Is anyone interested in Tesla NOT because of any environmental reasons?

[Xenoilphobe]

You left a few reasons out - its is American designed, American made and supported by energy made in America.

When ISIS takes over the oil fields in Iraq and Saudi - they still won't get my money to fund their radical ideology.

 

[islandbayy]

I personally could care less about the environmental reasons. I purchased it because I drive too much, and pay too much for gas And I've always been fascinated by Electric Propulsion, to the point where I was Wisconsin's First EV Dealer!

 

[dsm363]

The environmental benefits are just a nice perk. You'll find people all over the political spectrum buying this car for all sorts of reasons which is a great thing.

 

[Lloyd]

You forgot Some buy it for the technology

 

[pmoa]

Could really care less about being green. Wanted to be unique and not buy another Audi, bimmer or Benz.

 

[Shortmanz]

Finally decided to buy my first American car.
Driving the Dream!

 

[hcsharp]

You forgot Some buy it for the technology

According to Tesla's market studies, that is the primary reason people buy a Tesla. The second reason is performance. The third is environmental impact. There are many other reasons as well. For most people it's a combination of things but more often than anything else the primary reason is technology.

 

[siucity]

My main reason for the Tesla was carpool lane access. My commute is less than 1/2 of what it would be in the non carpool lanes. I probably would have been fine with something like a Nissan Leaf, but then I couldn't take it on day trips because of its 80 miles range. And getting a Leaf means another car in the garage, while my P85D could replace one of our cars.

 

[Patrick W]

Where I am, all the S' are coal powered.

Same here in Utah (82% of electricity is from coal). But take comfort that with the huge amount of electricity required to refine crude oil into gasoline Tesla's, with their much higher efficiency burn a lot less coal that ICEs (not to mention the huge amount of energy expended getting the petrol from the refinery to the local pump).

 

[donv]

The environmental thing is a negative for me-- in fact, it's probably the one real negative I have with the Model S.

I own it because it's the best daily driver made, period. And, the electric drive is a big part of that. I also like that it's American-made and designed, and the product of the vision of one guy, at the end of the day.

I could do without the "greenie" image, especially since the true-believer greenies beat me up about it not being very environmentally sensitive (and I agree with them), and the non-believers think I'm some sort of greenie myself (couldn't be further from the truth).

Maybe I could stick a fake exhaust pipe on it?

 

[aus]

The environmental thing is a negative for me-- in fact, it's probably the one real negative I have with the Model S.

I own it because it's the best daily driver made, period. And, the electric drive is a big part of that. I also like that it's American-made and designed, and the product of the vision of one guy, at the end of the day.

I could do without the "greenie" image, especially since the true-believer greenies beat me up about it not being very environmentally sensitive (and I agree with them), and the non-believers think I'm some sort of greenie myself (couldn't be further from the truth).

Maybe I could stick a fake exhaust pipe on it?

Good to know not everyone in Oregon hugs a tree.
We want the carpool lane for the wife since she has a nasty drive to work, but it's only a couple times a week. Then we do a ton of short drives picking up and dropping off kids for practice and games/performances and it's a killer on ICE.
The safety rating is nice too, but repairs if you get into an accident is RIDICULOUS!!
.

 

[Cosmacelf]

No exhaust is nice, but I bought it primarily for the performance and the drivability. I would hate to go back to an ICE now...

 

[TomServo]

Personally for me I test drove a 2012 Volt and the dealer let me have it for 24 hours. After a few miles of ALL ELECTRIC drive I was smitten. Took it home plugged it in and the next morning I saw I had 40 miles of range to play with. So my wife and set out to run ALL our errands to include a test run from my home to the USAF base I work at (22 miles R/T) and later that afternoon we returned it and bought a brand new 2012 Volt. We traded in an $88K Jaguar XK. That was March 2012, I now own a 2013 Volt and in 40 months I have driven over 39K miles (92% electric).

The green thing for me is not important in that it still takes a lot of fossil fuel to make electricity.

I want a Tesla because of how good it feels and operates not for any real green agenda. I will add I hate being stuck in traffic with an ICE vehicle spewing toxic fumes. So maybe I'm a little bit greener than I was say a few years ago. But until someone can certify the DNA of any electron as PURE I can co-exist with fossil fueled things.

 

[jbcarioca]

Some might call me Green, but that is my surname anyway.

I used to own an island in the Bahamas powered entirely by solar panels feeding a large storage battery complex. Some called that green, but it was vastly cheaper and easier than carrying diesel fuel from the nearest island that had fuel back to my place. It was certainly a minor burnishment of my greenness, entirely destroyed by my habit of flying myself to the nearest airport.

As a few people have noted, I bought my P85D because it is the best car I have ever driven. It's nice that it does not burn gasoline, but I was not at all tempted by any alternative EV, Maybe I will be next time, although my spouse thinks the P66D or whatever the Performance version of the Model III will be probably will be that choice.

Environmental resposibility ought to be my priority too, but honestly it is not. If it were I would not travel on an intercontinental basis every couple weeks or so.

Anybody who buys a Tesla must have a certain amount of cognitive dissonance IMHO. Even in countries with huge tax incentives rational choices would be far less capable than are our Teslae. OTOH, the tesla phenomenon is rapidly transforming the global perspective towards heat engines as the driving force for vehicles. That is a Good Thing!

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

I drive it because it's a bad ass fast car and I love tech.

While I'm not out to save the world, the fact that it's not clubbing baby seals is just icing on the cake.

 

[bollar]

This has to be the best thread of the week.

 

[kirkbauer]

I'm not an environmentalist, however I do hate waste. Electric vehicles seem less wasteful to me but I haven't done the math to be sure.

I do, however, love accelerating fast, so that's really why I have the P85D.

 

[AB4EJ]

I bought my MS because I was completely taken aback with the technology, engineering, and safety aspects of the car; suddenly, the other car choices I had considered at the time seemed really antiquated. Through my ownership experience with the car, I've become more aware of environmental concerns and am better for it.

I like this because it captures the thinking of myself, as a card carrying member of the "Geeks & Nerds Society," who want to have the most technologically advanced solution possible. It would be even better if the car was technically difficult to drive and had a long learning curve; but hey, you can't have everything.

 

[polything]

Tesla MS is the coolest car on the planet. Not sure what is the environmental impact when it manufactured but sure love to skip the $20 gasoline bill weekly.

 

[EvilNuff]

I want a Tesla because an electric drive car is, IMO, superior to a gas car across the board. I don't care much about the environmental side.