JRod0802
Member
This might be a bit of a sensitive topic, but do the brochures all have the price on them? I grew up in England where wealth is not always respected, and the funny thing with the Roadster is that it looks like it costs (say) $80K and really it costs $120K to $150K depending on options. And telling people that before leaving your car parked outside e.g. the methodone clinic might not be a good idea. Now we live in the USA the whole "class" dynamic is different but I'm already a bit uncomfortable talking to people about the cost of the Roadster. I suppose we can say we bought it to save money on petrol, and hope they don't do the mental arithmetic... I'm sure the joke has been made many times on this forum; I think I estimated mine would pay for itself after about 1,500 years. Admittedly when gas prices go to $10/gallon that comes down to about 300 years or something, unless the government imposes an eletricity tax to subsidise the price of gasoline.
With regard to the issue of explaining the price, it’s true that you can’t really argue that you made the financial decision to buy the Roadster so as to help save the Earth. Obviously there are ways that you could help the Earth more for less money than a Roadster (like buying a Leaf or two for commuting and a Prius for distance driving, with money left over to spare). If you worked out the math, the Earth-help per dollar wouldn’t be very high for a Roadster.
However, the driving the Roadster helps more than just what you work out on paper. All of the “Tesla Time” that is spent explaining the car to people (usually strangers that you wouldn’t have otherwise talked to) makes a big difference to the Earth. You’re letting people know that electric cars aren’t inherently slow or inherently low-range. You’re showing people that electric cars can be fun, can have good driving characteristics, can be fast, can have long range, and aren’t just ideas on paper, but are actually in an existing production car that’s been here since 2008. By showing someone a “cool” EV, they really will be more likely to buy an EV in the future than they would have been if they hadn’t met you.
If you factor in how many people you’ve talked to over the course of the life of your Tesla Roadster, and how many minds you’ve changed, and how many people you’ve caused to go home and research this stuff, it’s very likely that you’ve helped out the Earth more than you could have ever realized. In actuality, by being a Tesla owner and by spending so much time to show so many people the car (and thus cause more people to take EVs seriously), the real Earth-help per dollar of the Roadster is actually very high.
This is a very interesting point in history. This is the point where cars are just beginning the long switch-over from gas to electric power. Given where we are in history at this moment, if someone were to ask me what would help the Earth more, buying $120,000 of solar panels, or buying the Roadster, I think I would say buying the Roadster. If you’re ever worried about someone thinking less of you because you spent so much money on the car, you don’t have to feel bad. You Roadster owners are helping out more than you think.