Having a sociology background, I have to say that the whole Tesla short seller drama is fascinating. In the year 2019, that includes flamewars on social media, paid trolls & misleading message makers, ties to mainstream media, fanboys & fangirls fighting back, and even a legal battle between the SEC and Twitter-loving CEO Elon Musk. Oh yeah, and billions of dollars on the line.
As time goes on, some things become clear, and some urban legends grow in scope and popularity. I’ve found it pretty interesting to go back in time and compare Tesla critics’ forecasts and predictions to what actually happened. But I realized I’ve never done a really short and simple summary of that history. There’s surely more that could be added, but here’s my summary of Tesla critics’ claims over the years:
Some things cannot be explained by numbers. The Tesla Model 3 driving experience is phenomenally better than the driving experience of nearly every other car on the market. That is not hyperbole. Race car drivers have said it, top auto journalists have said it, and hundreds of thousands of other people have said it. You just have to experience the Model 3 to understand it.
As I wrote the other day, the Tesla Model 3 was the #1 best selling car in California in the second half of 2018, and the 4th best selling car for the whole year despite the slow start to the year. If you somehow missed that long article and all the related charts and stats, I highly recommend checking it out.
The most popular CleanTechnica stories of the past week included a gem on the entire auto industry’s Osborne effect, and electric bike … or scooter … or moped named SURU, diesel-crushing solar power in Alaska, and a bazillion Tesla stories (or something like that).
I’m renting a gas car for a few days. I won’t bother naming it, but it’s one of the 10 top selling cars in the USA. O–M–G, I cannot wait to get out of this car!
Driving a Tesla, a BMW i3, a Nissan LEAF, a Chevy Bolt EV, or probably any other electric car for a while, my understanding is that the feelings people have when driving a gas or diesel car again are similar to mine below. Even knowing that, and even experiencing it years before, you can’t avoid the visceral shock of this experience.
Some of the most interesting shifts in our lives come through odd luck — or fate if your brain works how mine does. Believe it or not, I didn’t plan to land in the career of “blogger” when I went to college in the year 2000.
One of the lessons you can learn in just about any arena of life is that having a simple, specific, clear focus is how you accomplish big things. You have to cut out distractions and keep your focus on that one target, on the most simplified mission.
The $35,000 Tesla Model 3 is here. Finally! The car may have been delayed, but it’s as groundbreaking as it would have been a year or two ago, and it’s well ahead of any comparable vehicles from other automakers. I’ll get to detailed comparisons in another article, but the Model 3 is basically quicker, safer, has higher tech, and is cooler than anything even $10,000–20,000 near it in price.
It’s honestly astounding. Take just about anything that was at the top of the ideological list for Republicans 5–10 years ago, and it is now trampled on by the Republican president and Congresspeople.
