We put solar on our house, so it only made sense for one of the cars to be electric. We were so close to buying a Tesla, until Musk turned into a total dick.
We bought, well leased,  a KIA EV6 and we couldn’t be happier. With the tax breaks on the solar and the car, it’s a pretty great deal. Yes Tesla is gonna win the ‘on the road’ charging wars, but so far we haven’t had any problems.

Cheers
Frank Vilardi

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The case in our home:

We were planning on buying a Tesla when our lease expires.

There is no chance that will ever happen now.

Waiting for an alternative, will jump as soon as it’s there.

Michael Alex

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I have a Tesla (Model Y/P 2022), I got it in Dec 2021.  I love the car, never had any issues or problems, runs great, fun to drive.  The stories about build quality are old, I do believe they have improved in that area significantly. But..

When I talk to people about cars, if I end up saying “I have a Tesla”, I always feel like I have to apologize and preface it by saying “But I bought it before I knew what an a*shole Elon is, before he screwed up twitter, etc”.  It’s sad, because I really do like the car, but I’m embarrassed that I put more money in that guy’s pocket.

My boss just got a brand new all-electric BMW I5 M60 – it is a beautiful machine, looks and feels like a luxury car.  It costs about 40K more than my Y, but I’d now consider a BMW I* (though probly a cheaper model) for my next purchase instead of another Tesla.  Though currently the BMW range lags well behind the Tesla (Performance or LR model), I hope they can bring that up to the 350 mile range).

-Will Ingersoll

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You are right. I don’t want to give musk any money.
I’m ready for an ev, but not from him.

DW Davis

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I’ve owned two Teslas over the past 6 years.  I liked the cars a lot.  But when the lease ended on my most recent Tesla, I elected to leave the Tesla universe.  When a Tesla rep called me to see if I wanted to lease a new one, I told him “no”.  When he asked “why not?” I said…”one word…Elon”.  He acknowledged and said I was not alone.  I was determined to continue with an EV.  I researched alternatives and ended up selecting a Hyundai Ioniq 5.  Most of the car reviews I read…Including Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Consumer Reports and Dan Niel in the WSJ..rate the Ioniq as good as or better than the Tesla 3.  As for the charging network issue….I have a Level 2 charger in my garage and seldom travel so far as to need to use the broader network.    I’m confident that if I did need to travel some distance, I could find a charger to keep me going.  This solution may not be available to everyone,  Apartment dwellers can’t easily install a Level 2 charger.  But my point is…many people like me want to continue to drive EVs, Tesla is not the only game in town, and Elon’s behavior is affecting the sales of the brand.

 

Ed Wolfman

Manhattan Beach, CA

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I agree completely that Musk is the X-factor in Tesla’s waning interest. Just watch the recent clip of him on The Joe Rogan Show smoking cigars, boasting about firing Tommy gun rounds into the Cybertruck, referring to it as “the kind of car Bladerunner would drive.” Who’s Bladerunner? Does he mean Harrison Ford’s character Rick Deckard, who drives a flying car, in the *film* Blade Runner? I don’t even think Musk knows. He seems most interested in appealing to straight white teenage boys. I’m not sure how many *new* Tesla sales that will translate to long term; no doubt some, but enough to keep the company afloat? Everyone else is bored of it and him.

One thing I see frequently in EV discussions (on Reddit) is the extent to which people abhor the old model of auto buying / leasing. Often people will cite the *primary* reason for going Tesla is because of the hands off, no bullsh*t pricing and delivery aspect of the purchase. People hate going to a Ford dealership and dealing with a salesman *so much* that they will buy a Tesla instead…. I think on some level it’s a generational thing – as a millennial I totally get it. I can do all my own research and make my own decisions about this thing I want to buy – I’ve given this A LOT OF THOUGHT already, thank you very much. I realize sales jobs are at stake but it’s surprising that more dealerships haven’t switched to a newer approach – or at least backed off a bit from the way it used to be.

