Unfortunately, Musk and Trump are proving to be all smoke and mirrors. Nothing is really happening. Stock market plunging and probably coming back. Meh, this is not what I hoped for. It doesn't pay psychologically to be in favor of true reform. And the sophists keep on sophisting. haha.
“ What does the Left’s treatment of Tesla and Musk tell us about the supposed “liberal” protectors of the environment and free speech? And, after you cut through their signs and rhetoric, what are they really attempting to defend?”
None of this horse hockey is invisible, it’s just another communist effort to put the “enlightened” in charge of everything.
It’s almost comical to see the fat, pasty-white, aging “grey panthers” out there committing vandalism in the name of saving anything, much less “democracy”, as they are being used like the Kleenex of the head apparatchiks.
The key point is Elon Musk was always at odds with the ruling class of financial parasites. They despise Musk because he actually has earned his wealth, he builds things, he is Main Street not Wall St. Musk sees a future of prosperity & human expansion.
Musk is a Cornucopian & Humanist whereas the ruling class are Malthusians & Misanthropists. This goes back centuries, including when they deliberately murdered 8M Irish in the so-called Potato Famine, which was a case of forced starvation based on the Malthusian dogma embraced by the ruling elites of the day.
An Officially Concealed Genocide- British Malthusianism & the Truth of the 'Irish Potato Famine'
While our ruling class promote climate change alarmism to help facilitate their Malthusian de-industrialization, de-population, de-development, neo-feudal World totalitarian governance scheme. Musk envisions a future multi-planetary civilization of human expansion & prosperity.
A good description of the Malthusians and their plans:
Mark Carney: Technocrat Superstar and Eco-Warrior Takes the Helm of Canada
Thanks for the well written article & it is pathetic that these numerous acts of arson, destruction of personal property & violence can somehow be construed under the context as “mostly peaceful protests”.
You mentioned that one potential reason for the wrath towards Musk was he & DOGE were getting “too close to discovering things Big Government Democrats would prefer to stay hidden”. It might be more accurate to have included “Big Government Washington DC entrenched Democrats / Republican Uniparty”, since it is my guess the Washington DC Democrats / Republican Duopoly has many mutual interests in not having DOGE dig too deep into the Federal Government’s numerous & questionable appropriations of our taxpayer funds.
Thanks again for the interesting article & take care.
Thank you for the comment/compliment. We agree with you on the Uniparty 100%. We were intending that when we gave two references to the the many Republicans who are not clean on "small govt.":
"Statists who incrementally swelled the U.S. government to absurd levels over the last forty-odd years realize that what DOGE is exposing threatens that continued expansion and the power over citizens that extends from it."
and...
"...trim the waste out of an overextended federal government running a nearly $2 trillion deficit and put both parties on notice that the days of runaway Administrate Statism are over."
"Statists"...."both parties". But, we could have definitely been clearer. Thanks for pointing it out!
Every right-thinking, common sense-loving human on the planet needs to read this article. Leftist-progressive-socialists have been caught with more than their hand in the cookie jar. The hide-in-the dark green elves created an entire self perpetuating and self consuming cookie factory.
Claims of climate catastrophe is the key lever in their dystopian factory. But Elon has turned on the lights. Let’s hope and pray that their control going forward will be as effective as a solar farm at night. Let there be light!
I would love to share that list as soon as you can send me the list of 97% of all scientists who claim climate change is a catastrophe… which ultimately begs the question… Who is keeping track of all these lists?
This is a delicious paradox: Elon in the camp that climate change is an existential crisis and at the same time being the driving force behind DOGE which is illuminating climate-related waste, abuse and fraud.
If you have email addresses for every right-thinking common sense-loving human on the planet, please share this post with them. Even if you only have 1/3 of them, we'd be grateful.
I don't know where anyone gets Musk is in the climate change apocalypse crowd. He has frequently stated he doesn't see climate change as a major crisis for human civilization. On the other hand, he does warn about the crises of nuclear war, bioweapons, A.I. and population collapse.
Musk & climate change = promotion of his Tesla business of which he has a fiduciary obligation to do. It's the American way.
I should have phrased my comment better, rather than "Musk is in the camp that climate change is an existential crisis", it would have been better and more accurate to say that "Musk is in the camp that climate change is a problem, but not the biggest one he sees.
