Tesla is attracting more and more Republicans. MAGA wets panties.

[Joe Capitalist]

A new survey shows that Tesla is gaining steam as a brand with Republicans after being a darling of the Democrats for years.

In general, Tesla buyers, and electric car buyers, have always been more likely to be Democrat than Republican.

Left-leaning individuals are generally more environmentally cautious, though climate change concerns have been gradually gaining ground on the right in the last few years.

But EV buyers tending to be more Democrat than Republican is also due to the market incentives.

That’s due to blue states like California implementing stronger EV incentives to encourage buying electric vehicles than red states.

California is still Tesla’s biggest market in the US, but since the automaker moved its headquarters to Texas, the automaker is making progress with Republicans.

A new survey shows an important three-point increase in Republicans considering a Tesla as their next car over just a month (via CNN):

Surveys by research firm Morning Consult show that in January about 22% of Democrats were considering buying a Tesla, while 17% of Republicans were looking to purchase one. And that gap has been closing — Republican consideration of buying a Tesla has risen about 3 percentage points just since December’s survey.

That’s when it comes to jumping into action and actually planning to buy a car, but even more surprising, Republicans are now more trusting of Tesla as a brand than Democrats:

And Republicans are slightly more likely to trust the Tesla brand, 27% compared to 25% among Democrats.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

I’d advise anyone interested in a Tesla to put the silly politics aside and judge a Tesla by its merits as a vehicle and go drive one. The Tesla Sporster I test drove impressed the hell out of me.

 

[cawacko]

I’d advise anyone interested in a Tesla to put the silly politics aside and judge a Tesla by its merits as a vehicle and go drive one. The Tesla Sporster I test drove impressed the hell out of me.

I’m not really a car guy so I’m likely missing something here but seems to me if the goal is to increase EV use why frame it in a partisan/culture war perspective?

 

[ExpressLane]

A new survey shows that Tesla is gaining steam as a brand with Republicans after being a darling of the Democrats for years.

In general, Tesla buyers, and electric car buyers, have always been more likely to be Democrat than Republican.

Left-leaning individuals are generally more environmentally cautious, though climate change concerns have been gradually gaining ground on the right in the last few years.

But EV buyers tending to be more Democrat than Republican is also due to the market incentives.

That’s due to blue states like California implementing stronger EV incentives to encourage buying electric vehicles than red states.

California is still Tesla’s biggest market in the US, but since the automaker moved its headquarters to Texas, the automaker is making progress with Republicans.

A new survey shows an important three-point increase in Republicans considering a Tesla as their next car over just a month (via CNN):

Surveys by research firm Morning Consult show that in January about 22% of Democrats were considering buying a Tesla, while 17% of Republicans were looking to purchase one. And that gap has been closing — Republican consideration of buying a Tesla has risen about 3 percentage points just since December’s survey.

That’s when it comes to jumping into action and actually planning to buy a car, but even more surprising, Republicans are now more trusting of Tesla as a brand than Democrats:

And Republicans are slightly more likely to trust the Tesla brand, 27% compared to 25% among Democrats.

They make nice golf karts.

 

[Jarod]

I’m not really a car guy so I’m likely missing something here but seems to me if the goal is to increase EV use why frame it in a partisan/culture war perspective?

I often like to point out when the conservatives take a half step forward after years of bitching about it and refusing progress.

Happened with civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, drugs… those were the big ones. EV’s are another small example. They ridicule progress for many years before finally jumping on the bandwagon.

 

[ExpressLane]

I’m not really a car guy so I’m likely missing something here but seems to me if the goal is to increase EV use why frame it in a partisan/culture war perspective?

I'm not opposed to EVs but I think we should use them when we can source all the material in the US and make them 100% American. Also I think we should transition to EV slowly as technology improves their range and charging speed. I dive a diesel truck to pull a 5th wheel trailer. When there is a good electric alternative I'll consider it. Its not uncommon for me to cover 500+ miles in a day so recharge and range would be important.

 

[Joe Capitalist]

I’d advise anyone interested in a Tesla to put the silly politics aside and judge a Tesla by its merits as a vehicle and go drive one. The Tesla Sporster I test drove impressed the hell out of me.

