TL;DR
I recognize that I can be long-winded, but I recommend reading all of this post if you want my real thoughts on these topics. If you really want to boil it down to a summary:
I love my Tesla Model 3 and EVs in general, but I no longer believe Elon Musk should be Tesla’s CEO. His actions have strayed far from the company’s original mission, and until that changes, I won’t support them further. Despite this, it is better both economically and environmentally for me to keep the Model 3 I already have for the foreseeable future.
Background
This is not a topic I really want to have to discuss at all, in part because my thoughts on it will probably just upset people on either side of the arguments. Let's start by getting some basic things out of the way first:
- I currently own a 2022 Tesla Model 3 LR AWD, manufactured in November of 2021.
- I bought it used with 5k miles on it from a Toyota dealership in Buffalo, NY in June of 2022.
- I still owe money on it, about $25k, and it will be paid off in June 2027.
- The car's estimated value is only about $20k per Kelley Blue Book, but last time I tried to trade it in I was offered about $5k less than KBB estimated.
- I have been driving EVs almost exclusively since 2017, starting with a 2015 Nissan LEAF.
- EVs are possibly my biggest (certainly most expensive) hobby.
- My energy is cheap ($0.05 per kwh) and sourced from Niagara Falls hydro (therefore zero emissions).
- Notably Niagara Falls, unlike most hydroelectric plants, does not rely on dams that impede river flow.
- The Tesla Model 3 is the most sold EV in the US, and is still #2 behind the Model Y in new sales in 2024.
- This has made the Model 3 as synonymous with EVs as the Prius is to hybrids.
- In 2021, the Model 3 was the most American car per cars.com, and was second after the Model Y in 2022
- The Model 3 is one of the most efficient long-range EVs, after the IONIQ 6 and Lucid Air.
My Preferences
I’m not especially loyal to a particular brand, and I try to stay open to what works best for me. In terms of EVs I have owned a 2015 Nissan LEAF, (leased) a 2019 Tesla Model 3 SR+, a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach E SR AWD, and now a 2022 Tesla Model 3 LR AWD. For traditional ICE cars I've also had a 2002 Honda Civic LX (2013-2017) and a 1991 Mazda Miata (2018-2019). If I had to pick a new car right this instant, my first choices (EV or not, limited to things you can actually buy in the US) would probably be the Hyundai IONIQ 5, Kia EV6, or Rivian R1T. The car that I really want though is a Rivian R3, which is not likely to be available until 2027 at the earliest. I still like the Model 3 refresh and the Model Y refresh, though there are significantly more options on the market now that even three years ago.
When possible, I like to buy cars that are built in the US. I am not at all against vehicles built elsewhere, excepting that I would probably avoid ones built in China, though I wouldn't count them out entirely. I am into technology, so vehicles with regular software updates, autonomous driving features, and attempts to redefine the driving experience are all things that I like. I am the type of person who does not like having a bunch of single-use buttons in my car, especially those on the steering wheel that I rarely, if ever, use. That was one of the reasons I swapped the Mach E back for a Model 3, which at the time I was able to do without ultimately any losing money on the Mach E.
I live in Rochester, NY, one of the snowiest cities in America, though our winters are mostly snowy and only moderately cold (rarely below 20F but most days don't go above 40F), which is an excellent environment for a heat pump and not great for a resistive heater. I also regularly drive from Rochester to Cleveland, OH, especially around the winter holidays, which is about 300 miles one-way. That's usually one stop in my current car, and two or more in the Mach E SR that also each took longer because it charged slower. I have also driven trips like Nashville, TN back to Rochester in a single day, which requires a decent charging network. When I had the Mach E, Electrify America was acceptable but not particularly good in my experience, while the Supercharger network was pretty much flawless. Despite ranges being similar in my Model 3 SR+ and the Mach E, the regular trip to Cleveland was significantly easier and faster in the Model 3.