And I applaud his attempts to bring to light the population collapse issue, something we noted in a post related to energy and GHG emissions and their model scenarios in "The Population Bombing" two years ago >https://envmental.substack.com/p/the-population-bombing
Do you think Elon has changed his mind on the climate narrative in the same way he has transformed from democrat to Trump supporter, or did he never really believe in AGW and used it as a business opportunity? Or was his vital concern free speech and realized the choice between Left and Right at this juncture of world politics was a no-brainer?
Always dangerous to try and read someone's mind. But, we suspect his position on climate hasn't materially changed (could be a future problem, starting now is a good hedge, with the right tech and policies).
He clearly used it as a business opportunity. But in no different fashion that Warren Buffet investing in wind projects ("nobody would invest in wind projects except for the tax credits"), i.e., the CAFE standards and RINs and credit systems for manufacturers (and refiners) who could not meet the standards created an advantage for Tesla. But he did not set up the system that caused it, merely understood what they were doing and figured out the best way to take advantage of what Congress forced on to the market.
He does embrace nuclear power unlike most of the climate change cultists. And has no problem powering his Boca Chica SpaceX site with diesel generators and his new A.I. data centers with big NG turbine generators:
That irreverence for govt. we admire, wrote about was at its nadir recently with the Memphis XAI air permit deal. Just get me 6 nat gas turbines hooked up here in 30 days and I'll deal with the regulators and the rest later. (simplification but more or less?)
Great reporting. Here’s my favorite line, from the clown show “newspaper,” The Guardian:
“Elon Musk was once an environmental hero: is he still a rare green
billionaire?”
Rare green billionaires? Please. Almost every billionaire turns out to be guilt-ridden, anti-human, Marxist. Just listen to the Davos crowd. They fund all these “peaceful” protests to tear down America and Western Civilization, both of which they loathe.
It's so strange. So opposite of what I 'believe' I would participate in if I was that rich. Oprah, could have fed Africa with her wealth. Instead she opened a school where girls were abused. She got away with that and trying to scoop land from the peoples of L/Hawaii. It's awful. It's sinful. It's disgusting. Carney being at the top of this pile of excrement.
Not that much of an environmental hero when they put Exxon at #8 on the ESG list of top 100 companies, Google, Amazon, Microsoft all in the top 10 with Tesla not even on the list. This was over 5yrs ago when he was still considered a liberal.
yeah, they gotta get put in a safe place with puppies and milk and cookies, far away from anything that might affect the adulting necessary to quickly make up for the lost 25-35 years of nuclear construction (materials, skilled traded, supply chains, etc.)
Don't know if you've seen this, sir. If not, you will find it a very satisfying and enjoyable read!
"A Critical Reassessment of the Anthropogenic CO₂-Global Warming Hypothesis: Empirical Evidence Contradicts IPCC Models and Solar Forcing Assumptions," by
It is a very well written paper, and it's conclusions remind me of the Alimonti paper from 2 years ago that caused such a kerfuffle the Left demanded the paper be retracted. Sadly, it was. It will be interesting to see how the Grok/Soon paper is seen and viewed in the "blog-o-sphere."
Why no fan of Tesla ? The fastest cheapest safest brand on the road. Car companies have been around for 100 years can’t come close. And and they’re eNvIRonMEntaL
Very fast. (So fast that to give an irresponsible teen driver a dual motor version of any of them is borderline negligence).
Very cool. Great technology.
But feels more like a golf cart than a car. Not going to tow a heavy trailer 300 miles in cold weather. That kind of performance matters to us. We're outdoorsmen.
The "self-driving" may be improving, but a colleague with a Model 3 dual motor demonstrated it for me on the highway and the tech nearly caused a 3 car pileup. Here was the situation: 3 lane interstate, 65 mph speed zone, Tesla in right lane. Cars merging from long entrance ramp on right. Two cars close behind Tesla. Car merging on to interstate happens to be going same speed as Tesla. As the merge lane comes in to the Tesla's lane of traffic, the computer has two choices: a) slightly speed up and force the merging car to yield, or b) hit the brakes and yield to the merging car (with two vehicles a little too close behind the Tesla). Most humans would have naturally chosen a). The Tesla computer chose b), hit the brakes a bit too hard and nearly got rear ended.
If towing a heavy trailer 300miles is a priority than you would be best with an HEV, not an ICE or not a BEV. Not a requirement of the vast majority of drivers.
