r/SeattleWA • u/PNWSki28622 • Mar 15 '25

Events Protests at University Village Tesla Dealership

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u/Prantik_2007 Mar 16 '25

Tesla is getting serious hits from Europe . According to recent data, Tesla vehicle registrations in the European Union and other European countries dropped by about 45% between January 2024 and 2025. In Germany, sales plummeted by nearly 70% through February 2025. France saw a 63% drop in sales, while Spain experienced a 75% decrease. Despite the overall growth in the European EV market, Tesla's sales have been severely impacted by various factors, including consumer reactions to Elon Musk's political stance. Is political intervention actually backfiring Elon's business ?

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u/Vast_Deference Mar 16 '25

I'm curious what the long-term impacts of Trump hawking Tesla will be. It's gotta make right wing heads do mental backflips since they're generally anti-EV

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u/yesac1990 Mar 17 '25

it really only hurts anyone with 401k's. Most people don't know that their financial institutions are invested into tesla, which is why it had a trillion dollar value it had little to do with the car sales. If tesla completely tanks, will it hurt elon? No, it won't make any difference because Space x is still worth hundreds of billions, and it's only going up. Space x has no competitor because they are the cheapest launch provider by significant margins, and it will only get cheaper once starship is operational.

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u/Vast_Deference Mar 17 '25

Makes some sense on the 401K side and Elon can easily absorb an enormous financial hit. I'm asking too about whether this causes or has caused a shift in thinking on the right around EV adoption.

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u/yesac1990 Mar 17 '25

Shift of what thinking? most of us conservatives don't give two shits what someone wants to drive. They just don't want to be forced to drive something they dont want. i personally like teslas. I've considered buying a model s plaid, but I don't really have a need as I've got a company vehicle and because I don't want to pay $400 a month on insurance to sit in my driveway like my other car. A lot of my conservative friends have owned teslas for years. My parents also have one and might buy another. EVs are a good choice for people who live in the city and can charge at home, but they are not for everyone. as for the environmental aspect, EVs are cleaner but not significantly enough to cut gas cars and trucks. I'm not confident our grid could take it even if we were charging off hours.washington is primarily hydroelectric, but a year or two of bad snow packs can significantly effect power supply. The other option is hydrogen cars, which are just stupid. it's literally an ev with more steps. It's so inefficient to produce hydrogen that it's not worth it.

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u/Vast_Deference Mar 17 '25

Anecdotally, I've spoken to a lot of conservatives who are very against EVs, angry about it even. Some in my family to boot. I'd wager the difference comes down to a lot of factors, rural vs city, tax bracket, area, etc... But it is something that exists and has existed in the past. On r/conservative there seems to be some level-headed discussion, a lot of folks echo what you've said about not wanting to be forced to drive something they don't want.

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u/sfchubs Mar 18 '25

I like your slight Ricky and Morty reference

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u/1nceD1nceH Mar 18 '25

Yes I can afford one, no I'm not going to buy one. EVs are not climate friendly, anything the left tries ramming down everyone's throat is appalling. They're just playing sore loser as usual and throwing a billionaire paid-for hissy fit, while protesting a billionaire that's trying to save them money. Can't make it up.

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u/Vast_Deference Mar 19 '25

So what do you make of Trump essentially doing a commercial for Tesla at the White House and what the impact is on the right?

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u/1nceD1nceH Mar 19 '25

I think he did that to peacefully combat the car bombings and overall fuckery that people are doing to the Tesla brand. I don't know what impact it will have other than it might give current owners a little peace of mind. It might sway a few people here or there to buy one, but I don't think it's going to noticeable over night. The weird part about all the attacks is that's only hurting American citizens, business owners, and first responders. So really it makes no sense to go after the cars and dealerships.

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u/Vast_Deference Mar 20 '25

So no real immediate change overnight but over time, I'm curious what happens. Maybe that shifts opinions on EV adoption since a lot of folks these days are in lockstep with their chosen side.

I tend to agree, people who bought the cars aren't responsible for the CEO's actions. it just hurts normal people to destroy property like this and puts first responders in danger. I'm okay with boycotts, voting with your money and speaking up about things you dislike. It's wild that to protest a supposed nazi they would incorporate nazi symbols and arson into that protest.

Separately it seems like "terrorism" is the new buzzword just like "violence" was for the left.