Science is the foundation on which modern society is built and upon which future society depends. If we won't be smart enough as a people to give it it's due support through public recognition and funding, it falls on people like me to put forth more money and effort to show it the support it deserves and pick up the slack of those who fail to recognize the need.
Tesla is really a story about science. Science had a hand it creating the environmental problems we have today like global warming. Science had a hand in identifying these problems with credible research and evidence. And science had a hand in getting Tesla to where it is today with beginning to craft the solutions to those problems with EVs, solar panels, and grid storage products. It's an iterative process of knowledge acquisition and refinement that builds advanced society. And it must be nurtured for that advancement to continue.