As an early and enthusiastic supporter of Tesla and it’s products, I have to say the last few weeks have severely shaken my confidence in the company. It would appear that the on-the-spectrum behavioral traits which may have served Elon Musk well in the earlier days of brand building across several platforms, have now become toxic following his hostile take-over of Twitter.
Basically, if you set out to genetically engineer a set of actions and memes designed to target and poison the very heart of Tesla’s brand appeal, you could hardly do better than the mind boggling series of mean-spirited actions, outrages, gaffes and self-owns that Musk has rolled up since taking control of the social media platform, topped off with the latest Ye/Nazi connections. It’s understood that single-minded company builders and innovators can be prickly, difficult, and even awful people. I could handle Steve Jobs’ occasionally reported dickish behavior, and OK, Henry Ford was a weird Nazi sympathizer, but that was in the past. What we’re seeing now kind of defies logic in..uh..(checks year) – almost freaking 2023. Having built a globally recognized brand that spoke to aspirations for a positive technological transition in the near term, Musk has somehow managed to link his name and brand with Trumpism, climate denial, and neo-Nazism in breathtakingly short order.
The Twitter chatter of Ford Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley is good vibes only: factory photos, race tracks, corporate boosterism and a lot of retweets of Ford customers gushing about their vehicles. It’s all cars, and it’s all anodyne.
Elon Musk, among Farley’s chief rivals, has taken a decidedly different tack. Since the Tesla CEO also became CEO of Twitter at the end of October, he has dismissed or scared away almost 5,000 Twitter employees (and asked some to return), declared that the social media site may slide into bankruptcy, alienated many of its advertisers, botched a product rollout that allowed brand impostors to proliferate on the site, mocked a US senator, told his followers to vote Republican and invited former US President Donald Trump back onto the platform. All the while, he’s tweeted a play-by-play of the saga alongside a steady stream of lewd memes and score-settling burns — many aimed at his new employees.
This belligerent and erratic performance in his new role as “chief Twit” has raised Musk’s already stratospheric public profile to new heights. If Twitter is a global town square, Musk has transitioned overnight from one of its loudest orators to equal parts mayor and sheriff, with the potential to irritate far beyond the echo chamber of his 118 million followers. For owners and potential buyers of Tesla cars, it has become all but impossible to find neutral ground on the controversies that surround Musk.
Tesla’s lead in the EV market is unquestionably strong — particularly in the US, where the carmaker has steadily sold more vehicles over the course of this year. But there are some signs that the lead is starting to slip. Tesla’s share of new US EV sales dipped to 64% in the third quarter from 75% in the year-earlier period, according to estimates from Cox Automotive.
Part of that can be attributed to more EV options than ever before. US consumers now have about 30 fully electric vehicles to choose from, roughly half of which weren’t on the market 12 months ago. “The competition is getting stiffer,” said Rob Pace, founder and CEO of HundredX, a research shop that uses consumer surveys as a fundraising tool.
But the Tesla brand has also taken a hit from Musk’s antics and his protracted Twitter adventure. HundredX has been tracking Tesla since 2019, and in recent months, its research shows a drop in loyalty among Tesla owners. Until May of this year, the company outperformed other automakers, with around 70% of owners saying they were likely to buy from the brand again. That rate has slid below 60%, while the rest of the industry hovers around 65%. The trend is basically the same, HundredX finds, on the question of whether owners would recommend the brand to a friend. Sentiment about Tesla’s quality, reliability, service and brand values have all turned more negative over the past few months.
“The future loyalty data is really, really worrisome if you’re Tesla because it tends to translate into market share six to nine months out,” Pace said. “This would suggest there are storm clouds.”
Market share is already on the wane as thousands of Tesla owners ditch their cars for EVs from startups with both quiet cars and quiet leaders. In the third quarter, almost one-third of Lucid buyers, for example, had owned a Tesla, according to S&P Global Mobility. The story is the same at Polestar and Rivian, which lured far more former fans from Tesla than any other brand.
Some Tesla fans are feeling less than enthusiastic about the EV company since Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover.
Scores of them have been expressing their frustration in tweets accompanied by the #nevertesla hashtag to show they have sworn off Tesla.
Some drivers even say they’ve traded in their Teslas after watching the billionaire’s antics at Twitter.
