating Climate Change.
Video by Wellesley Public Media
Sept 26 thru Dec 31, 2015:
Ticket Sales & Raffle Promotion in Full Swing!
During the 3 months that followed our raffle kick-off party, we were thrilled to see all the exposure for carbon pricing the raffle buzz was creating! We heard from so many people with questions and stories about carbon pricing. We saw a big uptick in visits to pages on our site explaining how Senate Bill 1747, “An Act Combating Climate Change” will implement revenue-neutral carbon pricing in Massachusetts. The raffle led to articles written in electronic publications; Facebook posts; tweets; posts on reddit, teslamotorsclub.com and other forums; blog entries; ads of various kinds, including direct mail and email campaigns; and even a tweet from an environmentally-minded race car driver! All of that helped stimulate the carbon pricing conversation and sell over 1,700 tickets!
Folks participation in the raffle not only helped us raise awareness of this issue but also helped raise funds for Climate XChange to continue its work advocating for revenue-neutral carbon fee-and-dividend in Massachusetts (that’s good old SB1747 again). We need the funds to get carbon pricing done in MA! Just one example: this single report, by Regional Economic Models, Inc., that helped propel the development of legislation in Massachusetts, costs $30,000 (paid for by the organization that became Climate XChange). And we have reports to generate, polls to take, legislators to engage with, environmental groups to partner with, ads to run, and so on.
Over 1,700 Tickets
Were Sold!
Dec 31, 2015: Ticket Sales Ended!
In the weeks leading up to the NYE raffle drawing date, we sent out an invitation to ticket-holders to join us back at the Langerman household for a New Years Eve party filled with raffle anticipation and a live-drawing! We also setup a live-stream web-feed so ticket purchasers who couldn’t attend could also join in the fun.
Jan 1, 2016: Winning Tickets Were Drawn!
Shortly after midnight we live-streamed the much-anticipated raffle drawing. 5 Runner-Up Winners were announced first…
2nd prize — Ronald Alberico (Ticket #308)
3rd prize — Michael Moone (Ticket #303)
4th prize — Harry Scott (Ticket #116)
5th prize — Scott Gilbert (Ticket #615)
6th prize — James Decker (Ticket #1382)
Then the grand prize Winner…
GRAND PRIZE
Al Nierenberg (Ticket #643)
It was a night to remember for all, and especially for Al!
March 16, 2016: HELLO, New Tesla!
Grand Prize Winners Catherine and Al Nierenberg picked up their brand new built-to-order blue beauty!
2015 Raffle Press
- ValueWalk.com: Buy a Raffle Ticket to Win a Mode S or Model X
- Gas2.org: The Perfect Tesla Raffle will Benefit Climate XChange
- Teslarati.com: Tesla Raffle Aims to Raise Awareness on Global Climate Change
- EVObsession.com: Climate XChange Advocating Carbon Tax via Tesla Raffle
- GreenLivingIdeas: Enter to Win a Tesla from Climate XChange
- Electrek.com: Raffle: you have a chance to win a Tesla Model S while encouraging carbon pricing awareness
- Samseidel.org: Well, I didn’t win ClimateXChange’s Tesla raffle … but I’m sure I came darn close!
- PlanetSave.com: Here’s A Way To Spend Your Christmas Cash: Tesla Raffle Tickets
- WickedLocal.com: Boxford couple wins built-to-order Tesla on New Year’s Eve
- MyNissanLeaf.com: Climate XChange Raffling Off Tesla
- IamRunningThis.com: Tesla Party for Climate XChange!
- GreenCity.edu: Tesla Raffle to Support Climate Advocacy Program Still Rolling
- Boston Globe: Green energy kind of guy wins an electric car
- TheContrarianInvestor.com: Climate XChange.com Raffle – Tesla Grand Prize
- GreenCarCongress.com: Climate XChange raffling off Tesla Model S or X to raise awareness of carbon pricing
- Ecomento: From Paris to Wellesley: Why all climate change action is local
2015 Prize Details
Grand Prize: Built-to-Order Tesla ($110,450 value)
Build Your Own Tesla! Pick a Model S Sedan or an X SUV! Choose your options, colors, interior, etc.! Want special accommodations for the kids? Add the rear-facing Tesla child seats, creating a car that seats 5 adults + 2 kids! Over $100,000 worth of high-performance, zero emissions, premium electric automobile!