It ain't Musk demanding that EVs be mandated, that's the Central Banker club demanding that.
ICE vehicles are obsolete tech, the electric drive is far superior to the mechanical drive and it ain't a golf car, even the Tesla semi has 3X the acceleration of a typical ICE semi-truck, similarly faster uphill travel and downhill travel. The problem is of course the energy density of batteries is lower than liquid fuels, so for energy intensive applications like prolonged high speed, heavy loads an HEV may be the optimal choice.
However economics is overwhelmingly favoring BEV heavy trucking. So If you had to pull heavy loads daily with a trailer, it may be more economical to use a BEV, although light duty BEVs have not been optimized for that task as of yet.
I’ve had no issues on the autobahn and it’s fantastic to relax in traffic jams. But, I get your point. I prefer a v8 with a bench and no electronics or a Tesla but nothing in between. A hybrid is fine but not something to own for a long time, imo.
I like them too, mostly in regards to the full self driving capacity, especially when we get a bit older. “Carbon footprint” is just not something I care about, to put it mildly, and EVs aren’t really compelling in and of themselves. Right now I’m mostly looking at full IC vehicles, but most this year’s true off-road capable SUVs have hybrid engines with no options for full IC engines. Even if the current administration revises CAFE standards and eliminates EV mandates, I wonder if automakers will respond or just keep pushing out hybrid only vehicles in anticipation of a reversal by some future administration.
Most likely high energy costs will compel most drivers to embrace EV tech, whether BEV, HEV or PHEV. Climate Change has never been a big driver of EV sales. In fact they are very popular in China, a rapidly growing market, Chinese could care less about climate change, they are building coal power plants like there is no tomorrow.
We watched them sit back and thought, "hmmm. They've already got a fleet that can meet the CAFE standards, and with only the Prius, but they aren't taking the bait all the others are on BEVs? Why?
They didn't evade the EV Debacle, they were one of the first adopters of EV tech. They just have focused on HEVs rather than BEVs, which is the rational choice for them, and it would have been the rational choice for Detroit as well, if they hadn't been suckered in by the neoliberal gang of de-industrialization advocates.
Also Toyota bizarrely promoted the most idiotic of vehicle tech, namely the H2 ICEV and the H2 FCHEV. Got to shake your head at that one. Must be some kind of bait-and-switch gambit.
For whatever sins he has committed in the past, he has earned redemption. His all in battle to defend the constitution in support of free speech and save the US all from the what have been the last free election, along with how he is sacrificing so much in his DOGE effort transcend anything and everything he has done previously gaming the GREEN Eco-Shystem.
The panic he has caused has been interesting to watch. We're cautiously optimistic DOGE will have the intended effect, and that he's not angling for something for Tesla at the expense of free markets.
I hope he is angling for something for SpaceX, which really is his pride & joy, not Tesla. If he can get commitment from Trump to quit throwing 10's of $billions down the sewer on Big MIC Aerospace expensive junk like the SLS, Orion & Starliner, and give Musk a free hand to take us back to the Moon and then on to Mars, it would all be worth it.
In the end whatever crap we do now, including the climate change scam, a human colony on Mars will be the event that will dominate the future of human civilization, while the climate change narrative ends up in the dustbin of history.
I beg to differ on the 'return' to the moon. If we did it 60 + years ago, why is it so difficult to repeat. We should be going on tours by now. Rubbish, went to the moon.
Because it is difficult, how much do you think it costs to build a Saturn V and throw it away with every launch? It's as big as an office tower. Cost will be a whole lot less with reusable rockets, but developing the Starship is a $10B effort. And when you have Presidents (lackeys of the globalists) who value war above all else, love destruction, love killing, like Nixon did, he could care less about the future of humanity - it's war, war, war, starting with Vietnam. The Space expansionary program essentially ended when the CIA assassinated JFK, creeps.
You can observe the moon landing sites and hardware right now from moon orbit, done hundreds of times. Don't invent fables.
What about if turns out that things are way better here than expected, and way more difficult on Mars than anticipated.
Like we've said - population is going to start plummeting worldwide by the end of this century. If we would plan to run to mars for either space or resources, it's not obvious to us that will be needed in 75 years. Just thinking out loud, here.