One said: “I drive a @Tesla and have @TeslaSolar powering my house. But we’ve bought a @Polestar and have a second on order and every day @elonmusk makes me glad we are moving away from his products. #nevertesla.”
A scroll through the #nevertesla hashtag brings up many similar sentiments.
Other users, who don’t appear to have ever been particular fans of Musk, are also using the hashtag. “Am in the market for an electric car to replace 6y old sedan,” another user said. “More I see @elonmusk whining here and promoting fascists, more aligned I get to avoid buying a Tesla. #NeverTesla #MuskIsATroll.”
Investor sentiment toward Tesla has also recently declined, according to a Morgan Stanley survey.
Around 65% of the survey’s respondents said Musk’s highly publicized dramas at Twitter “will have a negative or slightly negative impact on Tesla’s business going forward.” One potential risk could be a drop in consumer sentiment or demand, Morgan Stanley said in a note on Monday.
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Concurrently, Musk has conspicuously reinstated former President Trump’s account, which was banned for continued misinformation and disinformation, particularly about elections and democracy – but in addition has reinstated a number of climate deniers, neo-nazis and other undesirables.
The motivation seems to be a misguided tech-bro libertarianism, which ran off the rails in the last few days as former Rapper/now troll known as Ye appeared on with the odious neo Nazi Nick Fuentes on Alex Jone’s program, declared he loved Nazis, and then posted this.
Elon Musk said he suspended rapper Ye’s account after he shared an image of a swastika combined with the Star of David, the latest in a series of decisions by Twitter’s new owner that are shifting the way the social media site treats rule-breaking users.
In recent weeks, Musk has conducted informal Twitter polls before saying he would reinstate suspended accounts including former president Donald Trump, as well as saying that the site’s new policy would be “freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach” — adding that negative and hate tweets will be made less visible.
“I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended,” Musk wrote overnight to a Twitter user telling him to “fix Kanye.”
Ye’s Twitteraccount appeared with a message saying “Account suspended” on Friday. It was unclear how long the suspension would last.
Now, Musk is fanning the flame further by jumping into a new shit-show spotlighting yet another right wing hobby-horse – Hunter Biden’s Laptop. This will not end well, I fear.
22 thoughts on “Is Musk’s Twitter Tantrum Ruining Tesla’s Brand?”
We have a Tesla 3. It is wonderful car. I judge the car based on how it performs. I am not going to judge it based on the antics of the current CEO. Buying things based on political associations of leaders is far fetched. What Mr. Musk is doing is convincing people that billionaires are simply crazies. If I thought about things work carefully I would say this is some kind of Twitteresque marketing thing. I never liked Twitter. I was on it for a short time and I deleted my account. I think it’s stupid. Popular but stupid
Short answer is ‘No’. Is it negatively affecting Tesla stock? That answer is Yes. The smart money answers ‘For now.’ A better question might be, “Has purchasing Twitter causing the panic of the Twitter mob created halcyon days for Tesla stock purchasing?” That answer is pending.
“As an early and enthusiastic supporter of Tesla and it’s products, I have to say the last few weeks have severely shaken my confidence in the company.”
Take a deep breath and let it go.
From my perspective, Tesla’s job is done. Now that there are a half-dozen major car companies competing in the EV space (and GM going after the commercial and household energy storage space, too), Tesla could vanish is a puff of tweets and the transition will continue apace.
As it is, it’s apparent that Musk’s role in Tesla and Space-X was more of a front man pushing product than someone critical to actual internal functionality. In that sense, Musk himself could vanish in a puff of tweets and Tesla and Space-X would continue running themselves without the nutjob interfering. (They’d need to create a replacement Personality to be interviewed on the business shows, though.)
Twitter is important to Tesla to collect billions of daily data points for the AI. Maybe it’s the press I follow but rarely do I see this connection in print; rather, vilifying Musk is as far as most people are willing to consume when it comes to media revealing Musk the man. Although most people connect Tesla’s AI to the autonomous car and pontificate about its failures to meet regulatory deadlines, it’s main purpose is to ‘educate’ the robot Optimus.
Although Musk always gives credit and accolades to his various teams, to call Musk a front man is like calling Ford a car dealing manager. These builders face incredible obstacles and doubt and yet have profound impacts on shaping the world to come by their dedication to a vision. The amount of advances from Tesla in related but often unsung achievements (like neurolinks and batteries and boring and rockets) requires the vision and dedication from the top – as well as massive investments often of personal wealth – that goes far beyond being a company’s mouthpiece.
