My Cultural Commentary Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/01/opinion/elon-musk-tesla.html
Dear reader, welcome to Tricolored Tumult! This semester, as stated in this blog’s subtitle, I will be examining a variety of civic issues as they pertain to equality. I will analyze issues of public outreach, public policy and more! Without further ado, here we go:
They are sleek, stylish, and fossil fuel-free. They are produced by billionaire Elon Musk, one of the wealthiest individuals in the world. Tesla vehicles are notoriously futuristic and innovative. Complete with several autonomous driving options and even over-the-air software updates similar to those found in smartphone applications, Teslas have been hailed as the vehicle of the future.
However, in order to thrive in the future, a brand must first succeed in the present by maximizing its outreach. In other words, a brand must cater to the largest number of customers possible to heighten profits. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average income among all Americans in 2016 was $57,617.
As stated on Tesla’s website, which features a facilitated, state-of-the-art ordering system with customer-specific design options, the down payment for each Tesla vehicle is approximately $50,000, with some cheaper and more expensive options. How, one might subsequently ask, is Tesla supposed to appeal to the American middle class when the starting price of its vehicles is in the vicinity of what each American makes in an entire year?
The answer, sadly, is that they aren’t. The Tesla brand is inherently tied to Silicon Valley and wealthy technology companies. Furthermore, the worst part is that Tesla can afford to bypass the American middle class in favor of the nation’s elite, upper-class citizens who are willing to pay whatever is necessary for their advanced electric vehicles. Unfortunately, Musk himself has opted to maintain the price of Teslas at levels that many Americans – or, more aptly put, many potential Tesla customers – would deem astronomical. Affordability is thus not among Musk’s primary concerns; gaining profit, or at least breaking even, given the advanced resources needed to construct electric cars, seems to be Musk’s sole priority.
I believe that it is in Tesla’s best interest to lower its prices by any and all means necessary. If Musk is truly the inventor and the environmentalist of the future, then he must seek to reach out to those Americans who are less prone to environmental concern. The Americans of whom I speak are poorer, everyday citizens who struggle to meet ends meet on a daily basis to sustain themselves – not to mention buy electric cars to sustain their environment and those around them!
(Above) Tesla may appeal to families, but one might wonder: how wealthy must those families be?
To reiterate, I firmly believe that the banalization and popular – not just elitist – spread of electric cars is the key to both Musk’s environmental and business goals. The future is here, and yet Musk cannot escape his own, self-centered ambitions. Is it not human nature to first care for oneself? Musk must be the one to alter this trend.
As the above New York Times article states, Elon Musk is indeed a brilliant man. I do not doubt or question this. However, there is something innately disturbing to me about Tesla’s lack of concern for social equality. I live in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. only about 15 or 20 minutes – i.e., a quick metro ride – away from certain parts of the district. Over Winter Break, I drove to the French Embassy with my maternal French relatives who were visiting my family. While driving them, I began to look in my rearview mirrors or at the cars beside me for the following insignia:
While navigating the Washingtonian streets, I soon observed numerous Teslas; that is, more than I had observed prior to leaving for Penn State. It is quite important to note here that the D.C. embassy neighborhood is among the area’s wealthiest. After all, the Obamas now reside there! Once again, unfortunately, Teslas are disproportionately available to the wealthy! I have no issue whatsoever with President Obama, but he and Michelle are the definition of the upper class, for they came from the White House and their home cost multiple millions! The average American is not nearly as rich as the Obamas.
Philanthropy only goes so far. This is not the Industrial Revolution or the time of Andrew Carnegie; indeed, this is – or, more appropriately, could be – a new era of renewal featuring more environmentally sustainable forms of transportation.
I fully understand that electric cars are currently in short supply and resources are scarce – and therefore, expensive. However, if this is truly to be a time of human improvement and evolution, then Elon Musk must do whatever is necessary to render Tesla available to the general public. The American middle class would likely be more than willing to make a change if only it were presented with the opportunity to do so.
Ultimately, I sincerely hope that in the near future, I will be able to pull up to a stoplight here in State College, Pennsylvania, in the hills of Penn State, and see a Tesla roll up next to me; just an everyday citizen with an everyday electric car and a newly-banalized mindset of sustainability for all.
Image Credit:
https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/vehicle/part/tesla-logo-f2c856dc-836b-4143-82ab-e07964e7a959
*Word Count: 874
I completely agree with your idea that Teslas are too expensive for the middle class consumer. However, I don’t really know if I could indict Elon Musk on this front. The goal of a corporation is to make money, and if he’s found his price point with Tesla, his job is not to make cars widely available. If he really cared about social equality, he’d be giving his cars away (and I mean very literally), but that’s not his role as CEO or founder. I hate the fact that many vehicles, especially environmentally friendly models, are prohibitively expensive and that billionaires are so selfish, unwilling to aid the poor or even pay their taxes, but I don’t think Musk’s role as an entrepreneur is to give cars away. That’s not his fault, but more the fault of the corporate system. If we wish to uplift economically or environmentally, corporations in generally must become more forgiving and more charitable.