Beyond the Tesla problem I think the US Government dropped the ball completely by not instituting/regulating a universal charger early on and implementing it across the country so fast that it became an undeniable standard. We were behind on innovation and had to fight tooth and nail with the GOP to get things moving in the right direction. But when they did pass legislation on carbon limits, etc., no one thought about how they might actually support those lofty goals with a charging network? Or adding working class jobs to see it done? The demand for a country wide charging infrastructure might not be here, NOW – but you’re pushing legislation towards that direction anyway, right? Keep going!

I drive a 20 year old truck and work freelance from home so I don’t need much range at all but as a renter, (most of us are in a big city) there’s little chance of having a charger to use at home – now or in the immediate future. This is a huge impediment considering how terrible the public charging infrastructure is. Also, most of the best reviewed EVs are too expensive for me to justify switching. New car prices in general hard to justify. I have a moral imperative to switch but in reality my maintenance and gas costs are low as it is, so that’s not a big selling point for me.

My hope is that strides will be made to make charging outside the home easier and more reliable before my truck finally gives out. But I do want to switch.

Steven Page

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While I agree with you about Musk, it seems that plenty of people are capable of doublethink–namely 1) Musk is an idiot and he should keep his mouth shut and stick to what he’s good at (running Tesla and Space-X) and 2) Teslas are currently the best EV out there, by far.

I was at a Tesla store in Colorado the other night, after having convinced a friend to buy a Tesla in a 15-min. grocery store convo. Teslas are flying off the shelves here, with the price cuts and the fact that Colorado has a $5K *refundable* tax credit on top of the $7500 federal tax credit.

The Model Y long range she is going to buy (all-wheel drive is a must in my opinion for Colorado, but the 330-mile range is perhaps the bigger draw for many people) is about $50K *before* the tax credits. After the credits we’re talking $38K or so. That’s what I paid for a top of the line RAV4 hybrid in 2017, which is $48K in today’s dollars. Or, put another way, six years after buying the RAV4 I can get a better, quicker, cheaper-to-fuel car with hands-down the best tech out there (and it keeps getting better with over-the-air updates) for $10K less that what I paid back then. It’s a no-brainer.

This summer I rented a Tesla in LA. When I wanted to head up to Santa Barbara to surprise a friend, I plugged the address in to the Tesla navigation and it told me 1) you need to charge and directed me to the closest Supercharger in Santa Monica, and 2) it was “pre-conditioning” the battery to optimize the charging speed (essentially adjusting the battery temp to charge faster). After using the loo at the Supercharger and getting a snack at the convenience store (the Supercharger is located on the grounds of a gas station), I got back into the car to see that 40 miles of range had been added. Some small number of minutes later, the Tesla screen said I had enough charge to make it up to SB, but I knew that 1) I would be using AC the entire way and 2) I would be exceeding the speed limit, so I waited another 5-6 mins. Got to SB with 9% charge (perhaps I was more of a lead foot than I had thought) and found that the nearest Supercharger was a mile away. Easy peasy.

I know a lot of us wish Elon would shut the hell up, but it’s not going to stop me (or apparently lots of other people) from buying one.

Best,

Dave

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Haha great timing. I just got my first Tesla on Halloween and it’s pretty much the greatest thing ever. Once you test drive it, you’ll be sold. 0-60 in 3 seconds and more affordable than you think. Incredible.

Best Regards,
Zach Goode

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Longtime fan/reader. This piece spoke to me because I am one of those folks who wanted an Electric car but hates Elon Musk so there is no way I would buy Tesla. Like you said – don’t want to put money in his pocket. Not to mention the folks at the Tesla dealerships are elitists and they don’t care if you buy their car or not.

So instead, I bought an amazing electric BMW. I bought a 2022 i4 edrive. I absolutely love it. The best car I have ever owned. There are apps to help me plan any “roadtrips” and Electrify Anerica is my charging station of choice. I have done several out of state trips with no issues, but I do have to map out my route to make sure there are electrify America stations on tyr route. They also use your phone and an app to do the transaction. And they are usually in an area that has a restaurant or shopping nearby, so you can grab a bite, or shop. They can fully recharge in an hour or less. And that usually gives me between 274-300 mile range.

I agree with you that the media has done more to damage the electric car industry than anything. And the hybrid cars are not worth it. Either you want to go electric or you don’t.