Well Musk sees it as a 2nd seat of Earth life & civilization if we fail here on Earth, which could be lights out for consciousness and the end of humanity. A horrific, destructive event. Whereas bioforming Mars would be the greatest event in the history of Earth life since the Cambrian explosion, the greatest act of creativity humanity has ever achieved. Mars being a life bomb waiting to explode and we humans can achieve that task. Mother nature can't do it without our help. It would be greatest act of human destructiveness ever to fail in that task.
How difficult Mars is to colonize isn't an issue, since that's not how it is done. There is massive Science to be done on Mars starting with documenting the 2nd branch of life we know of in the entire universe. An extraordinarily important thing to do. Almost certain there is extant life on Mars right now. NASA is covering that fact up. The science missions lead to science bases which lead to colonial outposts and along the way all those potential problems will be sorted out long before we create a 2nd branch of human civilization & Earth biota on Mars.
Excellent article and a truly sad commentary on the Left's lunacy.
I note that Elon is a legal immigrant who has created many jobs and opportunities for Americans with his inventions and investments. He has also paid back the loans he took out to start Tesla to the USA Government in full with interest.
A remarkable individual on all levels who now needs full protection.
It's funny, to me the lesson of note is that climate change is not about climate change, but about the ability to control the narrative and profit from it. but now it will be so much harder for the left to continue to cry climate change is an existential threat after they have been adding mass quantities of CO2 and other toxic gases into the atmosphere by setting them on fire. It was always about the grift.
While recognizing how extraordinary Elon's brainpower is, i was always concerned that Tesla was built on collecting government credits from the Big3. But, arguably, that was simply a smart decision to go where the money is. To me, he has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to identify and solve a problem. and those who benefit from that problem are really angry.
"the ability to control the narrative and profit from it." EXACTLY. The sham of "existential climate change" revealed its true intent by refusing to acknowledge nuclear power's obvious advantages to society, and instead arguing that nuclear waste was more of an existential threat.
I completely agree with your assessment of his abilities and vision, but I'll never buy an EV or a hybrid. I'll give up my license first! Of course, I'm 78 years old, and that's really not much of a threat...
In some ways, you could say he did what Buffett did with wind ("nobody would build a wind farm if it wasn't for the tax credits"). He saw that government had passed CAFE standards that were impossible for the Big 3 to meet, was creating the RIN and other regulatory credits, got in front of it at the right time, capitalized on it.
Not really, Musk has frequently stated Tesla doesn't need the EV subsidies and would prefer a completely free market, rightfully though it isn't fair to give EV subsidies to Detroit but not to Tesla, which the Dems were doing, claiming they only apply to unionized companies. If anything Musk has emphasized the need to reduce the insanity of hundreds of volumes of pointless stifling regulations.
The pieties of the left are never a la carte. It's prix fixe all the way. You have to eat ALL the courses.
Affirmative.
Or, be force fed, as the case may be.
(And, pretty uptown reference for a guy from Saskatchewan. :)
I try.
Unfortunately, Musk and Trump are proving to be all smoke and mirrors. Nothing is really happening. Stock market plunging and probably coming back. Meh, this is not what I hoped for. It doesn't pay psychologically to be in favor of true reform. And the sophists keep on sophisting. haha.
Well done!
“ What does the Left’s treatment of Tesla and Musk tell us about the supposed “liberal” protectors of the environment and free speech? And, after you cut through their signs and rhetoric, what are they really attempting to defend?”
None of this horse hockey is invisible, it’s just another communist effort to put the “enlightened” in charge of everything.
It’s almost comical to see the fat, pasty-white, aging “grey panthers” out there committing vandalism in the name of saving anything, much less “democracy”, as they are being used like the Kleenex of the head apparatchiks.
Great reporting here, ‘Mental. Attaboy.
Thank you, sir.
You're a good man. We don't care what the wind and solar industries say about you.
;)
The key point is Elon Musk was always at odds with the ruling class of financial parasites. They despise Musk because he actually has earned his wealth, he builds things, he is Main Street not Wall St. Musk sees a future of prosperity & human expansion.
Musk is a Cornucopian & Humanist whereas the ruling class are Malthusians & Misanthropists. This goes back centuries, including when they deliberately murdered 8M Irish in the so-called Potato Famine, which was a case of forced starvation based on the Malthusian dogma embraced by the ruling elites of the day.
An Officially Concealed Genocide- British Malthusianism & the Truth of the 'Irish Potato Famine'
Rising Tide Foundation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cIj62NQg80
While our ruling class promote climate change alarmism to help facilitate their Malthusian de-industrialization, de-population, de-development, neo-feudal World totalitarian governance scheme. Musk envisions a future multi-planetary civilization of human expansion & prosperity.