You don’t even have to tell anyone exactly what you’ve decided to build… you could surprise them!
Here’s a sample for you. This is the car we ourselves configured on the teslamotors.com website, and what you could have for yourself if you win this awesome Grand Prize! When you win, you might choose differently; even the Model X SUV instead of the Model S Sedan.
We also threw in “No Pain” Prize Additions so that your car would be even easier to bring home:
Tesla’s Destination & Regulatory Doc Fee — $1,200
Tesla’s High-Power Wall Charger (HPWC) — $750
Electrician to install charging line & HPWC — $500
Then there’s your state vehicle excise tax. And any additional state income tax you might owe because you won this prize.
State Vehicle Excise Tax & State Income Taxes — $5000
Let’s add it up:
High-Performance Premium Sedan — $103,000
Destination & Regulatory Doc Fee — $1,200
High-Power Wall Charger & Electrician — $1,250
State Taxes — $5,000
Total — $110,450
When your car is ready, you’ll be able to pick it up at the nearest Tesla Service Center. At Tesla’s option and in Tesla’s sole discretion, delivery may be made directly to you at home!
But wait… there’s more! A LOT more!
Climate XChange’s “No Pain” Grand Prize also includes the Federal Withholding Tax on your Prize!
What You Would Have To Pay For Federal Withholding Before You Could Even Sit In This Car:
25% of Fair Market Value —$27,612.50
Good luck finding a loan to pay your automobile taxes!
So Climate XChange pays the Federal Withholding Tax on your behalf. A different IRS rule applies, though, so this is what CXC will pay:
33.33% of Fair Market Value — $36,729.66[1]
For this Grand Prize, CXC will outlay a total of $147,180.
[1] You may notice that we pay a few dollars less than you would expect. That’s because the IRS allows us to subtract off the cost of the raffle ticket from the value of the Prize. So that’s $250 that isn’t subject to the 33.33% withholding tax. Whew. That’s a relief.
2nd Prize: Pair of A2B Ferber Electric Bikes
A2B Ferber Electric Bikes, qty 2 for Winner & Partner (winner selects from available colors)
Manufacturer Description
Designed with a more traditional sensibility, the Ferber combines faster, more responsive manoeuvrability with wider, 26” wheels for a more upright and comfortable ride. This thoughtfully-designed model offers all the advantages of a conventional bike, with the reassurance of power when you need it.
3rd Prize: Outdoor Care Kit
A variety of outdoor home care products that work together to beautify your surroundings and your life!
The lucky Third Prize Winner will receive a complete outdoor care kit, including:
- Greenworks’ G-Max 40V 20-Inch Twin Force Mower
- Greenworks’ G-MAX 40V 14-Inch DigiPro String Trimmer
- Greenworks’ G-MAX 40V 185MPH Digipro Blower/Vac
- Greenworks’ G-MAX 40V Cordless Rotating Hedge Trimmer
- Greenworks’ G-MAX 40V Cordless Cultivator
- Greenworks’ G-MAX 40V Cordless Snow Thrower
- Husqavarna’s 316EL Electric Chainsaw
4th Prize: iRobot Floor Scrubbing Robot
Two indoor home care products that simplify your life and have no carbon emissions! The iRobot Scooba 450 Floor Scrubbing Robot automatically scrubs your floors and scurries back to its charging base when done. “Scooba sweeps and pre-soaks, scrubs and squeegees hard floors, eliminating the need to sweep before scrubbing.”
5th Prize: Roomba 980
The entire robot home cleaning industry got its start with this amazing device. The Roomba 980 learns its way around your room, vacuums your room, and returns to its base automatically when it needs an additional charge… and then returns to work! The 980 also adds Carpet Boost and the AeroForce Cleaning System. You can even monitor the Roomba via your smartphone and change its settings! I want one.
This Prize also includes 2 extra packages of HEPA-Style filters for the Roomba, 3 filters per package.
6th Prize: Tesla Experience
You don’t have a Tesla yet… You would LOVE to drive one of these things, for real. Not just for a half-hour with a sales representative beside you and a kid demanding attention in the rear seat and your spouse advising that you shouldn’t fully test out what you’ve heard about the Model S’ acceleration.
