No Longer Wish to Use Tesla Supercharger Network

[md2023]

So....I've never been to a BP station (okay, one time) since Deepwater Horizon either. So I do take some actions like that on principle.

But in this case VW (funding Rivian) has a much more muddied history than Tesla, and it's not even close. So does that imply avoiding VW, Audi, Porsche as well as Electrify America/Canada?

I guess we each choose our own battles, but Rivian doesn't exist without Tesla paving a way with EV's and a charging network. I don't follow the antics of the CEO's of Proctor & Gamble, Pfizer, GM, Ford or any other company. BTW, if you don't think these companies, much like big tobacco or big oil, aren't spending tens of millions of dollars a year on lobbying that you don't see beyond the glitzy ad buys that you do see you're just not looking. Media sensationalization is quite clearly negatively directed at Musk/Tesla because it drives rage clicks which in turn add up to page views which drive ad revenue. That sounds like a pretty dirty business model, so time to shut off all mainstream media as well?

Where does one draw a line, in all seriousness?

Good points. As you say most people, including you, take some actions. And many, if not all large corporations are involved in questionable activities/donations/bribes/labor practices etc. Investigating all would be extremely time-consuming, tedious, unreasonable, and well, depressing. So how and where to draw the line is a good and serious question. In my opinion it is put to each individual and I only speak for myself.
The media certainly drives some of the outrage for profit/power-based reasons (and it certainly isn't only directed at Musk/Tesla - see the largest, most watched news channel/outlet in the US).
However, much better information is readily available. Direct, unadulterated video, quotes, actions, etc.
Others can provide a litany of examples and they are not hard to find, but they include thinly veiled (and sometimes overt) support for antisemitism, neo nazi sympathizers, racism/white supremacy, and the wholesale denigration of groups of people (see civil servants, many of whom are working very hard and successfully for the betterment of others at a salary below what they could get because they believe in the goodness of humanity and our government -yes it does many good things, and it can continue to strive toward better equality of opportunity, while still not being perfect). This is partly where I draw the line (and only to an extent).
This is not to say that other people in the world, regardless of political, religious,etc. persuasion do not do and express horrible things. But importantly, Mr Musk is no longer only a CEO/director of private organizations, but an active member(?) of the US government. Many of us see him (and this administration) as a danger to the laws and NORMS of a government/country, with all its shortcomings and mistakes, that strives to have a positive impact on its citizens and the world. A world in which many truly horrific things happen.
Anyway, my two cents on why and where I draw the line. If the CEO of a corporation that I supported went out of his way to actively support and impact what Mr Musk has, I would not support them either. Where is the line? We have to each choose our own.
Sorry for length and personal views on an awesome site with lots of helpful information and posters, but you made a good point and asked a serious question relative to a serious topic with personal implications.
or maybe . I don't know.

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[md2023]

Why is the answer always "tax more", not "spend less"?

I don't think that is always the answer. I believe tax cuts are not uncommon in our history. I think both "tax more" and "spend less" would be great.

 

[mtberman]

I am a car guy since I was a small child. I saw Tesla for a fraud in the early 2000s and for 20+ years I’ve told anyone who would listen that Tesla is a company you shouldn’t do business with if you care about good cars and integrity. No one cared back then, but it’s on many people’s radar now. Those wanting to learn more about how bad Tesla is as a corporation can start with how they aggressively sue accident victims in China.

https://apnews.com/article/tesla-china-musk-investigation-takeaways-422af6d3c6e7cc88173d12891e8c0a9a

No other company has done anything like this in generations. Spare us the comparisons to things other companies (like Mitsubishi and VW) did nearly 100 years ago. That’s BS, a false equivalency.

 

[hammick]

I am a car guy since I was a small child. I saw Tesla for a fraud in the early 2000s and for 20+ years I’ve told anyone who would listen that Tesla is a company you shouldn’t do business with if you care about good cars and integrity. No one cared back then, but it’s on many people’s radar now. Those wanting to learn more about how bad Tesla is as a corporation can start with how they aggressively sue accident victims in China.

https://apnews.com/article/tesla-china-musk-investigation-takeaways-422af6d3c6e7cc88173d12891e8c0a9a

No other company has done anything like this in generations. Spare us the comparisons to things other companies (like Mitsubishi and VW) did nearly 100 years ago. That’s BS, a false equivalency.

Very interesting article. I noticed when we bought our '21 MY (sold in it in '22) that the Tesla fanboys acted like cult members similar to the maga crazies. Elmo can do no wrong with them. They like to start with "as a Tesla shareholder". Complete dipshits.