You mean people actually consider politics when they buy a car? Totally and completely asinine. But then again, welcome to today's RepubliQan Party.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

In terms of quality, Tesla is at best an average product. The cars come with lots of issues causing regular trips to the shop for repairs.

https://www.jdpower.com/sites/default/files/file/2020-06/2020070 U.S. IQS.pdf

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1128625_tesla-ranks-last-in-initial-quality-build-issues

Tesla, right now, is the worst car maker in terms of quality there is. Their cars suck in terms of quality and reliability. I will say that Musk has done a superb job of marketing his POS cars to people though...

 

[cawacko]

I often like to point out when the conservatives take a half step forward after years of bitching about it and refusing progress.

Happened with civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, drugs… those were the big ones. EV’s are another small example. They ridicule progress for many years before finally jumping on the bandwagon.

Tesla is a racist company that doesn't pay taxes. Why would any (self respecting) liberal purchase a vehicle from them?

 

[Joe Capitalist]

Tesla is a racist company that doesn't pay taxes. Why would any (self respecting) liberal purchase a vehicle from them?

Pretty serious charges. Do you have proof of this or is this just allegations? You really should clarify before you post.

 

[cawacko]

Pretty serious charges. Do you have proof of this or is this just allegations? You really should clarify before you post.

Tesla is getting sued by the state of California for rampant discrimination. Now just because a lawsuit is filed doesn't mean the charges are accurate/correct. But if we're taking straight partisan positions when would someone on the left take the side of a major corporation (who doesn't pay taxes) against California in a discrimination/racist lawsuit?


This article is from a local black columnist in 2020.


I wanted a Tesla. Then I found out the company doesn’t hire enough Black people


If one of Tesla’s futuristic sedans had driven past me on the highway during my move from Louisiana to the Bay Area four years ago, I wouldn’t have noticed. I would have missed those sleek Tesla car doors without handles, the dashboards without speedometers, the 15-inch mounted touchscreens. In my car was a busted CD player.

After a few months of seeing these cars darting through Russian Hill in San Francisco, silently steering into parking spots near restaurants in Marin or escaping into the confines of the Oakland hills, I became kind of obsessed. The cars had a clean, minimalist look unlike anything else on the road, and this appealed to me.

Maybe it was where I often passed the cars — usually in neighborhoods where I could only dream of one day owning a house — that had equated affluence and enlightenment to the Tesla brand. Owning a Tesla didn’t just mean I would be financially capable of cutting a $66,000 check for a fully upgraded Model 3, but I would also be doing my part in reducing carbon emissions.

Earlier this month, the company released its first U.S. diversity report. In it, Tesla revealed that Black people make up only 4% of its leadership roles and 10% of its workforce.

After reading this data, I don’t want a Tesla anymore. In fact, I don’t think any Black people should buy one until the company addresses its staffing issues.

The lack of Black people on Tesla’s staff isn’t unusual in the tech world. The industry has long struggled with finding, hiring and promoting Black talent. But this data was often hidden. Only over the past few years have tech companies been more forthright about their diversity issues. Google, for example, reported in May that only 3.7% of its workers are Black.

Am I disappointed in Tesla? Absolutely. We’re in 2020, a year when some of the country’s biggest companies are sprinting to increase racial equity within their workforce. It’s an ongoing push that reached a milestone recently with OneTen, a coalition of 37 U.S. companies — Nike, Comcast, Target, Bank of America and Hewlett-Packard among them — that are aiming to hire and invest in 1 million Black Americans over the next 10 years. To my knowledge, Tesla isn’t a part of something so ambitious.

Tesla is worth roughly $550 billion, making it one of the most valuable auto companies on the planet. It’s based in the Bay Area. (For now.) And the company, in a statement, even said its employment numbers “do not represent the deep talent pools of Black and African American talent that exist in the U.S at every level — from high-school graduates to professionals.”

There’s something about Tesla acknowledging its diversity issues, and trying to justify it by stating how its leadership roles make up less than 0.4% of its overall workforce, that feels like the company is shrugging its shoulders at an important issue. This might be a byproduct of how they don’t often see Black people buying their cars.

I can count the number of Black Tesla owners I personally know on one hand — and have three fingers remaining. This is reflected in 2018 data compiled by a digital marketing company in the automotive aftermarket called Hedges & Company. Based on the company’s 2018 research, which included data from the master vehicle owner database of 175 million owners, “the average Tesla owner is a 54-year-old white man making over $140,000 with no children.”

