But now, Tesla is facing a backlash, with protests at its facilties across the US, and calls to boycott the brand, in response to Musk’s political activity. The world’s richest man is making sweeping cuts as the new head of US President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), and a slew of controversial behaviour – from apparently making the Nazi salute (which he denies) to endorsing Germany’s AfD party – has quickly overshadowed any former green credentials.
Joanna and her husband in South East London are keen to offload their Tesla, but still have four months left of the lease. “It’s a very strange thing because I’ve never really given a second thought about cars,” says Joanna.
They bought it three years ago after moving to the capital, and wanted a more environmentally friendly car. She says they find it “frustrating” that they’re going to have to change their car “because there’s literally nothing wrong with it,” but will try and part exchange for another electric vehicle.
Tesla shares have plummeted over the past month yet are still up over the past yearFollowing his speech and gesture at Trump’s inauguration the words “Heil” and “boycott” were projected onto Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory so it appeared to read “Heil Tesla” or “Boycott Tesla”. Spoof Tesla adverts have been spotted in London stating “Goes from 0 to 1939 in 3 seconds” with a picture of Musk appearing to do a Nazi salute coming out the rooftop of one of his vehicles.
Shares in the firm have fallen by more than 15 per cent – although analysts have said the main reason was fear about production targets and a drop in sales over the past year. Tesla doesn’t dominate the electric car market in the way it did a few years ago – Western markets have been flooded with cheaper alternatives from brands such as BYD.
59 per cent of British owners said Elon Musk puts them off buying a Tesla, in a recent survey (Photo: Christian Marquardt/Getty)For enivronmentally conscious consumers, Musk’s close involvement with Trump – who took the US out of the Paris climate agreement during his first presidency, and plans to cut back incentives to buy EVs in America – has proved a dealbreaker.
She says she’s inspired that other people are making the switch too, as “it’s a great example of people putting their principles first”. She says by cancelling foreign aid, among other things, Trump and Musk have “gone beyond the point of return,” and that “we just can’t be endorsing their actions”.
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He was a relatively early adopter of Tesla and bought the car after wanting a greener future for younger generations. “He’d heard about Tesla and had it on pre-order and had to wait a good year or so for it. I think it was the second one in the country”. He passed away five years ago and Emily and her family have kept the car, as “he really liked the idea of us being an all-electric family”.
Many Tesla owners are worried that when it does come to selling their cars, they’ll have lost value. “I think it’ll obviously affect what we buy next, because the price might have dropped”, says Emily.
If she sells, she’ll lose a lifetime of free Tesla supercharging, a bonus that some of the earlier cars came with – but she says it’s not enough of a pull to ensure their loyalty to the brand. “When we come to change our car, which will be soon… we are not going to get a Tesla, because of what it stands for.”
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