Tesla would not have gotten where it was without having a strong ego at the top to pull in the investors before profitability, even if that person does suck at personnel management.
Now that it’s a profitable public company, a savvy executive could take it from there (if Musk hasn’t in some way poisoned the well). And by “savvy” I mean an executive not going in like a bull in a china shop before understanding how the company works.
I heard Musk talk at an AGU a long time ago… he seemed less than crazy then, but I suspect the ego and over-confidence were always there. Having wealth and some awareness of the tech sector was a very good starting point for him, and jumping into electric vehicles (starting pretty much at the top of the market) was a good move, too. But absolutism about ‘free speech’ (including antisemites, neo-Nazis, Trumpian lies, climate denial) in a medium that amplifies that crazy and hateful crap is dangerous. It’s one thing to have them yelling on a street corner somewhere. It’s another to support their message by delivering it to millions.
Musk has opened the portal to some dangerous populism within the Twitter social platform: Not sure where he is going with the acquisition or why he purchased it.
“Scientists and advocates have told the Guardian they have become unnerved by a recent resurgence of debunked climate change denialist talking points and memes on Twitter, with the term #ClimateScam now regularly the first result that appears when “climate” is searched on the site.”
Tesla still doing a good job, in the transport sector.
“The Semi truck has a range per charge of 500 miles (around 800 kilometers) when pulling an 82,000-pound (37,000-kilo) load. Its weight limit allows it to transport over 33,000 pounds (14,969 kilograms) of cargo.”
As someone expecting an inheritance I say “Go Musk! Go!” When the burning wreckage of Twitter finally collapses to the ground Tesla will have taken the biggest hit from Elons’ antics it’s going to and I want to cash in on it.
Tesla is finally profitable and has some of the highest margins per vehicle. They’re still ramping up production at their existing plants and are on track to produce a million vehicles this year and there are waiting lists for every one they make.
It looks like they might actually be getting cybertrucks out the door next year. (I still think they look like a bad prop from a 70’s sci-fi show) They’ve just done a 500 mile demo of their semi towing a full load and seem poised to roll them out. (Electrified overhead wires, pantographs on the trucks and less batteries for a 200 mile. off-interstate range with more towing capacity seem like a better idea to me but, you know, needed infrastructure).
Also there’s the promised model 2 which will be much cheaper that they’re supposed to be producing next year (I think 2025-27 and $10,000 more expensive but still a lot cheaper) Other EV’s may be cheaper but still, at that price range the ICE is dead leaving Tesla not only the leading EV manufacturer in the world but the majority EV manfacturer in the world.
Frankly, Tesla not having a committee planning the next dozen gigafactories would worry me more than Musk snorting cocaine in the middle of Times square while wearing an SS uniform.
I just accidently clicked on the up thuimb I got mistakenly thinking it would reveal the name of the poster. I then mistakenly clicked on the down thumb thinking it would just remove my up thumb. I don’t feel so smart anymore.
Not bad logic, thinking a thumbs down would cancel a thumbs up (using the same ip, userid address), I think that works on other social media platforms.
Why did he buy Twitter? Musk has turned to thinking that the ‘woke mind virus’ is the ‘greatest danger to civilization’ – so great that he thinks it will prevent man from reaching Mars.
Duh duh duh. Support for minorities threatens everything! Ohmygerd!
Bottom line, a guy with a long-time Messiah complex (and naive views of how to ‘save the world’), and who has recently announced his support for Ron DeSantis, is now in full charge of the world’s largest megaphone. I’m skeptical about the imminent demise of Twitter, and Musk is due in January to become the number one influencer on the platform.
I rather think Tesla’s success or failure is just a byline here. Our direction politically, especially in regards to climate change, is of far more importance than one company’s EV offerings. It’s highly likely we’re all going to be buying Chinese EVs in a few years if we aren’t buying GM ones, anyway.
You green capitalists keep doing everything to sustain an unequal economic system with electric cars- most auto manufacturers are not going to be caught with a surplus of ICE autos. Electric autos are expensive- way beyond the pock book of many Americans- and thus far they have been plagued with many problems. An example- the Tesla only guarantees the battery to 100K
The Kia Kona electric has had all kinds of issues and is rated as one of the most unreliable autos around.
