I have been waiting for several weeks for this first car—a Tesla sedan (or whatever you call it)—to show up on my block again. It finally did, as I wanted to photograph it.
First, the back (license plate number redacted):
And, just to the left of the plate is this sticker:
For zero emissions AND against fascism. How could you ask for more virtue? It reminds me of Greta! But what is that sticker for? It could be saying either or both of two things:
1.) I recognize that Elon Musk is insane.
or
2.) Please do not scratch up or key my car.
It could mean both, of course, as they are connected. The second alternative is okay as it is just there to protect the car, but the first rubs me the wrong way I am no fan of Elon, but I do not go parading that “virtue” all over town. Plus the term “fascist”, like “Nazi”, is being thrown around so widely that it has lost all its meaning.
And think of the poor owner of this vehicle parked right across the street: a $100,000+ Tesla Cybertruck. Is it doomed? I am keeping an eye on the unstickered truck, which is often there, just to see what happens to it. If nothing, then alternative 2) becomes less plausible.
I recently bought an electric car. A Ford, not a Tesla. I wouldn’t put a political statement on my car, not even my ‘yes to independence’ sticker. There are far too many nutters around who take a difference of opinion as a reason for violence. I think the guy who put that sticker on his car is living dangerously.
Yes, I just realized from your comment that the sticker could make the car vulnerable to damage from people at both ends of the political spectrum!
are both ends of the political spectrum expressing their virtue in violence in
the US?
But the idea is that the product choice is itself a political message.
This is the … errmm… dynamic of the …elevated consciousness … at work.. revealing a structure which no one can escape from…
… kind of thing…
Sadly Musk’s recent political activities may have turned Teslas into a political statement for some people. I don’t think they started that way.
There’s nothing worse than wanting everyone to like everything you do.
It is impossible.
That and destroying stainless steel with common tools without extended periods of time and cutting oil.
On the flip side, it can be a “ha ha! Oh jeez, tell me about it…” kind of humorous reaction message.
The “failure” of the cyber truck is like a wheat seed that failed to sprout in a 200-acre bumper crop worth $trillions.
Elon Musk is the most important human being on the planet.
Nope. Right now it’s Shohei Ohtani.
Or maybe Vladdy Guerrero.
What? Could you elaborate on this singular view?
Are you replyng to yourself? Or are there two John Donohues? Please clarify.
I am John J. Donohue, so I didn’t want confusion that I was endorsing the idea that “Elon Musk is the most important human being on the planet,” as claimed by some other person named John Donohue (with no middle initial). But I was also curious on what basis this claim was being made.
My town has a number of rather wealthy but environmentally-conscious individuals and Teslas were so popular here when they first came out that they opened a Tesla dealership in town. Then Elon became associated with Trump and the dealership was the location for weekly protests for months and I’ve noticed now a slew of even more expensive electric cars are in fashion (e-Volvo’s and BMWs) with the most sought after the electrically retro-fitted renovated vintage car or Ford pick-up (which are then prominently charged by new outlets in the front of the house.) Even better if you put a ‘No Kings’ sign next to your $100K+ auto!
A friend of ours has an ordinary Tesla sedan. She uses it only for driving, not as a virtue signal. She was afraid that someone would vandalize her car, so she put a sticker on it saying that she bought it before Musk became involved with the Trump administration. She lives in Seattle, where political vandalism does happen.
Looks like the owner doesn’t want his car vandalized by the Trump era anti-Elons. Given recent news stories, that seems a rational concern. I also think it’s rational to think that his explanation might deter some politically-motivated vandals. I wouldn’t consider this virtue signaling. It’s an attempt to deter malice in an age when your earlier purchase has become a political statement through no fault of your own. Virtue signaling would be putting a “Not a Tesla” sticker on a Ford — where there are zero possible consequences other than enhancing your status with the elect. So I give the guy a pass. Then again, I couldn’t care less if people put political stickers on their car, even where there is no such rational concern about damage 🙂
I’m with you on 100% of what you wrote. I am attempting to cultivate a “give people the benefit of the doubt” mindset. I am not always successful at this, so your comment is a good reminder.
Perhaps you did not notice that I gave two explanations and did not favor one over the other?
Here in Montreal, someone spotted and photographed a Tesla on the highway: the owner had replaced the Tesla logo with an Audi one. I might have been fooled as I don’t know from cars, but the person who took the pic said he was sure. Teslas are relatively common here, but there are very few Cybertrucks.
A couple of weeks ago I was out on my electric bicycle and I was passed by a Tesla with a sticker reading “I believe in clean energy, not white supremacy”. I think that one ticks both PCC(e)’s possible meanings.
Cybertrucks are GROSS.
When I first saw the Tesla truck I was reminded of the stealth bomber and fighter, thinking perhaps it was an effort to diminish the effectiveness of police radar.
Recently heard Stephen Fry on You Tube passing on a joke to the effect that Elon Musk is not a Nazi; the Nazis made quality cars.
ha,ha!
Pure EVs are hopelessly impractical when you live in the middle of nowhere, where long distances are the norm and there aren’t any charging stations. We shall try to grab a hybrid while they are still allowed to be sold.
The cheapest Tesla is a much better car than anything else for the same money and has a range of at least 400 km or so. Put some solar panels on your house and charge for free.