So far this has ultimately been me justifying (to myself and you, the reader) why the Model 3 works very well for me as a vehicle. I do not want to get rid of this car. It is more environmentally friendly for me to drive it into the dirt than it is to get a new car. I enjoy driving it as it's got incredible acceleration and is firmly planted in turns, but smooth enough for daily drives. I would feel comfortable driving it across the country, and I enjoy using the Supervised Full Self Driving features (even if I do not have any real faith that my car will be able to drive unsupervised), especially on road trips because it makes driving for hours at a time far less exhausting. Buying used means I didn't give any money to Tesla, the only money I have given them so far is the $100 a year for premium connectivity and when supercharging (though I try to use other networks when I can). Since it's Hardware 3, I will at some point cost them money if/when they actually upgrade it to HW4. It's an efficient car, being powered by green energy, and is so common of a car that owning one is not as much of a statement as say a Cybertruck or a Dodge Hellcat. Comparable maybe to a Prius in terms of saying "I want an efficient vehicle" although without the Prius's complete lack of power.
Elon Musk
The real reason you're probably reading this. Let me say this straight as an owner and investor of Tesla: I like Tesla the company, but I do not think that Elon Musk should continue as CEO. I have had issues with Musk as a person since the "pedo guy" incident in 2018, which made it very clear that he's an egotistical jerk. Being a jerk doesn't necessarily mean you're bad at running a company, in fact it seems like it might be a requirement if you go off of many other examples. He’s clearly intelligent, but not in all the ways he markets himself as — and certainly not socially, but he's demonstrated an ability to get the right people together to make innovative ideas actually happen. Not ever in the time frame he claims, but some truly amazing stuff has been accomplished by Tesla and SpaceX, even if some of his other ventures have not been particularly disruptive.
But the mission of Tesla that I have been a fan of, accelerating the world's transition to sustainable transport/energy, is not the company's focus anymore, and clearly not the focus of Musk. Actively promoting the removal of the EV tax credits which have both promoted EV adoption and caused automakers to invest in US factories; buying Twitter with Tesla funds and making it permit the dissemination of misinformation and hate speech (unintentional and deliberate alike); and pivoting Tesla from an EV/energy company to automation, robotics, and ride-share; are all either misaligned with or actively oppositional to Tesla's primary mission. Ignoring the content of his actions with DOGE and with Twitter, he has spent considerable time on ventures outside of Tesla to the detriment of Tesla's success, and through his actions with those organizations he has purposefully acted against the interests of the majority of Tesla's active customer base, even openly mocking and harassing them. If any other member of the company acted this way they would be immediately fired, but the board is too complacent to do the right thing while Musk continues to damage the company from within.
I do not believe that Tesla will succeed in accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy while Elon Musk remains as CEO. This is a company that I have followed closely since the days of the original Roadster, that I have defended time and time again against naysayers and FUD, because its mission was a worthwhile one. Tesla was fighting a tremendous uphill battle against both traditional automakers and the oil industry using their incredible wealth to try to kill something good in the name of maintaining profits. But Elon Musk has become the very thing that Tesla had to fight tooth-and-nail against: billionaires using their sway in government to benefit themselves at the expense of what is beneficial to the world.
While Elon Musk remains CEO of Tesla, I will not buy another Tesla vehicle. Nor will I recommend them to others as I once did. Which is truly a shame, because I am proud that this company has been able to disrupt a stagnant market and make EVs mainstream. I am proud to see a new American automaker actually make it to the point of being profitable. I hope one day I can be proud of this company again for doing the right thing, instead of feeling ashamed of driving a vehicle that makes passerby think I support Musk's behavior.
The Future
The future I would like to see is Elon Musk removed as CEO of Tesla and replaced with someone who can focus on getting the company back on track (decent low-cost EVs, anyone?) and repairing the damage to its image that Musk has caused. I would personally be ok with him remaining in some capacity as an ideas person, but he absolutely needs to be told "no" at times. At the bare minimum, Tesla needs a Gwynne Shotwell who can be the real head of the company while Elon is off chasing his next distraction.
As for me, until that happens I will promote other American automakers, like Rivian or even Kia (did you know that the Kia EV6 is the most american car by parts and assembly for 2025?), where I would have traditionally promoted Tesla. I still plan on driving my Model 3 for now, until Rivian starts delivering R3s that is.