I also think it is important to mention that all of the electric cars out there can be recharged at home with a standard electric outlet. Most come with a “trickle charger” that will slowly recharge. Depending on the car it can take up to 3 days to fully charge but some folks just recharge every night. But – you can do like I did and have an electrician install a 220 outlet on the outside of your house and it will recharge overnight. (Mine is next to my carport). My electric bill has not increased hardly at all. It is negligible.

I personally think that electric cars are going to be the only smart choice in the near future. But our country needs to accept and adopt this attitude and install fast charging stations at every state “rest area” – that infrastructure must happen and hopefully we will stop making this a political issue and realize it’s the future.

Thanks for always covering the topics in rich a great way!

Juanita Copeland

Nashville TN

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I agree with most of what you are saying about the EV world and certainly about the backlash of the Musk effect.  I would never buy a Tesla because of Musk.

Brandt Williams

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Spot on, Bob. We’ve been window shopping for an EV for nearly 2 years. Nothing in the current market is close to Tesla for the money, and that’s still money I wouldn’t give to anything associated with Musk if I was stuck in a burning building and the only way out was a ride in a biodefense mode-equipped model s. Most reasonable people do not spend $100,000 dollars on a vehicle.

Toyota appears to be heading to a solid state battery powered EV in the coming years. We love our Toyota, that alone is enough to be optimistic. Soon.

Take care

Michael Wendell

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the bubble you live in is truly fascinating to look into. in your world, the opinions of the legacy media is gospel truth and you have no awareness of what blue collar Americans actually think, and you don’t care because we are beneath you and your friends. Teslas are still very cool (we still can’t afford them). we appreciate what Elon Musk has risked for free expression of opinions the old guard (like yourself) find reprehensible. we don’t believe the narratives being pushed by our leaders in the “intelligentsia”.

I genuinely appreciate the view from the penthouse.

Marc Lopez

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I drive gas cars today, but my kids have Teslas.  I’ll look at the Toyota hybrids for my next car, switching out my 1999 220K mile Land Cruiser that gets 11 miles per gallon (I drive about 6K a year) for a new hybrid Land Cruiser that gets 30+ miles.  I imagine it will last me for another 25 years.

I suspect Musk’s will be remembered more for his impact on free speech than his electric car.  We will see…

Ed Kelly

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Yes!  You hit it right on the nose!  I’ve had a Model Y since they came out and I LOVE IT.  I was all ready to buy another after 2 years, but the Elon became such a jerk that I didn’t want to support him.  So, I started shopping for other EVs that could replace it and I ALWAYS COME BACK TO THE CHARGING!

At this point I can’t switch simply because I don’t want the hassle of trying to find somewhere to charge.  Tesla makes it so easy and cheap.

 

So, I wait for  another manufacturer to use the Tesla charging system (but even then Elon gets his massive cut of all the electricity being provided).

 

It is a pity

 

Brian W. Roberts

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You forgot to mention one Key fact. A fact that tells me that you don’t drive a Tesla and don’t yet “know.”

People who drive Teslas like the electric/battery benefits BUT WE LOVE THE AUTONOMOUS driving. Tesla’s Autopilot is now ready for prime time. And nobody comes close to what Tesla has achieved and continues to build. Sure I don’t have to go to the Gas station. But I also get a personal assistant to drive my car for me in traffic!! It’s there if you need it and looking out for you when you think you’ve got it. It’s the best of all worlds. Safer and more enjoyable driving for the masses. Less accidents and lower costs on insurance too. And old people- they are the next target market for Tesla. Think about all the people too scared to drive or physically unable to. Tesla just became their solution too. You think Tesla is dead? Wait until they start licensing the tech to the others.

People are still afraid to use Tech and that’s the issue. Give it a bit more time. The innovators are all in already. Now the Tesla price cuts just opened the floodgates.

There is no question that Tesla and Autopilot are the greatest invention of the 21st century. Thanks Elon!

It’s never too late Bob- Get In!!

-Ariel Levy

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Regarding Tesla the very strong union in Sweden has declared a strike against Tesla this week. The company refuses to accept the Swedish collective agreement, which is a cornerstone on the Swedish labor market. It refuses to even negotiate. No company has succeeded in doing that, ever.
I guess you are aware of the fact that the Swedish unions are extremely strong!

