Letters to the Editor: With the green mask off Elon Musk, should we ditch our Teslas?
To the editor: Thank you for printing John Blumenthal’s op-ed article about his embarrassment over driving a Tesla electric vehicle because of Elon Musk’s handling of Twitter. I hope Blumenthal does sell his Model 3, which is made by the Musk-run Tesla, because it represents a man who is embracing far-right ideologies and allowing neo-Nazis and their ilk back on Twitter.
Early on, I was a believer in Tesla and bought stock in the company. But after I learned that Musk’s Neuralink was experimenting on monkeys, I could no longer be involved with Tesla and sold my stock.
People should be embarrassed to drive a Tesla or be on Twitter at this point. There are plenty of other electric vehicles to buy and other social media platforms too. Neither Musk nor any of his companies is good for the environment — they’re terrible for us all.
Patty Shenker, Woodland Hills
..
To the editor: I disagree with plenty that Musk has said and done lately. But Blumenthal’s admission that he’s less comfortable driving his Tesla reminded me about what we really should be uncomfortable with: driving a gas car.
Tesla isn’t the messiah, but unlike every other major automaker, it doesn’t mass produce gasoline cars that kill. Tesla makes zero-emission vehicles only, and research has shown, time and again, that tens of thousands of people die each year from transportation air pollution.
I’m guilty too, because I own an early plug-in hybrid vehicle. Most of my driving is electric, but I still burn petroleum. I try to drive less, for all kinds of reasons, and hope and expect that my next car will be all electric or a plug-in hybrid with a longer electric range.
Until then, I’m going to continue to feel very uncomfortable with every trip to the pump. I hope those who drive solely on gas do too.
Zan Dubin-Scott, Santa Monica
The writer is co-founder of National Drive Electric Week.
..
To the editor: Here’s a simple and more eco-friendly solution to Blumenthal’s embarrassment about driving a Tesla — sell the car and buy a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric vehicle. In Southern California, hydrogen filling stations are common.
Because of the current lack of infrastructure, these cars are currently sold and supported in only California and Hawaii. This will change substantially as President Biden’s infrastructure plan is implemented.
Fuel-cell EVs generate their own electricity from hydrogen and therefore do not require special charging arrangements or time. Their range is greater than most battery-powered EVs. Their batteries are much smaller too, requiring much less lithium.
They are the car of the future but are not readily identifiable and are not hyped as much as Teslas. So far, only Japanese and South Korean manufacturers sell them, but some American manufacturers are working on it.
Dennis Lees, Encinitas