My advice to many- go back to the fascist Elon Musk- who you idolized. He is simply an awful person. And his cars suck.
It looks like the Tesla battery life (for the Model 3) runs approximately 2.5% degradation per hundred thousand miles. Remember, we have only about 5 years worth of real world data so there aren’t that many Teslas over 100,000 miles. The biggest issue, I think, is the cost of tires because the vehicle is heavier and of higher torque. These lifetimes seems to run in the neighbourhood of 40,000 miles.
So the overall price and cost is competitive for this class of sedan. Tesla remains about 10 years ahead of any other EV maker as well as having the highest profit per vehicle. This funds additional gigafactories. I look forward to the Model 2, which is rumored to come in around 25K in today’s dollars (or about 1/2 the price of the Model 3). That looks to be aimed at 2025-26.
Twitter in this sense is a diversion from a company that looks to maintain its competitive and profitable advantages into the foreseeable future. The value is still there.
Models from Tesla Motors, which leads the market in EV sales, continue to have issues with body hardware, steering and suspension, paint and trim and climate system. The Model 3 has average reliability, while other Tesla models – including the S, Y and X – are below average.
What is the biggest problem with electric cars?
EV owners have experienced chronic problems with the display screens, exterior door lights, failing temperature sensors, mismatched paint, and seals and weatherstripping. It’s not just that these problems occur, but that they occur at a higher rate than with conventional vehicles
Electric vehicles are all the rage right now for those looking to reduce their impact on the environment. But, are they actually better for nature?
The main takeaway is EVs, in certain circumstances, can have an improved environmental impact vs. conventional gas-powered vehicles. However, batteries, charging and various manufacturing processes still negatively affect the environment. More work must be done to ensure these cars are as Eco-friendly as possible.
Electric cars are often touted as being more environmentally-friendly than their gasoline-powered counterparts. But how much damage do they really do to the environment? The answer, it turns out, is quite a bit. Building an electric car requires a significant amount of energy, and the process of mining and refining the materials used in batteries is also very damaging to the environment. In addition, electric cars produce significantly more greenhouse gases than gas-powered cars over their lifetime, due to the emissions from the power plants that generate electricity. So, while electric cars may seem like a good idea on the surface, the reality is that they come with a significant environmental cost.
I was with you until the “In addition” line. Multiple studies have shown the EVs pay off the emissions from mining and manufacturer within the first year or so of use. You’d have to live in an all coal electrical grid to have more emissions than an ICE over the lifetime of the car, and those places are vanishingly rare and disappearing.
A problem I see with EVs is that people will just assume they are getting everything they want at no environmental cost, which is absolutely not true, and they will tend to buy larger EVs, which cost more environmentally than a compact EV.
We’re literally ‘spinning our wheels’ on this issue, going for massive transport change that in the end will have far less of a result than if we had gone to more mass transit instead – but as humans, we’re wired for short-term selfish interests over long-term collective good, and we live in an economy that strongly favors that tendency.
We have a Tesla 3. It is wonderful car. I judge the car based on how it performs. I am not going to judge it based on the antics of the current CEO. Buying things based on political associations of leaders is far fetched. What Mr. Musk is doing is convincing people that billionaires are simply crazies. If I thought about things work carefully I would say this is some kind of Twitteresque marketing thing. I never liked Twitter. I was on it for a short time and I deleted my account. I think it’s stupid. Popular but stupid
Short answer is ‘No’. Is it negatively affecting Tesla stock? That answer is Yes. The smart money answers ‘For now.’ A better question might be, “Has purchasing Twitter causing the panic of the Twitter mob created halcyon days for Tesla stock purchasing?” That answer is pending.
“As an early and enthusiastic supporter of Tesla and it’s products, I have to say the last few weeks have severely shaken my confidence in the company.”
Take a deep breath and let it go.
From my perspective, Tesla’s job is done. Now that there are a half-dozen major car companies competing in the EV space (and GM going after the commercial and household energy storage space, too), Tesla could vanish is a puff of tweets and the transition will continue apace.
As it is, it’s apparent that Musk’s role in Tesla and Space-X was more of a front man pushing product than someone critical to actual internal functionality. In that sense, Musk himself could vanish in a puff of tweets and Tesla and Space-X would continue running themselves without the nutjob interfering. (They’d need to create a replacement Personality to be interviewed on the business shows, though.)