Lars Hollen

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Tesla in Sweden:

Swedish Ports Threaten to Block Teslas From Entering the Country – Tesla is failing to play by Swedish labor rules, unions claim. Now a strike that started with mechanics is beginning to spread”

https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-sweden-strike/

Jelena Laketic

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Hilarious. Over here in the UK, we are just arguing whether to ban sales of gas cars in 2030 or 2035….. (was the latter, then the former, now the latter…. Europe also banning gas cars in 2035).

Hybrids are cheating (like all carbon offsetting).

Meanwhile, I’m just back from the States, where there were plenty of electric cars. But not as many as we have – a third of all sales are now electric, and that figure is only rising.

Martin Valentine

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The mistake all electric car manufacturers make is to sell them primarily as an environmental proposition, when the more powerful truth is that they are simply better cars.

Quieter.
Smoother.
Better acceleration.
More space inside.
Low centre of gravity for safer handling.

Even an entry-level electric has a smoothness and spaciousness that a decade ago you could only get from the top end of premium brands.

If you live in an urban area or have a wall plug the range is largely irrelevant. Who drives more than 200 miles per day? Plug in overnight. If you’re still worried, Toyota have solid-state batteries coming in 2027, which will double their ranges.

In Europe, VW’s wait list for its electrics is now more than a year, such is the demand.

Tesla may well prove to be one of those business school case studies where a brand invents a category but then dies. The Compaq of the car biz. Does anyone lament Compaq?

Hyundai, VW, Toyota and the various Chinese state-owned brands will all definitely be in the race in five years time. The only question is whether one or more of the so-called “big three” (which globally are not the biggest) area still hanging there, or whether this will be the final nail in their proverbial coffin.

John

Carter Brands

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Hi Bob, I have owned a Tesla Model 3 since 2018. Going forward, I will only consider buying another EV, but will look for alternatives to Elon Musk run businesses. I wouldn’t switch now, mainly because the Tesla Super Charger network — they are everywhere (long road trips are a no brainer), fast, inexpensive. That said, once enough EV competitors offer the Tesla Super Charger plug standard, range is 300+ miles, pricing is competitive with Telsa — the playing field will be leveled.

I do love my Tesla Model 3, and here’s why:

1. It’s a joy to drive, fast, nimble and outperforms every ICE car I have ever driven. I dread having to drive ICE rental cars

2. Low cost of ownership (much lower) — electricity is cheap, maintenance is almost non-existent (far fewer points of failure than ICE cars)

3. Charging at home is easy — never have to visit a “gas” station again.

4. It’s a green solution that is far less destructive to the environment, at least where I live in Seattle

5. Build quality – I see complaints online but my experience with my Model 3 has been only positive

6. Investment protection – I am quite certain my car has retained more of its value than a similarly priced ICE car of the same year.  Also, I agree with you that the bottom will fall out of the ICE vehicle market at some point in the not too distant future

For now all is good with my Tesla Model 3. When I am ready for another car, it will definitely be an EV, Tesla Super Charger compatible. Because of Elon Musk and how he presents himself, it probably will not be a Tesla. It definitely will not be an ICE car

Thanks,

Steve Roseta

Seatttle

PS Hybrids are not EVs in my book (they are gas cars with better mileage).

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Why do you think Elon is not liked and admired? Why do you think he is a wacko?
Is X better now? If you don’t think so, is it because it’s not run by the left anymore?
I don’t agree on half of what he says but I still think X is now more balanced then it was before. At least it doesn’t look like it’s run by the government anymore.
You don’t like Space X?
You don’t like Neurolink?
Two innovative companies that are changing the world as we speak.
You don’t agree with his views? I don’t neither. So what? I still respect the man. You should to. Stop politicizing him.
My next car is a Tesla and  in my opinion it will be the next car of millions worldwide. And that is if you like Elon or not. As you mentioned, Tesla is years ahead of his competition and they are just starting producing for the mass.

Jean Anfossi
Music For Productions Inc.