Since falling in love with Tesla’s cars, I’ve joked with my two older brothers about how one day in the future, I would buy them Teslas as gifts. And being able to give them vehicles from this company would represent how I had “made it,” or reached a social and financial level uncommon among the Black folks we grew up around back home. After telling them about Tesla’s diversity issues, it isn’t a joke we really make anymore.

Now that the company is cementing its roots in Texas, I imagine more of my Black friends and family down South are going to be seeing Teslas driving in their cities. They’ll probably see them leaving and going into affluent neighborhoods, and eventually they’ll want one themselves. And when that time comes, I’ll tell them about Tesla’s leadership data, and I’ll tell them not to buy one.

With 2020 coming to an end, and so much work having been done in this country regarding the elevation of Black voices and Black talent, I’ll repeat something I’ve said before: Why try learning to love a company that doesn’t seem to be making an effort to love you back?


https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea...sla-Then-I-found-out-the-company-15805272.php

 

[Jarod]

Tesla is a racist company that doesn't pay taxes. Why would any (self respecting) liberal purchase a vehicle from them?

Racist? It’s not their fault they don’t pay taxes, it’s the governments.

 

[cawacko]

Racist? It’s not their fault they don’t pay taxes, it’s the governments.

California sues Tesla over alleged rampant discrimination against Black employees

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/11/1080073061/california-sues-tesla-racism-fremont


I wanted a Tesla. Then I found out the company doesn’t hire enough Black people

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea...sla-Then-I-found-out-the-company-15805272.php


Maybe I'm missing something. From a liberal perspective explain to me how it's progress to support a company such as this.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

I’m not really a car guy so I’m likely missing something here but seems to me if the goal is to increase EV use why frame it in a partisan/culture war perspective?

Just in the last week I've seen at least four, probably more, threads started by Reichwingers crying about the evils of EVs. and other so-called green energy topics. They might be the ones to ask about why make it partisan.

 

[Joe Capitalist]

Tesla is getting sued by the state of California for rampant discrimination. Now just because a lawsuit is filed doesn't mean the charges are accurate/correct. But if we're taking straight partisan positions when would someone on the left take the side of a major corporation (who doesn't pay taxes) against California in a discrimination/racist lawsuit?


This article is from a local black columnist in 2020.


I wanted a Tesla. Then I found out the company doesn’t hire enough Black people


If one of Tesla’s futuristic sedans had driven past me on the highway during my move from Louisiana to the Bay Area four years ago, I wouldn’t have noticed. I would have missed those sleek Tesla car doors without handles, the dashboards without speedometers, the 15-inch mounted touchscreens. In my car was a busted CD player.

After a few months of seeing these cars darting through Russian Hill in San Francisco, silently steering into parking spots near restaurants in Marin or escaping into the confines of the Oakland hills, I became kind of obsessed. The cars had a clean, minimalist look unlike anything else on the road, and this appealed to me.

Maybe it was where I often passed the cars — usually in neighborhoods where I could only dream of one day owning a house — that had equated affluence and enlightenment to the Tesla brand. Owning a Tesla didn’t just mean I would be financially capable of cutting a $66,000 check for a fully upgraded Model 3, but I would also be doing my part in reducing carbon emissions.

Earlier this month, the company released its first U.S. diversity report. In it, Tesla revealed that Black people make up only 4% of its leadership roles and 10% of its workforce.

After reading this data, I don’t want a Tesla anymore. In fact, I don’t think any Black people should buy one until the company addresses its staffing issues.

The lack of Black people on Tesla’s staff isn’t unusual in the tech world. The industry has long struggled with finding, hiring and promoting Black talent. But this data was often hidden. Only over the past few years have tech companies been more forthright about their diversity issues. Google, for example, reported in May that only 3.7% of its workers are Black.

Am I disappointed in Tesla? Absolutely. We’re in 2020, a year when some of the country’s biggest companies are sprinting to increase racial equity within their workforce. It’s an ongoing push that reached a milestone recently with OneTen, a coalition of 37 U.S. companies — Nike, Comcast, Target, Bank of America and Hewlett-Packard among them — that are aiming to hire and invest in 1 million Black Americans over the next 10 years. To my knowledge, Tesla isn’t a part of something so ambitious.