If you really live somewhere where a fully electric car is not practical, a hybrid probably doesn’t make much sense, neither economically nor with regard to the environment. There might be some niche uses for hybrids, but mostly they are a boondoggle to profit from EV subsidies distributed too generously.
I doubt that range will survive -25ºC and deep snow.
Teslas are quite popular in Norway, which is not known for mild winters. Of course, there is good charging infrastructure there.
Do electric cars use more energy in winter? Yes, but it is interesting to look at the details.
First, all cars use more in winter because cold air is denser and the main use of energy is overcoming wind resistance. Also, winter tyres have more roll resistance. Second, in some sense it is more correct to say that electric cars use less energy in the summer: internal-combustion-engine cars essentially always have the heater on; the only difference is whether the hot air is directed to the inside or outside of the car. People tend to be more aware of how much energy is left in an electric car, even though in many places range and/or the density of charging stations is no longer an issue. Also, some people heat wrongly in an electric car. The heat energy has to come from the battery, of course, but it is more efficient to heat the seats than the air. (With a conventional engine, heat is produced anyway, so electrically heated seats are a luxury using additional energy.)
I have a Tesla Model 3 with a 52-kWh battery. At 100 km/h (60 m.p.h.) the range is about 400 km. Much larger batteries are available. (I prefer a smaller one, since it is cheaper and, due to less weight, improves my economy. The interesting thing is how long it takes to charge to go a given distance. Charging 90 minutes to go 800 km is, to me, not better than charging 45 to go 400, since I stop that often anyway. In fact, when stopping to eat and charge up, I have to make sure that I get back before it is charged up (Tesla rightly charges people who block the chargers and aren’t charging).
I previously had a Skoda Fabia with a 69-horsepower diesel engine and a VW Polo with a 48-horsepower diesel engine, essentially the most economical cars which could carry 5 people at the time. The Tesla is cheaper than either of those. True, it costs a bit more (but much, much less than cars with similar performance), but the cost per distance is cheaper even if I pay for the charging (and the point of comparison is 4 litres per 100 km of diesel or 60 m.p.g.). In some countries, electricity is cheaper than in Germany, so sometimes when travelling it is even cheaper. At some places one can charge for free, and with solar panels at home I can charge essentially for free. No tax, practically no repair or maintenance costs.
I’ve yet to see a life-of-the-vehicle cost comparison. I get that the cost per km would be cheaper, but when you add the extra cost for the vehicle, the replacement battery ($10,000 per ten years), extra cost for tires to withstand the extra weight, wearing through the tires faster, and extra wear/replacement of weight bearing/related parts (breaks, ball joints, tie-end rods, axels)…I’m not convinced. I know an auto industry civil engineer who’s son, who is also an engineer, working for one of the big EV companies. These are concerns they’ve brought up to me having spent a bundle on such repairs they hadn’t counted on, as the son owns an EV. Also, what will the EV be worth at year 9 when one tries to sell a 9 year old vehicle when the buyers know they’re in for the $$$ of a new battery? It might be better in the southern states but up in Canada the added costs of heating in the winter and air in the summer, less battery charge in the cold, and shorter lifespan of the vehicles due to rust weigh in as well. I believe that in some places the government has started charging an EV tax as well to recuperate the lost tax from gas. Time will tell but it shouldn’t be hard for someone willing to put the time in to do a proper vehicle lifespan comparison.
Don’t get me wrong. I love what the EVs can do and what Elon is doing with self-driving and the likelihood of interconnected, communicating vehicles all networked to know the best routes to minimize traffic, etc. but my comment was focused more on the reported cost savings.
I think these stickers are meant to say “I am NOT a Republican!” It’s an NPR tote bag.
Note that Musk has distanced himself from Trump. Yes, his MAGA phase was cringeworthy, but at least it was over quickly for him. With the two-party system in the States, one has to kowtow to the one in power to get anything done, and Musk does get things done. But he was never a Nazi in any way, shape, or form. I find it amusing when so-called leftists prefer buying a Ford or a VW to a Tesla because of Musk’s MAGA phase. Henry Ford was well known as an anti-Semite and VW was literally founded by Hitler.
Henry Ford died in 1947. I don’t believe it is now hypocritical for leftists to buy a Ford. The Ford company also went public in 1956.
I have a Tesla, but I’m not about to put a “I bought this before I knew Elon was crazy” sticker on it, although I have seen several with it. Tesla vandalism was even discussed on the local radio, as a couple of cars downtown had been attacked. I’m surprised at the number of people who can’t separate the product from the CEO. It’s a good product, and I’m not about to get rid of it because of anything the CEO says/does; just as I wouldn’t get rid of or apologize for my toaster if the CEO of Black & Decker turned out to be a pedophile or worse.
Vandalizing Tesla’s also doesn’t make any sense. Elon already has our money, so that isn’t going to affect him at all. In fact, it will likely give him more money as where do you think we are going to go for repairs???
The Cybertruck is in more danger of being vandalised by someone with an eye for good design than by a Musk-hater. A hideous and anti-human design. The description I read of it being a “pedestrian filleting machine” is pretty accurate. They can’t be used on UK roads because (for now, at least), our vehicle standards agency rightly considers them too dangerous to share the roads with pedestrians and cyclists.