A good description of the Malthusians and their plans:
Mark Carney: Technocrat Superstar and Eco-Warrior Takes the Helm of Canada
Matthew Ehret:
https://matthewehret.substack.com/p/mark-carney-technocrat-superstar
well stated. thanks for the additional color.
I found Chris Rufo’s ‘Stack on this subject eye-opening. He kinda names names too.
https://christopherrufo.com/p/how-tesla-takedown-activists-fool
Yah, that was a good one. Thanks for the link!
Excellent article. More CIA color revolution tactics.
Well done!!
Thanks!
Exactly what is Elon Musk stealing from us?
Our free lunch, of course! Isn't it interesting how the "can't pay my college debt" crowd seems compelled to offer us economic advice?
Nothing as far as we can tell.
Thanks for the well written article & it is pathetic that these numerous acts of arson, destruction of personal property & violence can somehow be construed under the context as “mostly peaceful protests”.
You mentioned that one potential reason for the wrath towards Musk was he & DOGE were getting “too close to discovering things Big Government Democrats would prefer to stay hidden”. It might be more accurate to have included “Big Government Washington DC entrenched Democrats / Republican Uniparty”, since it is my guess the Washington DC Democrats / Republican Duopoly has many mutual interests in not having DOGE dig too deep into the Federal Government’s numerous & questionable appropriations of our taxpayer funds.
Thanks again for the interesting article & take care.
Thank you for the comment/compliment. We agree with you on the Uniparty 100%. We were intending that when we gave two references to the the many Republicans who are not clean on "small govt.":
"Statists who incrementally swelled the U.S. government to absurd levels over the last forty-odd years realize that what DOGE is exposing threatens that continued expansion and the power over citizens that extends from it."
and...
"...trim the waste out of an overextended federal government running a nearly $2 trillion deficit and put both parties on notice that the days of runaway Administrate Statism are over."
"Statists"...."both parties". But, we could have definitely been clearer. Thanks for pointing it out!
Every right-thinking, common sense-loving human on the planet needs to read this article. Leftist-progressive-socialists have been caught with more than their hand in the cookie jar. The hide-in-the dark green elves created an entire self perpetuating and self consuming cookie factory.
Claims of climate catastrophe is the key lever in their dystopian factory. But Elon has turned on the lights. Let’s hope and pray that their control going forward will be as effective as a solar farm at night. Let there be light!
I would love to share that list as soon as you can send me the list of 97% of all scientists who claim climate change is a catastrophe… which ultimately begs the question… Who is keeping track of all these lists?
This is a delicious paradox: Elon in the camp that climate change is an existential crisis and at the same time being the driving force behind DOGE which is illuminating climate-related waste, abuse and fraud.
If you have email addresses for every right-thinking common sense-loving human on the planet, please share this post with them. Even if you only have 1/3 of them, we'd be grateful.
;)
Thanks!
I don't know where anyone gets Musk is in the climate change apocalypse crowd. He has frequently stated he doesn't see climate change as a major crisis for human civilization. On the other hand, he does warn about the crises of nuclear war, bioweapons, A.I. and population collapse.
Musk & climate change = promotion of his Tesla business of which he has a fiduciary obligation to do. It's the American way.
Thanks, you make a fair point.
I should have phrased my comment better, rather than "Musk is in the camp that climate change is an existential crisis", it would have been better and more accurate to say that "Musk is in the camp that climate change is a problem, but not the biggest one he sees.
And I applaud his attempts to bring to light the population collapse issue, something we noted in a post related to energy and GHG emissions and their model scenarios in "The Population Bombing" two years ago >https://envmental.substack.com/p/the-population-bombing
Do you think Elon has changed his mind on the climate narrative in the same way he has transformed from democrat to Trump supporter, or did he never really believe in AGW and used it as a business opportunity? Or was his vital concern free speech and realized the choice between Left and Right at this juncture of world politics was a no-brainer?
Always dangerous to try and read someone's mind. But, we suspect his position on climate hasn't materially changed (could be a future problem, starting now is a good hedge, with the right tech and policies).