Way better than a test drive, Tesla will put you into a Model S for an entire 24-hour day. Take it home. Drive it to work. Drive it to the beach! While fully observing all speed limits and local driving regulations, analyze the impact of maximum acceleration on the ergonomic interface between your head, neck, spine and the seat back. Drive from one city to another and see for yourself what it’s like to use Tesla’s free super-fast Superchargers!
It’s really hard to find a Tesla to rent so that you can see for yourself. Not to mention expensive. The Tesla Model S Experience solves that problem.
Win this prize and enjoy your own personal Tesla for an entire day!
The Winner of a Prize may choose to take cash instead of the Prizes described elsewhere. These cash prizes do not include any of the Grand Prize’s “No Pain” features. These prizes may be subject to up front withholding. This table describes the alternative cash awards for the Prizes.
A Note from the 2015 Raffle Designer
Hi. My name is Alan. You can also find me under the username Pollux on teslamotors.com’s forums and on teslamotorsclub.com. You don’t have to be a member to participate in these forums. My wife and I bought a dark green, Model S P85+ in August, 2013. We have driven through all the weather Boston has had to offer in the past two years, no fuss, no muss.
I’ve been involved with Climate XChange (CXC) for years. This organization has accomplished a great deal with an incredibly thin budget. CXC funded a key study in 2012 that was presented at the Massachusetts State House in 2013. It was influential in causing the MA Department of Energy Resources to do its own study in 2014, which in turn provided important input into legislation for a carbon-fee-and-rebate plan that is being considered by the MA Senate this very fall of 2015!
I stumbled onto the idea of a raffle in the spring of 2015. I wound up purchasing a ticket to another automobile raffle. But the more I looked into these raffles, the more I was disappointed. Seemingly, they were all base model cars, lacking all options. Someone, maybe the dealer, had decided which car would be raffled. If you didn’t like the color, or anything else about the car, you had to go back to the dealer that sold it to the raffle sponsor and have a big conversation about whether you could swap it or order a new one.
And then there were the taxes. OMG! OMG, OMG, OMG!!!! My head nearly popped off my neck with surprise and disbelief when I realized that the so-called raffle Winner had to pay up front withholding taxes on the prize! For a car like a Tesla, that could be $20,000 or more! (In fact, in our raffle, that number would be $27,612. And 50 cents.) Can you imagine?!?! You would almost need to be able to fully afford buying the car in order to win the car! That makes no sense! It’s almost like winning a car raffle is a trap for the unwary!
So do you know what most winners do? They take the cash alternative prize. The raffle sponsor immediately takes the withholding taxes out of the cash prize, then sends the remnants to the winner. Yeah, the winner did win way more than the cost of the raffle ticket. But it’s quite a comedown.
Plus, there is absolutely no way at this point that I’m going to recommend putting someone into another manufacturer’s vehicle. The Model S is insanely, outrageously, over-the-top great. It doesn’t have all the cup-holders and ventilated rear end massagers of other luxury cars; Model S doesn’t claim to be the most luxurious car. But the electric thing is a game changer. The whole car has been rethought. The experience of driving one of these cars is unique and wonderful. There’s the power and handling. The cargo capacity. The people capacity (5 adults + 2 kids). The stunning safety. No gas, no oil; we’ve visited a gas station maybe twice in the past two years… for snacks and the bathroom. Zero emissions! Wow!! I could go on and on.
Bottom line: if CXC is going to put on a raffle, with an automobile as the top prize, it is going to be a Tesla Model S or its new companion, the Tesla Model X.
After listening to me rant, CXC decided that they would offer a “No Pain” raffle. That way, whoever wins — regular person, highly-paid engineer, or Richie Rich — can darned well afford to just go claim their Tesla and drive it away. We take the pain of the federal tax withholding. We alleviate your pain on state taxes. We really want to provide you with a High Power Wall Charger and money for an electrician, so that you get this car and drive home and enjoy it forever. And then come tax time, you may also have your federal EV tax credit of $7500 and here in Massachusetts a state tax credit of $2500.
You have my solemn word of honor that I have gone to every possible length to devise a raffle that I myself would love to enter and win!
We are determined to put someone into that car!
Alan aka Pollux
