Anyone reconsidering their order after seeing how Elon is reacting to COVID-19?

[AgingSTIGuy]

If everything I bought had to come from people who acted like Mother Teresa and Ghandi then I'd have a pretty empty life. My ex-wife was a bad person so should I not have eaten vegetables from her garden?
Elon is a mess. No doubt.
But I guarantee that there are worse people who work for Ford, so I'd hold off on buying that Mustang!
Teslas are generational game-changers. You'll be waiting a long time for something that matches it, and even then, do you want to be the first one to own something new?

All valid points, and it's where I had been in reading this thread until the most recent Elon rant. The problem is that emotions are running high and this is changing from a thing we are were in together to, yet again, a partisan divide. Only, grandma's life is on the line and those of us that have, and continue to do everything possible to slow it's spread and save lives don't want to hear it's all been for naught and we've somehow been duped. I sure never saw my livelihood in this much jeopardy this far into my career (currently on reduced work unpaid time).

I typically don't follow the personalities that run companies I support or make purchases influenced by my views. Maybe there are influences I can admit like feeling a bit morally superior shopping at Costco than Sam's club. The case here is that it's a big one time purchase and Tesla is Elon and vise versa.

That said, where would we be without Tesla having paved this path. GM sure didn't do it and Ford would never have developed the Mach-E without being pushed. You are right of course that even the Mach-E GT, which could be a long wait, might only be a match for a boosted LR AWD Model Y. You're also right that buying something untested in it's early run is something I'd really rather avoid. I've done this once with a first model year adventure bike that was all the rage that season. Spent more time in the shop under warranty than being ridden that first year. (Though I have had a wonderful 80K miles and 10 years since then with the bugs worked out)

Back to Elon:
Not to retract my previous statements or try to find a way to delude myself into making his actions/message ok and thereby my eventual purchase, but I've got a theory to share. What if this tact he's taken is nothing short of a genius marketing move. Painting with broad strokes, but let's call Tesla the modern premium purchase that the Prius was a generation ago. They are not the choice for people further to the right, especially as gas is so cheap and they don't sell a big truck or SUV (yet). Again, broad strokes with exceptions made for performance, luxury or tech right? So, sitting in that light, we now have Elon getting free, and exuberant, press from none other than Fox News! Could this be a play for the Cybertruck to truly make a run at the F-150? There's an uphill challenge there to get this company accepted as an "American" brand here in the heartland. At the very least it could reduce the occurrences of meatheads ICE'ing superchargers. Just a theory... and I have the time on my hands to play with theories.


Tesla CEO slams California Gov. Newsom over stay-at-home order

 

[jerseygirl18]

I've been so eager for my next car to be a Tesla since watching the original roadster perform. I'm a fiscal conservative and only buy my next car when I need to. That said, when the time comes I buy something I'm going to love and don't shy away from spending a bit more to have the performance.

I've followed all the developments and exploits of Mr. Musk and always been inspired both technologically and environmentally. I didn't care a bit about headlines smoking pot or a pedo guy or stock manipulation... I want this revolution to electric and to make it to Mars.

I settled on a M3 stealth for our northern potholes and it was absolutely going to be my next car (much to my wife's displeasure since she is more the base model Subaru type). The stealth going away (or at least the $2k upcharge) left me in an internal debate between an LR AWD and just suffering the 20" rollers.

Then...

The most recent right wing, Fox news, sounding crap coming from Elon on the earnings call has me deflated. It's not about how sweet this car is... It's about supporting a piece of crap that wants my parents to die (hyperbole intended).

I want to support people and businesses that have the public heath at heart and are doing everything we can to combat this virus and come out of it stronger. Sending a few cheap sleep apnea breathing machines instead of ventilators isn't going to get it done.

My browser history actually shows a direct progression from Musk pissing me off to researching the i4. I've also always wanted a Mustang since I feel in love with that 64 1/2 nostalgia as a teen. Granted these other options won't meet or beat a M3P but I might just be miffed enough that I don't care.