He clearly used it as a business opportunity. But in no different fashion that Warren Buffet investing in wind projects ("nobody would invest in wind projects except for the tax credits"), i.e., the CAFE standards and RINs and credit systems for manufacturers (and refiners) who could not meet the standards created an advantage for Tesla. But he did not set up the system that caused it, merely understood what they were doing and figured out the best way to take advantage of what Congress forced on to the market.
Amen
He does embrace nuclear power unlike most of the climate change cultists. And has no problem powering his Boca Chica SpaceX site with diesel generators and his new A.I. data centers with big NG turbine generators:
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/10/elon-musks-xai-accused-polluting-air-in-memphis-selc-says-in-letter.html
Undoubtedly he knows where his bread is buttered, but he still has downplayed the Climate Change threat.
That irreverence for govt. we admire, wrote about was at its nadir recently with the Memphis XAI air permit deal. Just get me 6 nat gas turbines hooked up here in 30 days and I'll deal with the regulators and the rest later. (simplification but more or less?)
Best reporting on this issue yet! Truthful and accurate reporting 👏
Thank you, sir!
Great reporting. Here’s my favorite line, from the clown show “newspaper,” The Guardian:
“Elon Musk was once an environmental hero: is he still a rare green
billionaire?”
Rare green billionaires? Please. Almost every billionaire turns out to be guilt-ridden, anti-human, Marxist. Just listen to the Davos crowd. They fund all these “peaceful” protests to tear down America and Western Civilization, both of which they loathe.
It's so strange. So opposite of what I 'believe' I would participate in if I was that rich. Oprah, could have fed Africa with her wealth. Instead she opened a school where girls were abused. She got away with that and trying to scoop land from the peoples of L/Hawaii. It's awful. It's sinful. It's disgusting. Carney being at the top of this pile of excrement.
Not that much of an environmental hero when they put Exxon at #8 on the ESG list of top 100 companies, Google, Amazon, Microsoft all in the top 10 with Tesla not even on the list. This was over 5yrs ago when he was still considered a liberal.
Yeah, we don't read a lot in to those lists for that reason.
Yeah, we loved that title, but our eyes naturally went to the "D" word in the subtitle:
The "at one now with super-emitters and "far right global climate DENIERS"
That's a trigger word for us.
It’s a silly word, like racist and Nazi, frequently used by leftists to shut down anyone who doesn’t agree with them.
yup
exactly.
There are deniers -- those who deny that the climate changes regardless of human activity.
That one gets their panties tight.
Even bigger deniers are the nuclear deniers who curiously are usually also the climate change doomers.
yeah, they gotta get put in a safe place with puppies and milk and cookies, far away from anything that might affect the adulting necessary to quickly make up for the lost 25-35 years of nuclear construction (materials, skilled traded, supply chains, etc.)
Don't know if you've seen this, sir. If not, you will find it a very satisfying and enjoyable read!
"A Critical Reassessment of the Anthropogenic CO₂-Global Warming Hypothesis: Empirical Evidence Contradicts IPCC Models and Solar Forcing Assumptions," by
Grok 3 beta, Jonathan Cohler, David Legates, Franklin Soon, and Willie Soon. found at https://scienceofclimatechange.org.
going to read it, thanks
I'd be very curious regarding your "take home" from that paper.
Thanks, Barry. I had seen it but haven't had a chance to read it yet.
It is a very well written paper, and it's conclusions remind me of the Alimonti paper from 2 years ago that caused such a kerfuffle the Left demanded the paper be retracted. Sadly, it was. It will be interesting to see how the Grok/Soon paper is seen and viewed in the "blog-o-sphere."
Why no fan of Tesla ? The fastest cheapest safest brand on the road. Car companies have been around for 100 years can’t come close. And and they’re eNvIRonMEntaL
(Full self driving is life changing, btw)
Very fast. (So fast that to give an irresponsible teen driver a dual motor version of any of them is borderline negligence).
Very cool. Great technology.
But feels more like a golf cart than a car. Not going to tow a heavy trailer 300 miles in cold weather. That kind of performance matters to us. We're outdoorsmen.
The "self-driving" may be improving, but a colleague with a Model 3 dual motor demonstrated it for me on the highway and the tech nearly caused a 3 car pileup. Here was the situation: 3 lane interstate, 65 mph speed zone, Tesla in right lane. Cars merging from long entrance ramp on right. Two cars close behind Tesla. Car merging on to interstate happens to be going same speed as Tesla. As the merge lane comes in to the Tesla's lane of traffic, the computer has two choices: a) slightly speed up and force the merging car to yield, or b) hit the brakes and yield to the merging car (with two vehicles a little too close behind the Tesla). Most humans would have naturally chosen a). The Tesla computer chose b), hit the brakes a bit too hard and nearly got rear ended.
