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- Manlobbi
Personal Finance Topics / Macroeconomic Trends and Risks
No. of Recommendations: 4
No. of Recommendations: 4
I didn't read the whole thing. But enough to know that Elon was (and probably still is) ignoring data he didn't like. That seems to be typical of the right-wing lately (and by lately, I mean at least the past 30 years). Of course, it is human nature to do that (we prefer confirmation). But the right, from my vantage point, seems to be far worse about it. I have my suspicions about why, but I don't want Manlobbi nailing me for getting too political on this board.
Sam is data-driven, at least in most things. Hitchens once lamented that the only problem he had with Sam was that he was "a bit of a Buddhist". While Hitchens didn't talk about Buddhists much (they aren't much of a threat today), he still held in disdain anything that could not be argued rationally and/or factually. I read one of his books several years ago. I think it was The End of Faith, but I'm not certain now.
In some ways, Elon is brilliant. I always point to the charger network for that. When I owned some TSLA, there was some grumbling that he was diverting what funds Tesla had into the chargers, and then giving away free charging. Today, Tesla has the most built-out charger infrastructure, and only Tesla cars can use it (for now). So any concern about buying an EV from Tesla is easily addressed by the extensive network available to would-be owners. You can drive almost anywhere, and be assured that you will be able to charge your vehicle all along the way.
That was foresight. As an ID.4 owner, I can say that is an attractive feature. I can't make that claim with my ID.4. Around town, no problem. We have a home charger, and it comes with a standard plug you can use on any outlet/socket (120V). But, last time I checked, I couldn't go to Glacier National Park. Also, going to Durango would have been a challenge. Unless I found an outlet I could plug into**. A Tesla wouldn't have to worry about it. I have been to L.A. and San Diego with the ID.4, as well as Tucson and Flagstaff. For our trip to Moab, we borrowed 1poorkid's fossil burner.
But Elon also is showing his -for lack of a better word- lunacy. His dust-up with Sam over COVID should have been a non-issue.
**We have stayed in a couple of places that had an outlet near a parking space, and we were allowed to plug-in. But most places don't have outlets near the parking areas.
No. of Recommendations: 3
Today, Tesla has the most built-out charger infrastructure, and only Tesla cars can use it (for now). So any concern about buying an EV from Tesla is easily addressed by the extensive network available to would-be owners. You can drive almost anywhere, and be assured that you will be able to charge your vehicle all along the way.
No longer true. The Tesla network was opened to Rivians as well as Ford EVs last spring. All Rivian owners have been supplied (by Rivian) with the necessary adapter, and Ford will sell you one for $230.
From the 2025 model year forward, Rivian is changing their socket to be Tesla-compatible without an adapter (as well as moving the charge port to the opposite side, so as not to mandate taking up two stalls while charging)
-- sutton
No. of Recommendations: 2
“But Elon also is showing his -for lack of a better word- lunacy. His dust-up with Sam over COVID should have been a non-issue.”
Indeed. The latest biography of Musk is worth a read. It includes up to the Twitter purchase. It’s clear that Musk is at times brilliant, and at times irrational and compulsive. He’s not gotten any better in the few years since. He is NOT a pleasant guy.
The salute? Probably trolling. He likes trolling, obviously. His attitude seems to be: I’m the richest MF in the world, what are you going to do about it?
No. of Recommendations: 4
“The Tesla network was opened to Rivians as well as Ford EVs last spring. All Rivian owners have been supplied (by Rivian) with the necessary adapter, and Ford will sell you one for $230.”
Even our lowly Chevy Bolt can charge there with an adaptor.
I think Elon’s gone beyond all that. He’s into autonomy. Robotaxis will need to charge autonomously so the current charging network isn’t much use for them.
I’m in the market for a new car and there is no way I will buy a Tesla. Irrational? I don’t think so. I don’t want to give Musk any of my money, but mainly I don’t want anyone to think I in any way support the man. Secondarily, I don’t like everything being on that central screen. It’s a poor ergonomic design.
No. of Recommendations: 1
...but mainly I don’t want anyone to think I in any way support the man.
There are a lot of Teslas around here. I saw one with a bumper sticker (one of the few times I've ever seen a bumper sticker on a Tesla) that said "I bought it before I knew about him". If you were to buy a Tesla today, that technically wouldn't be true. But the bumper sticker might get you some understanding. :-)
I really like our ID.4. It's a little bigger than I'd like, but the ID.3 is only available in Europe. I've seen some ID.3s (in Europe), and they are perfect for our needs. But the ID.4 is great.
If Tesla has opened their network to other vehicles, I may have to look into that. Right now we have accounts with Electrify America and Chargepoint, for use when we travel.
No. of Recommendations: 7
The salute? Probably trolling. He likes trolling, obviously.
Apparently President Musk isn't pleased that his autos are now called..........Swastikars.
No. of Recommendations: 1
“I really like our ID.4. It's a little bigger than I'd like, but the ID.3 is only available in Europe. I've seen some ID.3s (in Europe), and they are perfect for our needs. But the ID.4 is great.”
I like the ID3 also. We like small hatchbacks. Redesigned Bolt was to come out this year as a 2026 model. Wonder now if it will be delayed, what with uncertainty over tax credits and other MAGA shenanigans.
No. of Recommendations: 2
The tax credits are in place now. It will take time to remove them (I don't think King Felon can get rid of them with a wave of his pen...should require Congressional action, I think). So if you buy now, you'll have locked in the credit. FWIW.
No. of Recommendations: 0
Also, if I were to buy another, and given that we like to travel to Europe, I might investigate buying an ID.3 on a trip to Europe, and then shipping it back here. I had that thought when I saw one in December while we were in Lisbon.
No. of Recommendations: 2
No. of Recommendations: 1
Sure, but the ID.3 doesn't?? I would think a German vehicle would meet (or exceed) them. European standards are generally better than ours.
I worked with a guy that actually bought a package that included a trip to the BMW factory to pick up his car (airline, hotel, the works), drive to around Europe, and then ship it to the US. All-inclusive package on a European BMW, to the best of my knowledge.
No. of Recommendations: 2
Sure, but the ID.3 doesn't?? Why would VW spend the money to do the homologation or certification to meet our vehicle standards for a car that they aren't going to sell here? They won't and they haven't.
More info at
https://www.nhtsa.gov/importing-vehicle I worked with a guy that actually bought a package that included a trip to the BMW factory to pick up his car (airline, hotel, the works), drive to around Europe, and then ship it to the US. All-inclusive package on a European BMW, to the best of my knowledge.BMW doesn't have any factories in the US. All the BMW models that are sold in the US are already imported, so BMW did go through the expense of designing for US standards for those models. No VW ID.3s are sold in the US.
No. of Recommendations: 1
I got curious. I have no plans to try to import one, but from what I've seen, you can. VW just isn't doing the ID.3 in the USA because it's smaller. It's mostly a marketing decision, apparently.
Since it is a BEV, there is no worry about emission standards. It seems the one thing that could be a problem is that you would need the speedometer and odometer changed from metric to English units. That could be expensive.
No. of Recommendations: 2
you would need the speedometer and odometer changed from metric to English units
Or you could paint a couple of red lines on the dial with nail polish. Or similar.
No. of Recommendations: 4
Or you could paint a couple of red lines on the dial with nail polish. Or similar.
If importing the vehicle, it would have to meet federal standards. Nail polish won't do that, I'm pretty sure. At least not yet. With Musk and the Felon, who knows.
