My husband and I bought a Tesla Model 3 in 2018, before I knew much about Elon Musk.
My hubby is a big-time techie and was the one who really wanted it. I’m not a car person, so I didn’t give it much thought before we went to the dealership. To me, it was just a cool electric car with a lot of nice features. I was fascinated by the touchscreen.
Now, would I buy a Tesla again? There’s absolutely no way, not as long as Musk is the company’s CEO. In the meantime, I still drive the car. It’s convenient. It’s reliable. I don’t think of it as a “swasticar,” as some have branded it.
Sure, we could sell it, as Tesla Takedown demonstrators have urged owners to do. And we might one day, even though it could get more difficult as time goes on. We just haven’t made that move yet. We aren’t in a rush, especially since our selling it won’t impact Musk.
This is actually our third electric car. We are big EV fans. (Previously, we drove Chevrolet Volts, which are driven by an electric motor with a gas engine backup.) It’s an environmental thing for us. A full charge at home allows us to drive the Tesla about 200 miles and costs only about $12.75. Also we have spent just $326 for maintenance since we purchased it, not including a new set of tires.
We intend to keep driving our vehicle at least until the situation gets sorted out with all of the new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
As for Musk, he has inflicted an unconscionable amount of damage on the federal government in his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In return, the Tesla brand has suffered “unprecedented brand damage.”
America may never look at the brand the same way it did before Musk started shutting down entire government agencies, firing tens of thousands of federal workers, and cutting hundreds of millions in medical research. And now comes word DOGE may even be using artificial intelligence to spy on workers, according to Reuters.
Musk deserves every bit of ire he attracts. The bulk of his fortune is tied up in his 13% ownership of Tesla stock. It has lost roughly half its value since reaching a high of about $480 in December. The world’s richest man admitted recently that his role with DOGE is “costing me a lot.” Tesla sales are way down, as is the stock price. (Full disclosure: My husband owns Tesla stock.)
I’ve been thinking about this ever since protesters started raising awareness with their boycotts of the Tesla brand.
Most participants in these protests are law-abiding and nonviolent. But some have targeted Tesla dealerships and charging stations with dangerous, destructive, and illegal actions.
And, increasingly, they’ve targeted Tesla drivers.
That’s uncalled for — and I’m not just saying so out of self-interest.
No one knows what a car owner’s individual circumstances are. Not every owner can run out and unload their vehicles the way the actress Bette Midler recently did, calling it a symbol of “racism, greed, and ignorance.” It’s just not that simple for every consumer. Especially now that tariffs are expected to impact the price of new (and even used) cars and trucks.
Some drivers may agree with the demonstrators and fully intend to sell or trade in their Teslas, but may not have gotten around to it yet (and Tesla is reportedly no longer accepting Cybertruck trade-ins).
At the end of the day, replacing a car that is running fine may rank lower on someone’s priority list than the hundreds of other demands they may be juggling.
But now, Tesla drivers have to think twice about where they can drive or park their vehicles for fear of getting harassed or having their car vandalized.
I totally get the anger at Musk. Harassment and vandalism that target people who already own Teslas? That’s misdirected. It would be great if people channeled that into something constructive — like actually turning out to vote in next year’s midterm elections.