If towing a heavy trailer 300miles is a priority than you would be best with an HEV, not an ICE or not a BEV. Not a requirement of the vast majority of drivers.
It ain't Musk demanding that EVs be mandated, that's the Central Banker club demanding that.
ICE vehicles are obsolete tech, the electric drive is far superior to the mechanical drive and it ain't a golf car, even the Tesla semi has 3X the acceleration of a typical ICE semi-truck, similarly faster uphill travel and downhill travel. The problem is of course the energy density of batteries is lower than liquid fuels, so for energy intensive applications like prolonged high speed, heavy loads an HEV may be the optimal choice.
However economics is overwhelmingly favoring BEV heavy trucking. So If you had to pull heavy loads daily with a trailer, it may be more economical to use a BEV, although light duty BEVs have not been optimized for that task as of yet.
ICE I know...BEV. HEV ?? Even if you write it out once and then abbreviate, it would help us learners
Battery electric vehicle (no hydrocarbon fuel). Hybrid electric vehicle (gas ICE w/battery hybrid).
These are going to be interesting developments to watch play out. That's for sure.
I’ve had no issues on the autobahn and it’s fantastic to relax in traffic jams. But, I get your point. I prefer a v8 with a bench and no electronics or a Tesla but nothing in between. A hybrid is fine but not something to own for a long time, imo.
I like them too, mostly in regards to the full self driving capacity, especially when we get a bit older. “Carbon footprint” is just not something I care about, to put it mildly, and EVs aren’t really compelling in and of themselves. Right now I’m mostly looking at full IC vehicles, but most this year’s true off-road capable SUVs have hybrid engines with no options for full IC engines. Even if the current administration revises CAFE standards and eliminates EV mandates, I wonder if automakers will respond or just keep pushing out hybrid only vehicles in anticipation of a reversal by some future administration.
Most likely high energy costs will compel most drivers to embrace EV tech, whether BEV, HEV or PHEV. Climate Change has never been a big driver of EV sales. In fact they are very popular in China, a rapidly growing market, Chinese could care less about climate change, they are building coal power plants like there is no tomorrow.
We suspect the China proliferation is about two things a) energy security (not enough domestic oil production, vulnerable to imports) and b) cost.
We wonder that, too, Art.
What we want more than anything is for Toyota to bring back the 4.7L "million mile" small block V8.
The most profitable and innovative car company in the world:
How Toyota EVaded the EV Debacle and Saved Billions
https://tucoschild.substack.com/p/how-toyota-evaded-the-ev-debacle
We watched them sit back and thought, "hmmm. They've already got a fleet that can meet the CAFE standards, and with only the Prius, but they aren't taking the bait all the others are on BEVs? Why?
Now we know. They've all been capital bonfires.
They didn't evade the EV Debacle, they were one of the first adopters of EV tech. They just have focused on HEVs rather than BEVs, which is the rational choice for them, and it would have been the rational choice for Detroit as well, if they hadn't been suckered in by the neoliberal gang of de-industrialization advocates.
Also Toyota bizarrely promoted the most idiotic of vehicle tech, namely the H2 ICEV and the H2 FCHEV. Got to shake your head at that one. Must be some kind of bait-and-switch gambit.
Hydrogen fuel cells? Yeah, I saw those advertised in a dealership when I recently had my car serviced and through "will believe it when I see it".
How about they didn't lose their ass on BEVs and are highly profitable?
That is true.
Like I said, they made a smart move focusing on HEVs, and Detroit would have been wise if they had done the same.
For whatever sins he has committed in the past, he has earned redemption. His all in battle to defend the constitution in support of free speech and save the US all from the what have been the last free election, along with how he is sacrificing so much in his DOGE effort transcend anything and everything he has done previously gaming the GREEN Eco-Shystem.
The panic he has caused has been interesting to watch. We're cautiously optimistic DOGE will have the intended effect, and that he's not angling for something for Tesla at the expense of free markets.