In a nutshell, stop tweeting you jackass.

BTW, that "Stop tweeting" msg is already used for another immature, childish, Sociopathic NOT so much a genius Pres.

 

[jerseygirl18]

Was there a runaway epidemic at Tesla factories that is being hidden from us?

Because South Korea never closed any of their auto factories in Korea for more than 7 days that I can see. They only closed their foreign plants like the US one.

Amazon never shut down. Is there a runaway epidemic there? Not at our massive warehouse. In fact, many of the facilities closed here, including the schools, were closed before there was a verifiable risk. 25,000 students at a college with zero cases closes down, perhaps for a year?

What is good for New York might not work in California.

I'm with Elon on this one. I have a choice whether or not I risk SARS-CoV-2 infection. So do most people.

Ever hear.."United we stand..DIVIDED WE FALL" ??? This isn't about your choice to get sick..it's about YOU possibly making others get sick!!

 

[ALSETJC]

He owns a business , anyone with stocks or a business does not want this to continue. I expect those people to find ways to down play things to side with their own agenda. The freedom fighters on the other hand , wow misinformed herds. BTW America needs to get a real leader and not some lunatic in power . Wake up America, and I don't care who it is as long as it's not a narcissist.

So hey.... yeah go Tesla! Elon just wants to continue building.

 

[toolman335]

Elon knows exactly what he's doing. He knows that every Tweet goes viral. If he tweeted about not being able to find a pack of gum at a store the entire country would flock to stores looking for gum.
He's playing both sides of the fence and it's driving most Tesla owners crazy.
What if this makes the "others" consider buying a Tesla and opens up an entirely new world? I know very, very few right-wingers who own a Tesla(largely due to Elon). Aren't they the ones with the money? Let's get them on board and save the environment.

 

[jpfive]

Elon knows exactly what he's doing. He knows that every Tweet goes viral. If he tweeted about not being able to find a pack of gum at a store the entire country would flock to stores looking for gum.
He's playing both sides of the fence and it's driving most Tesla owners crazy.
What if this makes the "others" consider buying a Tesla and opens up an entirely new world? I know very, very few right-wingers who own a Tesla(largely due to Elon). Aren't they the ones with the money? Let's get them on board and save the environment.

With respect, I don't think that this is a helpful, or even accurate, generalization. I know conservatives who care about the environment, and liberals who have a lot of money. I have had a few years to develop the opinion that most people see themselves as moderate, i.e. not belonging to either pole. That is certainly where I place myself, though folks on the flanks might think otherwise. There is probably some calculation to Elon's tweets, but they are spontaneous as well. I think it is a mistake to impute "the other" attitudes and motivations to people you don't routinely associate with. We humans share our nature, and are more alike than we are different. My $.02

 

[toolman335]

I am a conservative who cares about the environment
I routinely get ripped on by conservatives for owning this car, but I fully admit that I'm in New England and we're a different type of miserable people up here!

 

[adrianp89]

I can always count on this forum to give me somewhat of a reality check of how some people actually think. (Typically for the liberals in CA and NY) For me it is hard to understand how so many people just simply believe what the media tells them and lets the government control their life, especially when you step out your front door, the reality is quite different. I know quite a bit of people, and no one is really buying into the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with all the odd-ball stuff surrounding it. Add to the fact that I have still yet to personally know someone that personally knew someone that has confirmed had the virus. We believe my wife may have had it in February, but we are extremely social and no one else showed symptoms before or after. What do I see personally is ALOT of people suffering because they cannot work, and in more mild cases just have a reduction in pay. We are coming to a turning point where a burdened economy will start to create more deaths than the virus. That is just deaths, if we don't stop this soon, there will be in uptick if domestic violence and theft. We also cannot predict what psychological damage being imprisoned in your own home will cause. What about an increase in obesity due to gyms being closed? That may be a reach but pair it with people stuck in their house and not being active, it could lead to another number of factors such as heart disease. This is the problem - people do not think of the downstream affects. Quarantine is not a solution. If the virus is truly as deadly and spreads as easily as it is portrayed - then we need to be in lock down for a very long time. Herd immunity is arguably solution, with the high-risk people staying at home, if they please. Will people die? Yes - it will happen either way but people die every year from things we don't stop doing. Heart disease and diabetes accounts for over 750k deaths annually. We don't ban foods that are bad for you and force people to exercise, we trust people to make the decisions on their own.