Twitter is important to Tesla to collect billions of daily data points for the AI. Maybe it’s the press I follow but rarely do I see this connection in print; rather, vilifying Musk is as far as most people are willing to consume when it comes to media revealing Musk the man. Although most people connect Tesla’s AI to the autonomous car and pontificate about its failures to meet regulatory deadlines, it’s main purpose is to ‘educate’ the robot Optimus.
Although Musk always gives credit and accolades to his various teams, to call Musk a front man is like calling Ford a car dealing manager. These builders face incredible obstacles and doubt and yet have profound impacts on shaping the world to come by their dedication to a vision. The amount of advances from Tesla in related but often unsung achievements (like neurolinks and batteries and boring and rockets) requires the vision and dedication from the top – as well as massive investments often of personal wealth – that goes far beyond being a company’s mouthpiece.
Tesla would not have gotten where it was without having a strong ego at the top to pull in the investors before profitability, even if that person does suck at personnel management.
Now that it’s a profitable public company, a savvy executive could take it from there (if Musk hasn’t in some way poisoned the well). And by “savvy” I mean an executive not going in like a bull in a china shop before understanding how the company works.
I heard Musk talk at an AGU a long time ago… he seemed less than crazy then, but I suspect the ego and over-confidence were always there. Having wealth and some awareness of the tech sector was a very good starting point for him, and jumping into electric vehicles (starting pretty much at the top of the market) was a good move, too. But absolutism about ‘free speech’ (including antisemites, neo-Nazis, Trumpian lies, climate denial) in a medium that amplifies that crazy and hateful crap is dangerous. It’s one thing to have them yelling on a street corner somewhere. It’s another to support their message by delivering it to millions.
Musk has opened the portal to some dangerous populism within the Twitter social platform: Not sure where he is going with the acquisition or why he purchased it.
“Scientists and advocates have told the Guardian they have become unnerved by a recent resurgence of debunked climate change denialist talking points and memes on Twitter, with the term #ClimateScam now regularly the first result that appears when “climate” is searched on the site.”
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/02/climate-change-denialism-flooding-twitter-scientists?fbclid=IwAR0n649lpp_qFgkaldD3LtXD_m8G9AUu3R_mXxyM3eMVR5b55Yt1v37mUy0
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Tesla still doing a good job, in the transport sector.
“The Semi truck has a range per charge of 500 miles (around 800 kilometers) when pulling an 82,000-pound (37,000-kilo) load. Its weight limit allows it to transport over 33,000 pounds (14,969 kilograms) of cargo.”
https://www.dw.com/en/tesla-delivers-first-ever-battery-powered-heavy-duty-truck/a-63960422?fbclid=IwAR3COZj81pDcVkGt_SYezUoiE6ytVN8xGHSKP8m0yoYm2JLMfwc_cu6EMbI
As someone expecting an inheritance I say “Go Musk! Go!” When the burning wreckage of Twitter finally collapses to the ground Tesla will have taken the biggest hit from Elons’ antics it’s going to and I want to cash in on it.
Tesla is finally profitable and has some of the highest margins per vehicle. They’re still ramping up production at their existing plants and are on track to produce a million vehicles this year and there are waiting lists for every one they make.
It looks like they might actually be getting cybertrucks out the door next year. (I still think they look like a bad prop from a 70’s sci-fi show) They’ve just done a 500 mile demo of their semi towing a full load and seem poised to roll them out. (Electrified overhead wires, pantographs on the trucks and less batteries for a 200 mile. off-interstate range with more towing capacity seem like a better idea to me but, you know, needed infrastructure).
Also there’s the promised model 2 which will be much cheaper that they’re supposed to be producing next year (I think 2025-27 and $10,000 more expensive but still a lot cheaper) Other EV’s may be cheaper but still, at that price range the ICE is dead leaving Tesla not only the leading EV manufacturer in the world but the majority EV manfacturer in the world.
Frankly, Tesla not having a committee planning the next dozen gigafactories would worry me more than Musk snorting cocaine in the middle of Times square while wearing an SS uniform.
I just accidently clicked on the up thuimb I got mistakenly thinking it would reveal the name of the poster. I then mistakenly clicked on the down thumb thinking it would just remove my up thumb. I don’t feel so smart anymore.