I hope he is angling for something for SpaceX, which really is his pride & joy, not Tesla. If he can get commitment from Trump to quit throwing 10's of $billions down the sewer on Big MIC Aerospace expensive junk like the SLS, Orion & Starliner, and give Musk a free hand to take us back to the Moon and then on to Mars, it would all be worth it.
In the end whatever crap we do now, including the climate change scam, a human colony on Mars will be the event that will dominate the future of human civilization, while the climate change narrative ends up in the dustbin of history.
I beg to differ on the 'return' to the moon. If we did it 60 + years ago, why is it so difficult to repeat. We should be going on tours by now. Rubbish, went to the moon.
Because it is difficult, how much do you think it costs to build a Saturn V and throw it away with every launch? It's as big as an office tower. Cost will be a whole lot less with reusable rockets, but developing the Starship is a $10B effort. And when you have Presidents (lackeys of the globalists) who value war above all else, love destruction, love killing, like Nixon did, he could care less about the future of humanity - it's war, war, war, starting with Vietnam. The Space expansionary program essentially ended when the CIA assassinated JFK, creeps.
You can observe the moon landing sites and hardware right now from moon orbit, done hundreds of times. Don't invent fables.
Okay if u say so.
What about if turns out that things are way better here than expected, and way more difficult on Mars than anticipated.
Like we've said - population is going to start plummeting worldwide by the end of this century. If we would plan to run to mars for either space or resources, it's not obvious to us that will be needed in 75 years. Just thinking out loud, here.
Well Musk sees it as a 2nd seat of Earth life & civilization if we fail here on Earth, which could be lights out for consciousness and the end of humanity. A horrific, destructive event. Whereas bioforming Mars would be the greatest event in the history of Earth life since the Cambrian explosion, the greatest act of creativity humanity has ever achieved. Mars being a life bomb waiting to explode and we humans can achieve that task. Mother nature can't do it without our help. It would be greatest act of human destructiveness ever to fail in that task.
How difficult Mars is to colonize isn't an issue, since that's not how it is done. There is massive Science to be done on Mars starting with documenting the 2nd branch of life we know of in the entire universe. An extraordinarily important thing to do. Almost certain there is extant life on Mars right now. NASA is covering that fact up. The science missions lead to science bases which lead to colonial outposts and along the way all those potential problems will be sorted out long before we create a 2nd branch of human civilization & Earth biota on Mars.
Agree.
Excellent article and a truly sad commentary on the Left's lunacy.
I note that Elon is a legal immigrant who has created many jobs and opportunities for Americans with his inventions and investments. He has also paid back the loans he took out to start Tesla to the USA Government in full with interest.
A remarkable individual on all levels who now needs full protection.
Thanks. We love his entrepreneurial spirit, the irreverence he's shown for govt. (witness the move from CA to TX), and the jobs he's created.
It is pathetic he should need protection from malevolent cretins for the DOGE work.
It's funny, to me the lesson of note is that climate change is not about climate change, but about the ability to control the narrative and profit from it. but now it will be so much harder for the left to continue to cry climate change is an existential threat after they have been adding mass quantities of CO2 and other toxic gases into the atmosphere by setting them on fire. It was always about the grift.
While recognizing how extraordinary Elon's brainpower is, i was always concerned that Tesla was built on collecting government credits from the Big3. But, arguably, that was simply a smart decision to go where the money is. To me, he has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to identify and solve a problem. and those who benefit from that problem are really angry.
excellent summary
"the ability to control the narrative and profit from it." EXACTLY. The sham of "existential climate change" revealed its true intent by refusing to acknowledge nuclear power's obvious advantages to society, and instead arguing that nuclear waste was more of an existential threat.
I completely agree with your assessment of his abilities and vision, but I'll never buy an EV or a hybrid. I'll give up my license first! Of course, I'm 78 years old, and that's really not much of a threat...
Thanks.
In some ways, you could say he did what Buffett did with wind ("nobody would build a wind farm if it wasn't for the tax credits"). He saw that government had passed CAFE standards that were impossible for the Big 3 to meet, was creating the RIN and other regulatory credits, got in front of it at the right time, capitalized on it.
Not really, Musk has frequently stated Tesla doesn't need the EV subsidies and would prefer a completely free market, rightfully though it isn't fair to give EV subsidies to Detroit but not to Tesla, which the Dems were doing, claiming they only apply to unionized companies. If anything Musk has emphasized the need to reduce the insanity of hundreds of volumes of pointless stifling regulations.
Exactly