Tesla is not an E.V.
Its a 4 door family rocket ship.
There are hold outs.
There aren’t nearly as many as there were in the past, but they’re out there. The stereotype that is the E.V. (electric vehicle) was going to be a hard one to get rid of. What was popularized early by the exact opposite of the car enthusiast community usually by a bore of a brand like Prius is not going to be the E.V. champion. The auto market wasn’t going to be led by a low-performance anti excitement “tree hugging” micro car that only your high school Science teacher owned. Nothing named “Leaf”, “Mud” or “Your Gas Car is Evil” was going to win the future. Nothing like that was going to have staying power to actually topple Legacy Auto in a real way. It needed to be awesome and more than just a gimmick to mean “look at me I’m saving the planet”.
Elon Musk nurtured a brand that was built to be his tool to create the future. Elon wasn’t OF the auto industry and that’s exactly what the industry needed. “Tesla” named after the previous century’s icon was created in part to fund Musk’s vision of the future. It was part of the first step along with The Boring Company and Solar City to create revenue to continue to pursue Space X’s directive. Humanity becoming a multi planetary species that can survive a singular cataclysm is that directive.
Now, electric cars don’t themselves change the world because their sourcing on paper is hypocritical. By choosing a boring hybrid or electric vehicle you’re simply destroying the earth with mining for minerals instead of drilling for oil. This is what the holdouts I spoke of talk about still. They seem to have this image of the boring and hypocritical in their heads. If your vehicle is not literally being powered by a fossil fuel though, that is the opportunity to be powered by sustainable sources of electricity. The mineral market is going to expand regardless because of microchip production for all electronic devices but the auto industry doesn’t have to be dependent on oil any longer. The escape of oil dependency no longer means slow and awful.
Elon and Tesla captured both worlds, thrilling and economical! This is a feat that hadn’t been done in the industry because those adjectives until this era had been opposed. They created a brand that didn’t have to convince you to get one. The exclusivity of the early years created an aura that you had to try one and then that aura was repeatedly proven to be completely true. The word of mouth spread of this company created a complete non necessity for any expenditure on advertising at all. This includes any kind of imagery that would associate the company in a negative light in any direction, allowing for a massive following that couldn’t be polarized politically.
The aura was created with reality and the experience that the cars provide. Cars that are the epitome of thrill, literal launched roller coasters on the road, the streamlined ideal of the future, endlessly addicting to drive and amazingly efficient in their energy consumption. If you sit in the seat of one and I mean any of them. You will become a believer, your right foot will immediately and unexpectedly turn into an instant dopamine delivery device. All while the interior of the car comforts you and soothes you as much as you want it to, delivering all of the climate controls and creature comforts you’d come to expect along with movies and games on demand and an incredibly intuitive user interface on one elegant smooth glass surface.
The holdouts are largely of the car enthusiast ilk that are the ones that look for excitement in ownership. All of Tesla’s vehicles deliver on that note. Put your foot down and tell me I’m wrong, I dare you. The high end of Tesla’s range currently goes 0-60 in 1.9 seconds the Tesla Model S Plaid. Oh and its a 4 door family sedan. The proposed new Roadster will likely be released with a Tesla package that will go near 0-60 in even faster at 1.1 seconds to 60 miles per hour with a rocket strapped to the back (this is real).
The point is, Tesla isn’t just an E.V. they are becoming Coke to soda, Kleenex to tissues, iPhone to cell phone. GM, Ford and Chrysler never really did this. Also while becoming better at being Ferrari or Lamborghini than Ferrari and Lamborghini. Its going to become more than an E.V. its becoming what a car is. I urge any holdouts to get in one and drive it.
You won’t regret it.
Do I understand that maybe you've driven one? If so, WOW!! We've been Tesla fans for as long as brother-in-law Bob Krajec first shared his enthusiasm for them a couple of years ago. The primary barrier for us common folk is the price tag, which we're hoping will eventually come down within reach. Bob is one of us common folk, but he has been determined to have one (he first looked for on in the used market), and it WILL become a reality for him sometime this year. He has a Model 3 ordered! However, delivery is still several months away. Some buying incentives (state and national) are coming into play for him, too. And, with knowing all that about him, it will come as no surprise to know that he also has his own large solar panel system at his home in Illinois.
A story from last summer: While driving Highway 1 in the Big Sur area south of Monterey, California last summer we met up with Bob and Valerie (Sonja's sister) and shared a few minutes at one of the scenic overlooks along that amazing stretch of road near the Bixby Bridge. Bob pointed out to me then that about 1 in every 6 cars that passed us were Tesla models! Sure enough, his observation was close to being accurate (maybe 1 in 10), and after that we saw them all over the place. They are, indeed, coming for us! 😁 Owen's and Beau's generation (Alpha?) will wonder why it took so long to rid ourselves of the old clunkers. They (internal combustion engines) have served us well, and this transition is all coming a little late for me, but it's time now to move on. I'm glad you're on board!! (Another nice piece of writing, Zach!)
Fun article!😘