What is the clear - this has been running rampant across the world for at least 3-4 months before lockdown and hospitals where never over-run. The world was doing fine. The numbers are not accurate by any measure (arguably much lower). This is non-disputable fact. Researchers close to this virus are being murdered. This is a non-disputable fact. Doctors with strong knowledge in the field that are speaking out on social media platforms are being silenced, content removed and accounts deleted. This is a non-disputable fact.The military is banning people if they ever had corona-virus. This is a non-disputable fact. I am not not a conspiracy theorist but where there is smoke there is fire. There is a whole lot more going on than we know.

This is a free country and no one should ever be restricted to be imprisoned in their own home. If you feel the risk is real, then you take the appropriate measures and you can stay at home. Communicate with your friends and family to find out who wants to be self quarantined and respect their wishes. The rest of us should be able to live our lives.

And for the people thinking about not buying a car because Elon sees through the bullshit - you are not anything special. You are still buying a $50,000 car that you do not need. If you want to support something and be righteous, keep your old car and spend that $50,000 and do something meaningful. Buy meals for families that cannot eat because they are out of a job, go support a family that cannot pay their bills,

Also Tesla is for people on every end of the spectrum. I am middle right, and seem to go more right every day. However I bought the car because it offers the most value in my eyes (as with almost any purchases one makes). That value was top-tier technology paired with one the fastest production cars, all for 50k. I still have a gas guzzling truck to tow my gas sucking boat.

 

[toolman335]

I'd love a demographic breakdown of Tesla owners. Exactly who buys these cars? Is there any reliable data?
I get ripped on by right wingers who say I'm a fraud for using coal-generated electricity for my electric car and that I must be a tree-hugger. They hate Elon.
I get ripped on by liberals who say I'm a one percenter snob who can afford nice cars like this. Plus, my liberal friends also hate Elon now because he actually.....wants to work.

You can't please anyone, but we win because we own the best car on the planet(and for the planet).

 

[bpobill]

Elon knows exactly what he's doing. He knows that every Tweet goes viral. If he tweeted about not being able to find a pack of gum at a store the entire country would flock to stores looking for gum.
He's playing both sides of the fence and it's driving most Tesla owners crazy.
What if this makes the "others" consider buying a Tesla and opens up an entirely new world? I know very, very few right-wingers who own a Tesla(largely due to Elon). Aren't they the ones with the money? Let's get them on board and save the environment.

im very conservative and you would be surprised how many drive a Tesla. Conservative care very deeply about the environment but we choose to not take it too far “green new deal”. We want clean air and water, liberals want to control every facet of our lives. I also like Elon. Weird dude but insanely smart. He’s right about this covid nonsense.

 

[GZDongles]

im very conservative and you would be surprised how many drive a Tesla. Conservative care very deeply about the environment but we choose to not take it too far “green new deal”. We want clean air and water, liberals want to control every facet of our lives. I also like Elon. Weird dude but insanely smart. He’s right about this covid nonsense.

At some point, it will be time to reopen the factories and lift the shelter in place order. Without a vaccine, we'll have to be prepared for likely another year of waves of recurrence and localized shutdowns and quarantines. Most of my job for the past month has been focused on tracking and forecasting how the COVID situation will evolve and impact the aerospace and automotive industries, so I do have some limited expertise with this...