 

[runwithscissors]

I am a car guy since I was a small child. I saw Tesla for a fraud in the early 2000s and for 20+ years I’ve told anyone who would listen that Tesla is a company you shouldn’t do business with if you care about good cars and integrity. No one cared back then, but it’s on many people’s radar now. Those wanting to learn more about how bad Tesla is as a corporation can start with how they aggressively sue accident victims in China.

https://apnews.com/article/tesla-china-musk-investigation-takeaways-422af6d3c6e7cc88173d12891e8c0a9a

No other company has done anything like this in generations. Spare us the comparisons to things other companies (like Mitsubishi and VW) did nearly 100 years ago. That’s BS, a false equivalency.

Who cares about the CCP? I'd support Tesla anyday over what the CCP stands for with modern day slavery and their belt and road initiative exploiting poor countries just to name a few. Not to mention them building the worlds largest navy to take on who? The US. I'm glad we're willing to tariff them into oblivion.

 

[jeeden]

I wish there was a "I don't want to use the Supercharger network, but I don't have a choice sometimes. I will always go to RAN or a competitor first." option

 

[SASSquatch]

From Krugman's post this morning:
"Well, as one commenter pointed out, the thing about 150-year-old Social Security beneficiaries may be another comical error. Apparently in COBOL — obsolete in the business world but still used in government — a missing date of birth is registered as 1875. Commenters on X and Threads say the same. So the only “fraud” here is the pretense that Musk’s child programmers have any idea what they’re doing."

And BTW there is an easy fix to make Social Security solvent for many many years to come. All we need to do is remove the cap on taxable earnings which is currently at about 176K.

Or we start closing tax loopholes that allow billionaires like Musk to pay almost nothing in taxes while most americans whose primary income comes from wages are paying their fare share.

 

[hammick]

3400 forest service workers were fired today by the nazi duo. The poachers are going to have a hay day and the fires are going to get even more intense.

 

[SASSquatch]

3400 forest service workers were fired today by the nazi duo. The poachers are going to have a hay day and the fires are going to get even more intense.

The Cheeto is too dumb to be a nazi. He couldn't even come up with his own slogan.

 

[Zoidz]

3400 forest service workers were fired today by the nazi duo. The poachers are going to have a hay day and the fires are going to get even more intense.

Just to put some reported details to what/who is affected:

Public safety employees at USFS are exempt from the firing. While firefighter jobs appear to be unaffected, other roles that support wildfire prevention are being cut. Employees who work on road and trail maintenance, timber production and watershed restoration are also impacted.

The cuts would reduce the agency’s workforce — a total of 35,000 employees — by about 10 percent, potentially making it harder for the federal government to address increasingly intense wildfires and manage millions of acres of federal forests and grasslands. Forest Service employees in probationary periods are more likely to be the ones doing field work, such as moving timber sales and helping to mitigate wildfires, than their more senior counterparts.

 

[SwampNut]

The Cheeto is too dumb to be a nazi.

Exactly.

 

[JeromePowell]

I wish there was a "I don't want to use the Supercharger network, but I don't have a choice sometimes. I will always go to RAN or a competitor first." option

Wish granted

 

[SANZC02]

From Krugman's post this morning:
"Well, as one commenter pointed out, the thing about 150-year-old Social Security beneficiaries may be another comical error. Apparently in COBOL — obsolete in the business world but still used in government — a missing date of birth is registered as 1875. Commenters on X and Threads say the same. So the only “fraud” here is the pretense that Musk’s child programmers have any idea what they’re doing."

And BTW there is an easy fix to make Social Security solvent for many many years to come. All we need to do is remove the cap on taxable earnings which is currently at about 176K.

Curious if they are still using a DMS database as well, not as easy to dig through if not familiar with the chains.

 

[LuvMyR1T]

I generally avoid Tesla Superchargers when there is a reasonable alternative for two reasons:

1. I don't like to take up two stalls due to the charging port location on Rivians, compared to Tesla vehicles. It makes me feel like an asshole. If the Supercharger location is empty or almost empty, then I will use it, since taking up two stalls is no big deal in that case.

2. I believe that competition is a good thing in the high-speed DC charging space, so I like to encourage businesses other than Tesla that are rolling out their own network/charging locations by giving them some of my money.

 

[Cascadian]

I’m not going to screw myself over by boycotting Tesla chargers in all scenarios, but yesterday I decided to continue to my destination without a DCFC top up at Tesla. A month ago I made the opposite decision.
The reason is I do not approve of how Trump and DOGE are acting. I believe they are acting unconstitutionally.

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