“We need clean air, not another billionaire!”
Musk was never going to save the planet – and neither will any other billionaire. While Musk encourages Americans to buy Teslas, he jets around the world on a private plane. He has claimed climate change alarm is “exaggerated.” He partnered with a coal mining billionaire to elect Trump, and is now working with the latter to gut federal environmental regulations.
Like other billionaires, Musk’s fortune has come at the expense of everyday people, from abusing his employees to calling his opponents criminals. His billions could fund public transportation, housing, healthcare, and education. Instead, he’s taking a chainsaw to all of the government departments which provide those essential services.
While I agree public transport would be better in most places. And wholeheartedly believe Elon is not the solution and is instead actively harming untold millions directly and indirectly…
I can’t help but be reminded of a conversation I had with my Dad years ago. He thought Tesla’s time frame of having charging stations across the US within 5 years to support cross country driving was impossible. And that Tesla would go under and the other car makers would ignore EV. I believed it would happen, that pure EVs would become normal, all of the car companies woyld make them, and be easier to charge. We agreed to disagree.
Now, there are EV F150 pickup trucks and a ton more charging stations. I thought there would be more hybrids first because oil is profitable. And the Prius was gaining a little foothold.
My point is that there has been a huge shift away from depending totally on gas based cars in a relatively short period of time. And small groups of people can make a positive difference. In this case Elon was the face of this change at it’s height.
My city has electric buses now, in the South. People finally started believing EVs could be viable.
However… helping EVs by encouraging the EV idea isn’t going to be what Elon will be remembered for - it’ll all the hubris,> damage, and needless death.
Unless we lose our country and history is rewritten.
I really wish he’d just stuck to talking up Tesla instead of becoming a badly written Bond Villain.