Opinion: I purchased a Tesla to support environmental causes. I'm now ashamed to operate it.

 By Jhon Blumenthal

Sunday, 08 January 2023 11:00 AM MYT

Not because I'm a car freak, but rather because I had been a hypocrite, I purchased a secondhand Tesla a few years ago. I have long been vocal about the risks posed by carbon pollution. However, I was also operating a clunker of a gas-powered vehicle that got about 25 miles per gallon and made a rocket launch noise every time I put the key in the ignition.

Despite being useless, the automobile held nostalgic significance. My diligent urban composting, LED bulb installations, and energy-saving appliances failed to impress my pals who are environmental activists. I have to make greater effort to reduce my carbon impact. My buddies said that the icebergs were melting and that I was to blame for at least one polar bear being homeless and starving.

Teslas, according to many, were the finest for the environment. Costly but worthwhile I finally made the plunge and waved goodbye to my petrol guzzler.

For an adult like me who struggles with technology, getting behind the wheel of a Tesla for the first time was like trying to master calculus after failing algebra. Someone once said that Teslas are smartphones on wheels. The ignition was not present. How do you get it to move? Describe a fob. After a few weeks of getting used to the basics, I finally developed a genuine fondness for the car's svelte appearance and technological bells and whistles. However, that sensation was fleeting.

I'm beginning to wonder about what kind of political statement the automobile is making in light of Elon Musk's recent political opinions, all of which I detest. Will I be perceived as a living oxymoron, a symbol of right-wing environmentalism?

I didn't really have a position on Musk's murky political ideas when I purchased the car. I'm scared to be connected with Musk's brand anytime I drive somewhere, especially in light of his apparent swing to the far right, which includes removing journalists from Twitter while reinstating neo-Nazis.

What is Musk trying to accomplish by acquiring Twitter and destroying it? Publicity? political influence It most definitely isn't a financial plan. The climate change denialists and anti-science advocates he has been cozying up to are the group most likely not to purchase a Tesla.

Musk has transformed Twitter into an unregulated playground for neo-Nazis and other random hatemongers and wackadoodle QAnon followers, embraced everything Trumpian and replied tepidly to Kanye West's dramatic flirting with Hitler. As if all of that weren't cruel enough, Musk fired his Twitter staff shortly before Christmas without offering them any sort of severance compensation, which was downright Dickensian.

I consider if I should sell my Tesla as a form of protest in light of Musk's political turn to the dark side. What kind of harm would that do to Musk? Actually, not at all. A used Tesla transaction would scarcely be seen as a hiccup for the business. Would a decline in Tesla stock actually alter Musk's political views, even if I were a member of a sizable movement and many other politically conscious prospective Tesla customers choose to purchase other, more modern EVs? There would be unintended consequences. How many jobs would go if Tesla sales dropped off?

I'm not sure if I should sell it, but I am aware that I no longer feel as at ease behind the wheel.

I was first proud to possess it and be seen driving a car that reflected my commitment for the environment because it is a beautifully built automobile with no carbon emissions. But I'm a leftist, and if Musk's politics don't drastically improve, I'll find it just as immoral and unjustifiable to drive a Tesla as it was to drive a gas guzzler.