It's easy to think it's "nonsense" because the infection rate is so low right now, but the number of daily new cases and deaths has ONLY decreased because of the unprecedented self quarantines and shelter in place orders that have been put in place. I think the daily infection rate will be low enough later this month that we can reopen on a provisional basis in most states, understanding that we'll have to shut down again as hot spots flare up over the next year.

The ironic thing is that if Elon and others like him had taken this seriously two to three weeks earlier, we wouldn't be in this position now. If we had the same type of restrictions and a shelter in place order earlier, we would have been able to lift it much earlier with a lower total economic impact and death toll. My problem with Elon right now is that he was clearly wrong with his tweets early in the pandemic when he said the US would have almost no new cases by the end of April. Instead of showing some humility and admitting that he clearly underestimated the extent of the pandemic, he is doubling down on his ignorance. He reminds me of Trump, where he tweets out wrong bullsh*t and never takes responsibility for it. It's understandable that he wants to open up the Fremont factory, but it's really not his call. As a Tesla shareholder, I wish he would stop acting like a spoiled baby whenever he doesn't get his way. Just act like an adult and be patient another week or two.

I hate that COVID has somehow become politicized. I lean more fiscally conservative but socially/environmentally liberal, but it drives me crazy how a process that should be rooted in the science of epidemiology and economics is being subverted by crazies on both sides of the aisle. Between the anti vax idiots and the people who don't believe in science. It's maddening.

 

[ALSETJC]

With respect, I don't think that this is a helpful, or even accurate, generalization. I know conservatives who care about the environment, and liberals who have a lot of money. I have had a few years to develop the opinion that most people see themselves as moderate, i.e. not belonging to either pole. That is certainly where I place myself, though folks on the flanks might think otherwise. There is probably some calculation to Elon's tweets, but they are spontaneous as well. I think it is a mistake to impute "the other" attitudes and motivations to people you don't routinely associate with. We humans share our nature, and are more alike than we are different. My $.02

It wasn't about conservatives or democrats I said anyone except that one person, he makes all of you look like selfish horrible people and I know Americans are not. You interjected left and right bias where there was none. I wasn't playing any side and that is the problem with Americans politics, it's a complete mess coming from someone on the outside looking in.

Sincerely your friendly neighbor, in a country your leader also tries to screw with.

 

[jpfive]

It wasn't about conservatives or democrats I said anyone except that one person, he makes all of you look like selfish horrible people and I know Americans are not. You interjected left and right bias where there was none. I wasn't playing any side and that is the problem with Americans politics, it's a complete mess coming from someone on the outside looking in.

Sincerely your friendly neighbor, in a country your leader also tries to screw with.

I apologize for upsetting you. My reply was to another, and its intent was to make your point, actually. Pax
(edited to remove a sentence that could be considered confrontational. It was not intended)

 

[TypeRx]

The ironic thing is that if Elon and others like him had taken this seriously two to three weeks earlier, we wouldn't be in this position now. If we had the same type of restrictions and a shelter in place order earlier, we would have been able to lift it much earlier with a lower total economic impact and death toll. My problem with Elon right now is that he was clearly wrong with his tweets early in the pandemic when he said the US would have almost no new cases by the end of April. Instead of showing some humility and admitting that he clearly underestimated the extent of the pandemic, he is doubling down on his ignorance. He reminds me of Trump, where he tweets out wrong bullsh*t and never takes responsibility for it. It's understandable that he wants to open up the Fremont factory, but it's really not his call. As a Tesla shareholder, I wish he would stop acting like a spoiled baby whenever he doesn't get his way. Just act like an adult and be patient another week or two.

Agree 100%. I hate Bill Ackman (for other reasons) but it was him singing the siren song on CNBC on March 18 (google it if interested) on exactly this. He was right. If we would have forced a shut down then for like 30 days...we could have significantly decreased infection rate/death and gotten back to 'new normal' more quickly. Oh well though, it doesn't matter since hindsight is 20/20. It would have been a very tough call to make.