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Greetings from Nîmes where we see more Teslas than even in Nashville (and there were tons in Nashville). Most are taxis. Yeah, those guys don’t want to pay European fuel prices. Before we moved here we had bought a Prius. We weren’t thinking about the fuel consumption (though, shortly after we bought it American fuel prices rocketed up). We loved the fact that an electric car takes off immediately when you step on the gas, while there is a lag in a gas fueled vehicle. This is a safety feature no one talks about. I have avoided more accidents with the gas than with the brakes.

Michael Ross

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I own a Tesla Model S, 2013 edition, and I love it.  I have a Cybertruck on order.  And I don’t like Elon.

Many will not buy Tesla because Elon has become a right-wing nut, but the cars are superb and most Tesla owners will buy again.

Thanks for your posts.

Doug Coleman

Jacksonville, FL

Long Beach, CA

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Hyundai’s IONIQ 6 is a better car than the Tesla 3 and around the same price. No comparison when it comes to the ride. The IONIQ 6 drives like a luxury car. The Tesla 3 does not.
AND, Hyundai is now adding the NACS Tesla charging system to their “second half” 2024 EV’s and will likely provide an adaptor in the meantime.
But, who cares about that when you’re charging your EV at home with a Level 2 charger that you get with your IONIQ 6 using your solar power system?
FREE fuel and a fullly charged battery at all times. (Hyundai also gives you 2 years of Free charging at Electrify America, which takes about 17 minutes to go from 0% to 100%.)

Go electric!

Drew Ferrante

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I was an early adopter of a Tesla because of the tech, design and sustainability proposition. I was never a car guy, just liked owning good ones and Tesla leads the way. Musk never came into the equation except from the vision he had for the EV. I don’t care what he has/will do with Twitter or any of his other shenanigans, however I do rate Starlink as an innovative product of the future.

 

What did come into the equation eventually was my wife….so now I own TWO!

 

So now you do know someone who will buy another Tesla and who doesn’t mind Elon Musk, There are a lot worse, and he works hard to bring his visions to life. You got to respect that.

 

Best wishes Bob and warm regards from sunny Sydney.

Don Elford

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My Model Y rocks! Best decision I ever made. I would buy another in a heartbeat. I don’t give two squats about Musk. He has all the money he will ever need with or without my fifty Gs.

Phil Wagner

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I’m a long-term Tesla owner since 2013 and I would most definitely buy another one (I have)…I liked Elon’s personality more back in the day, and agree with many that some of the things he tweets these days are not necessary or nice (especially for a CEO)…

But here’s what I tell people…If you’re not going to buy a Tesla just because of Elon being a a-hole, then you probably shouldn’t use Microsoft software (because Bill Gates is well-known for being an a-hole), and you also shouldn’t buy any Apple products (since Steve Jobs was also a big time a-hole, who, by the way, wouldn’t even acknowledge his own daughter for many years). Then there’s VW and all of their baggage (and diesel-gate cheating)…

The right answer? At least for me, I think the way to approach the purchase of a product is to evaluate it wholly based on its merits as compared to the competition and choose accordingly.  The combination of Tesla cars (and their design/features) and their supercharger network is unbeatable IMHO.  We’ve taken separate road trips from SoCal to Canada, Texas, Colorado, Lake Tahoe, etc. and it has been both fun and easy. The car tells you where to charge on the Tesla network and even for how long before continuing.  Just try charging another brand of EV at the non-Tesla branded charging stations and you’ll see right away that Tesla is kicking butt.  That’s why many of the other OEMs want their cars in the future to be able to use the Tesla supercharger network.

People can avoid Tesla because of their dislike of the CEO.  But in doing so, they’re going to miss out on one of the most exciting vehicles I’ve ever driven…

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Whether you like Elon Musk or not is a moot point, the truth of the matter is Tesla OWNS the charging grid! I have my second  Tesla model 3 and my friend bought the new genesis Electric car and he can’t find a place to charge it every time he tries it’s full.

Val Garay

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My wife just bought a HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 electric car, loves it.

Said she wouldn’t drive a Tesla if they gave it to her because of the “crazy X man”.

