> I traded a Toyota full size pickup truck in for my first Tesla, a Model S, because Tesla needed to move units to survive. I'm looking forward to closing the loop, trading that Model S (with almost 110k miles on it after driving cross country in six years) in for my Cybertruck. It's ugly, I love it, I don't care what it costs.
I don't need a fancy EV. I want an EV I can beat the shit out of (steel body, no paint issues to contend with), tow with, and has native access to the Supercharger network (I live out of a duffel bag with a starlink dish and am constantly mobile across the continental US). I also don't want to support legacy auto, who had to be dragged to the EV transition by Tesla. Mission accomplished. That is worthy of my dollars. How others spend theirs is up to them.
> as someone deeply concerned about climate change
> I have one, but am looking for a second
I think you are only superficially concerned about climate change if you are planning to buy not one, but two, fully steel enclosed monster trucks weighing 6.500 pounds each.
I‘ve had a fully electric Ioniq for almost 4 years, the most efficient car at the time. I‘d rather people buy a used compact, efficient diesel than bring such a monster into circulation. The waste of materials and power (40kWh/100km at 120km/h reportedly) is ridiculous.
This is my thinking as well. we are currently patting people on the back for helping with climate change when they buy a new 5000 pound electrical vehicle.
Tesla's ability to spin up utility scale battery manufacturing is what is contributing towards the phaseout of fossil electrical generation. That capability is built off the back of its vertical integration and vehicle manufacturing leading to cell production learning rate. It is incredibly simple for someone to assume that giving up cars solves the problem. 90M light vehicles are sold globally annually. How many have been given up? Without scaling up EVs and battery storage, there is no success by pleading everyone take the bus. Some people might forgo a vehicle, and those are small wins, but you aren't going to move the needle on ~16M/units a year in vehicle sales in the US and the global sales I previously mentioned. If people choose to buy cars, sell them EVs.
TLDR Pats on the back aren't going to drive down petroleum consumption in any material fashion.
It is of course incredibly simple, but it is even more simple to claim that buying "Teslas" helps to fight climate change.
That solution simply doesn't scale and is a convenient "feel good" excuse for Tesla to sell more cars and individual that can splurge in a 5000 pounds vehicle full of toxic particles requiring a ton of grey energy to produce.
Is it marginally better than buying an ICE car? Maybe (Some studies show that keeping your old car a couple more years is actually more efficient).
But the real solution is to start reducing the size of those vehicles to something like a one-person car, not buying a "lifestyle truck"
Edit: I have no issue with people buying what they want. I have an issue with people splurging on superfluous items and ALSO claiming they help fighting climate change.
The problem is Tesla are not really good at battery tech. Their 4680 batteries are not competitive, many of their cars just come with blade batteries from BYD nowadays.
I can like the cars but not like Elon, very little nuance required in holding the position [1].
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37949037