That all said, I hope we learn from this as I am convinced we will be sheltering at home again in the not so near future. I hope we have very rapid surveillance and action plans put in place at the state and local level that will be able to rapidly act if cases begin to spike again. We need to act much quicker to put out the sparks rather than trying to pour a bucket of water on a raging fire.

Finally, while science is NOT the be all end all and should not be the only factor driving policy, it is sickening to me how un-scientific so much of America is. We hear what we want to hear. We assume that, even if our ideas conflict with peer-reviewed science, that we should be able to propagate our beliefs with no consequence. Our education system is so clearly failing in this regard and our lack of trust in government may end up being a massive stumbling block for us all in getting back to normal. Its an interesting conundrum...our freedoms have allowed this country to become so great but when it comes to basic survival, we have to be willing to surrender some. Are we? Are all of us?

Back to Tesla -- I look forward to them re-opening when the time is right and for them to keep innovating. Elon is brilliant when it comes to the areas he knows, but please don't mistake that his brilliance applies to all subjects (like public health). I bought 2 Teslas this year (well, technically one on Dec 28 2019)...his antics wouldn't stop me from buying another but they are embarrassing and not something I want to be associated with.

 

[T3SLAROD]

I just want to wish Musk good luck in Texas. Hopefully, he finds some support from the State and people who will love the brand.

 

[Bubbatech]

It is not unusual to hear conservatives say “I haven’t seen it, therefore it must not exist“. The fact that 75,000 people have died doesn’t seem to impinge on their thinking. As for Elon, I don’t think his beef is that Covid is bullshit. He’s not a moron. His issue I think is about fairness and it is about not being given the opportunity to open the facility with measures in place to protect his employees. I think it can be done for some businesses. They may not be as productive, the protective measures must be stringent, but it is possible.

 

[toolman335]

Did Elon say there would be no new cases by the end of April? I don't remember that. That's a pretty dumb prediction. Yikes.
This partial shutdown and the list of essential businesses that could stay open has dragged this thing out far longer than it should have. If we had done what we're doing now a few weeks earlier we would be slightly ahead of where we are. What exactly is this accomplishing? Far too many people are "needed" to be out and about(on top of shoving Covid patients into nursing home-separate subject!).
In March I thought we were going to go into a true lockdown for 14 days. We kept hearing about the shelf-life of the virus on surfaces lasting up to 14 days.
With electricity and running water at home we all could have shut down for 2 weeks. Truly essential public services allowed only.
What we're doing now is flattening but barely lowering the curve. It's not pointless, but we missed our chance make up for lost time. Early spring before the weather got nice would have been a great time to tell everyone to stay home for 2 weeks. Now it's a battle royale.

 

[blazeform]

This is nothing new for Elon, he talks out of his ass on a lot of topics he knows nothing about. I respect Elon where he has expertise but I defer to the doctors and epidemiologists when it comes to matters of the epidemic. Fortunately, Elon is not the embodiment of Tesla, I see no reason to boycott Tesla just because Elon says dumb stuff sometimes.

 

[dmurphy]

no one is really buying into the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with all the odd-ball stuff surrounding it. Add to the fact that I have still yet to personally know someone that personally knew someone that has confirmed had the virus.

I've run out of fingers to count the people in my life circle that have died from COVID-19... so, respectfully, you're talking out your ass.

 

[T3SLAROD]

It’s all fake, this COVID19 is fake.......

That’s why everyone in the WH is now wearing mask because of the outbreak in the West Wing, I’m guessing these are paid crisis actors....

Seriously, I can’t believe there are still people who think it’s a way for the Guberment to control your life..... even in this Stay at Home, I can go out and about my business, no gestapo is around to stop me or question where I am going. Unreal.