Tesla is worth roughly $550 billion, making it one of the most valuable auto companies on the planet. It’s based in the Bay Area. (For now.) And the company, in a statement, even said its employment numbers “do not represent the deep talent pools of Black and African American talent that exist in the U.S at every level — from high-school graduates to professionals.”

There’s something about Tesla acknowledging its diversity issues, and trying to justify it by stating how its leadership roles make up less than 0.4% of its overall workforce, that feels like the company is shrugging its shoulders at an important issue. This might be a byproduct of how they don’t often see Black people buying their cars.

I can count the number of Black Tesla owners I personally know on one hand — and have three fingers remaining. This is reflected in 2018 data compiled by a digital marketing company in the automotive aftermarket called Hedges & Company. Based on the company’s 2018 research, which included data from the master vehicle owner database of 175 million owners, “the average Tesla owner is a 54-year-old white man making over $140,000 with no children.”

Since falling in love with Tesla’s cars, I’ve joked with my two older brothers about how one day in the future, I would buy them Teslas as gifts. And being able to give them vehicles from this company would represent how I had “made it,” or reached a social and financial level uncommon among the Black folks we grew up around back home. After telling them about Tesla’s diversity issues, it isn’t a joke we really make anymore.

Now that the company is cementing its roots in Texas, I imagine more of my Black friends and family down South are going to be seeing Teslas driving in their cities. They’ll probably see them leaving and going into affluent neighborhoods, and eventually they’ll want one themselves. And when that time comes, I’ll tell them about Tesla’s leadership data, and I’ll tell them not to buy one.

With 2020 coming to an end, and so much work having been done in this country regarding the elevation of Black voices and Black talent, I’ll repeat something I’ve said before: Why try learning to love a company that doesn’t seem to be making an effort to love you back?


https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea...sla-Then-I-found-out-the-company-15805272.php

So, you think more Republicans are buying Teslas because they're racist?

 

[cawacko]

Just in the last week I've seen at least four, probably more, threads started by Reichwingers crying about the evils of EVs. and other so-called green energy topics. They might be the ones to ask about why make it partisan.

A couple of thoughts. I didn't see those threads but (in theory) one can have a discussion pro/con on EV's and not have it be of a partisan nature. You can discuss the technology, energy usage etc. and leave politics out of it. (You can get into a discussion on subsidies, which is political, but can still be discussed in a non partisan pissing match fashion.)

Based on previous posts the OP is clearly a fan of EV's. To me, if I want more people driving the cars I'm not trying to divide people. (I guess the same could be said for those who don't think people should drive them.)

 

[cawacko]

So, you think more Republicans are buying Teslas because they're racist?

Regardless of one's politics I think most people who buy Tesla's either aren't aware of the complaints/lawsuit or frankly don't give a sh*t. I posted this in response to Jarod's post. He's claiming liberals like himself are so progressive/woke, which is fine except why support a company like Tesla then?

 

[Joe Capitalist]

Regardless of one's politics I think most people who buy Tesla's either aren't aware of the complaints/lawsuit or frankly don't give a sh*t. I posted this in response to Jarod's post. He's claiming liberals like himself are so progressive/woke, which is fine except why support a company like Tesla then?

You called Tesla a racist company because they've been sued by California. But you've already declared them Guilty of racism even before a verdict.
Why is that? You got some 'issues' with Elon?

 

[cawacko]

You called Tesla a racist company because they've been sued by California. But you've already declared them Guilty of racism even before a verdict.
Why is that? You got some 'issues' with Elon?

I think Elon is the man. He's an incredible entrepreneur. I have the biography written about him in 2015 on my book shelf. (I started a thread about him yesterday on here stepping up for Ukraine.)

Remember, I'm from Oakland where issues of race and what today we call wokeness has always been front and center. People around here don't sit back and take the side of a massive corporation accused of racism and say "let's see what the courts say" before rendering verdicts. They very much lean towards the TTQ64 side, you (in this case Tesla) are racist.

So when Jarod tries to tell me liberals are so progressive on all these issues well I know the Oakland response. And its not in favor of the large corporation.

 

[leaningright]

I’ve said from the onset of the push for more EVs that if, heaven forbid, I lived in a city that I’d likely have one. Right now it is not feasible for where I live nor do they make affordable ones to do what I need a vehicle to do.