Not bad logic, thinking a thumbs down would cancel a thumbs up (using the same ip, userid address), I think that works on other social media platforms.
Why did he buy Twitter? Musk has turned to thinking that the ‘woke mind virus’ is the ‘greatest danger to civilization’ – so great that he thinks it will prevent man from reaching Mars.
Duh duh duh. Support for minorities threatens everything! Ohmygerd!
Bottom line, a guy with a long-time Messiah complex (and naive views of how to ‘save the world’), and who has recently announced his support for Ron DeSantis, is now in full charge of the world’s largest megaphone. I’m skeptical about the imminent demise of Twitter, and Musk is due in January to become the number one influencer on the platform.
I rather think Tesla’s success or failure is just a byline here. Our direction politically, especially in regards to climate change, is of far more importance than one company’s EV offerings. It’s highly likely we’re all going to be buying Chinese EVs in a few years if we aren’t buying GM ones, anyway.
You green capitalists keep doing everything to sustain an unequal economic system with electric cars- most auto manufacturers are not going to be caught with a surplus of ICE autos. Electric autos are expensive- way beyond the pock book of many Americans- and thus far they have been plagued with many problems. An example- the Tesla only guarantees the battery to 100K
The Kia Kona electric has had all kinds of issues and is rated as one of the most unreliable autos around.
My advice to many- go back to the fascist Elon Musk- who you idolized. He is simply an awful person. And his cars suck.
It looks like the Tesla battery life (for the Model 3) runs approximately 2.5% degradation per hundred thousand miles. Remember, we have only about 5 years worth of real world data so there aren’t that many Teslas over 100,000 miles. The biggest issue, I think, is the cost of tires because the vehicle is heavier and of higher torque. These lifetimes seems to run in the neighbourhood of 40,000 miles.
So the overall price and cost is competitive for this class of sedan. Tesla remains about 10 years ahead of any other EV maker as well as having the highest profit per vehicle. This funds additional gigafactories. I look forward to the Model 2, which is rumored to come in around 25K in today’s dollars (or about 1/2 the price of the Model 3). That looks to be aimed at 2025-26.
Twitter in this sense is a diversion from a company that looks to maintain its competitive and profitable advantages into the foreseeable future. The value is still there.
Tesla is one of the most unreliable cars
Models from Tesla Motors, which leads the market in EV sales, continue to have issues with body hardware, steering and suspension, paint and trim and climate system. The Model 3 has average reliability, while other Tesla models – including the S, Y and X – are below average.
What is the biggest problem with electric cars?
EV owners have experienced chronic problems with the display screens, exterior door lights, failing temperature sensors, mismatched paint, and seals and weatherstripping. It’s not just that these problems occur, but that they occur at a higher rate than with conventional vehicles
Electric vehicles are all the rage right now for those looking to reduce their impact on the environment. But, are they actually better for nature?
The main takeaway is EVs, in certain circumstances, can have an improved environmental impact vs. conventional gas-powered vehicles. However, batteries, charging and various manufacturing processes still negatively affect the environment. More work must be done to ensure these cars are as Eco-friendly as possible.
Electric cars are often touted as being more environmentally-friendly than their gasoline-powered counterparts. But how much damage do they really do to the environment? The answer, it turns out, is quite a bit. Building an electric car requires a significant amount of energy, and the process of mining and refining the materials used in batteries is also very damaging to the environment. In addition, electric cars produce significantly more greenhouse gases than gas-powered cars over their lifetime, due to the emissions from the power plants that generate electricity. So, while electric cars may seem like a good idea on the surface, the reality is that they come with a significant environmental cost.
I was with you until the “In addition” line. Multiple studies have shown the EVs pay off the emissions from mining and manufacturer within the first year or so of use. You’d have to live in an all coal electrical grid to have more emissions than an ICE over the lifetime of the car, and those places are vanishingly rare and disappearing.
A problem I see with EVs is that people will just assume they are getting everything they want at no environmental cost, which is absolutely not true, and they will tend to buy larger EVs, which cost more environmentally than a compact EV.
We’re literally ‘spinning our wheels’ on this issue, going for massive transport change that in the end will have far less of a result than if we had gone to more mass transit instead – but as humans, we’re wired for short-term selfish interests over long-term collective good, and we live in an economy that strongly favors that tendency.