I really don’t know how all the progressives and liberals can justify putting more money in the hands of that weirdo

Alec Fuhrman

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Love my new Ford Mustang Mach-e . I wasn’t an early adopter of electric cars or even Tesla even though I was #80 on the original waitlist before Musk bought the company (yea that’s right – he didn’t create it from scratch:).  The guy has turned out to be such an a-hole I wouldn’t buy a thing from him no matter how good it was I support anything he does. And Ford did a really great job on this car from the style to the operation. Once the range and infrastructure issue is settled everyone will drive electric. My friends who said once you drive electric it will be hard to go back to a gas car. And now I understand why…

Fred Goldring

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It is a pity… if people spent just a little time looking into the backgrounds of their favorite artists, writers, presidents – maybe they’d find that they have some proclivities that might not be so aligned with theirs. Some are serious womanizers, racists or even outright pedophiles. I‘m willing to bet no one knows the names of the CEOs that run the companies that made the clothes they wear or the beds they sleep in.

Musk? What’s his crime? Big dreams and hard work? Here’s an immigrant from South Africa, that sought out a better life and dreamt big. Like bringing electric cars to the masses and (maybe) bringing the masses to Mars. He put nearly his entire net worth on the line (from his PayPal stake) to build his dream. Raise your hand if you’ve made a leap like that. Of course he’s got his quirks – but check your glass solar panels (yeah, he builds those, too) before you start throwing rocks…

He builds his cars in America – in fact by most accounts, his are the most “American” of any built – based on US made parts. Even so, Biden panned him when he invited the “leaders” of US electric car manufacturing to the White House – and actually told the GM CEO that she was responsible for establishing the US as dominant in EVs. Im sure the CA congresswoman that told him to “F*ck off” – is still being lauded for losing Tesla’s corporate tax base to Texas. He’s definitely a pariah in the eyes of many, and what’s interesting is the tides seemed to turn when he bought and opened up a popular social media platform that was a haven for journalists.

They laughed at him when he built tents to house his production line in Fremont, and slept on the factory floor, working on the line with his team to get his product to market anyway he could. Laughed at a man who was trying his hardest to bring positive change to a world almost totally reliant on Big Oil. Laughed at a man that dared to build a fleet of reusable rockets from scratch, or build battery systems that power communities around the world.

So, show me your best selling electric car line. Show me your space rocket company that’s already run rings around NASA and every other country in the world with regard to launching people and equipment into space. Show me your global internet solution that’s given the Ukrainians a fighting chance against Russia.

Go out on your own and build something. Sacrifice your comfortable existence for a few years and try it. You’ll find out how really tough it is. It’s a cold, hard world out there when there’s no trust fund to tap; none of daddy’s friends to get you into that corner office. They’ll laugh at you, too. You might even piss some people off. But, in the end, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you can execute, accomplish something, make a change.

Musk is an American treasure. We ought to be proud that he’s on our side. We ought to support him as much as we can while he’s here, and celebrate the good that he’s done for humanity.

Take stock of what he’s done and then decide if there’s a net positive.
If you still hate him, then at least have the guts to dump your Tesla right now – not just when it’s convenient for you. Go ahead – put your money where your mouth is. Talk is cheap – actions count.  If you’re not going to take the risks and do the hard work, then at least show some spine in your convictions. While you’re at it, be consistent and make damn sure none of the other products you buy are built by people that you don’t agree with.

I think you’ll find that slope gets very slippery, very fast…

-Steve Stewart

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Bought a Tesla a year ago. No regrets, “Never goin’ back again” to an ICE.

one thing you forgot –  you push a button on your iPhone and you go pickup a car a few days later. Priceless.

I don’t ever want to see a f*ckin car dealer ever again. Had my tires rotated at 7500 miles— the technician came to my house on a Saturday morning, did his job and left within 25mins.

Try that at the local Honda showroom….

Elon Musk sucks, but I think it’s mainly about more folks sitting inside one of these and “getting it”.

take care,

adit rao

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When I get home and plug our car in to charge, using solar panels during the day, backup battery at night, it puts a smile on my face.  I know not everyone has this setup, but as you say….it’s just a matter of time.  Can you say Kodak?

David Epstein

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I have a friend whose son recently asked him to drop off out of sight of the school. Why? Dad, you can’t take me to Jewish school in an antisemite’s car. He’s getting rid of the Tesla.

Eric Garland