Three things are no secret: 1) Elon Musk benefits more than any other individual from Tesla’s success, 2) Elon Musk has gotten extremely involved in political matters (emphasis on “extremely”), and 3) many people won’t buy Tesla products because of those first two facts.
New research from JW Surety Bonds finds that 1 out of 4 Americans “avoid Tesla’s technology due to their opinions on Elon Musk.” That’s a full quarter of the US public that won’t consider great electric vehicles, including the best selling vehicle in the world, because of Musk’s highly abnormal involvement in US politics.
Before we get to more of the research, it should also be noted that Musk has been getting more and more involved, including in highly abnormal and extremely right-wing ways, in European politics — in the UK, Italy, Germany, and other major auto markets. Without a doubt, this is starting to impact consumer behavior in Europe as well.
I can’t think of anything else as significant in consumer product sales. Yes, there are some other highly politically engaged business people, but they aren’t so directly involved or tied to significant mass-market products. (I’m not counting the MyPillow guy, for example.) There are founders and CEOs of major corporations who are known political actors, but not so openly and loudly that they draw widely significant scrutiny or tarnish the brand they represent.
I own a 5yo Tesla. I would have upgraded, except for the fact that giving more money to Musk is horrific.
It’s much better for the environment anyway when you keep it longer. 5y is nothing for an electric car, even if it has multiple hundred thousand kilometers it should be fine.
If you sell to someone, it doesn’t change the environmental factor.
Why though? Anything wrong with your car?
I just liked the new one more. Also the vehicle tax will go up on any vehicle bought after April 2025 (in the UK), so there’s probably going to be a lot of deals.
Anyway, if I do upgrade it won’t be another Tesla.
Cars should last like 20 years…
People are getting used to the idea of Vehicles as A Service and it’s a terrible fucking idea.
It’s ruining cell phones and it’ll ruin auto ownership.
Same, my Model 3 turns 5 years old soon. My original plan was to keep it for at least 8 years until the HV battery warranty expires - but, it has had its first major breakdown in the last 6 months, and although Tesla did manage to fix it I’m now window shopping for a replacement.
I don’t think I’ll get another Tesla, at least not as the situation stands. If Elon decided to sell it to some unobtrusive billionaire who is content to sit there, shut up and get even richer without meddling in geopolitics - and if they put back the fucking turn signal stalks - then maybe I would consider it, as otherwise the car is easy to live with, pleasant to drive and has acceptable range for what I need - and newer versions will go even further. But, there are a lot of alternatives on the market to consider now as well.
I am sure there is a team of very talented engineers at Tesla, and that they are the reason the company has been as successful as it is, despite the moron in charge of it.
VW ID series looks very promising, all the people I know who have one are pretty happy with it.
I have owned VWs in the past and been pretty happy with them, however, the last reviews I’ve seen of the ID series indicated there were still some software and build quality issues to iron out.
The front runner for me at the moment is the Polestar 2 - the latest refresh has switched to RWD from FWD and upgraded the motor and battery, which is now 82kWh (about twice the capacity of my current car), and as a result now promises a real world range of somewhere between 200-300 miles depending on conditions - that should be enough to get me from my place to my parents in just about a single charge, whereas currently I need to stop twice en-route.
It’s not priced as competitively as a Model 3, but it’s probably its nearest competitor at the moment. I’ll have to make a call about what I want to do in the next month or two, as there is an upcoming change to vehicle tax over here which would make any EV in this price bracket make less financial sense if purchased after the cutoff date. (Tesla, predictably, have snuck their base level Model 3 in just below this threshold.)
Exactly my situation and feelings, except mine turns just 4 soon. I was considering upgrading to a model X in the past, but as the situation is right now, no way.