Newsom has put California in a massive Doom Loop. We have among the highest gas costs in the nation. Last summer we had blackouts and the Guv has warned us of blackouts this summer. But that has not stopped him from outlawing gas powered cars—forcing us to use EV’s, without the needed electricity. And, he is spending billions on EV chargers—though they will not have the energy to use them.
Worse, in the future, due to the shortage of electricity and the high cost of charging, charging will be rationed and limited. And, only the very rich will be able to afford it. This economic disaster is brought to us by Newsom and his Democrat buddies.
“Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend touted Tesla’s February agreement to open its superchargers nationally to Ford and Rivian (not “all electric vehicles,” as the San Francisco Chronicle and KTVU reported), dropping a video Saturday on X of himself driving a Ford Mustang Mach-E to a Tesla station.
Most EV manufacturers are transitioning from CCS to NACS charging ports, a Tesla-developed system. That sets Tesla up to play a huge role in building the 2 million chargers the California Energy Commission estimates the state needs by 2035 (California is only at 105,000 now).”
Your tax dollars, watch them being flushed down the bidet.
California doesn’t need Elon Musk (except when it does)
Tesla is losing Democrats, but other EV automakers are picking up the slack.
By ALEX NIEVES, Politico, 04/30/2024 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/30/california-elon-musk-tesla-democrats-republicans-00155111
It’s been a rough six months for Tesla, which has steadily watched its hold on the electric vehicle market erode amid declining sales. Add the Wall Street Journal’s report last week that Democrats, in particular, are abandoning the automaker in droves.
But the company’s struggles point to an emerging reality: EVs are becoming Elon Musk-proof. Democrats who not so long ago had to hold their nose and buy a Model 3 now have other options.
While Tesla sales in California fell by nearly 8 percent in the first quarter of 2024, according to registration data released Monday by the California New Car Dealers Association, overall EV sales remained steady as Audi, BMW and Rivian picked up the slack.
“I’ve heard the sentiment of, ‘I bought a Tesla before Elon acquired Twitter’ or ‘Before he became so divisive,’” said Jessica Caldwell, an auto market analyst for Edmunds. “He can definitely affect Tesla’s market, but I don’t think it will affect the EV market as a whole, except to perhaps give opportunities for other companies.”
To be sure, Tesla still makes up more than half of the EV market, in California and nationally. But its share is dropping fast. Teslas have gone from 61 percent of California EV sales in 2022 to 51 percent in 2023. Nationwide, the share is slightly higher: 65 percent in 2022 and 55 percent last year.
Another silver lining: Musk may be warming up the waters for Republicans.
A survey released earlier this month by the EV Politics Project, an effort from veteran Republican consultant Mike Murphy to combat conservative opposition to EVs, found that 61 percent of Republican voters said Musk is a good ambassador for the market.
“Republicans who are skeptical of EVs are very interested in Elon,” Murphy said. “More than almost anybody else out there he might be able to move the needle electrification in a positive direction among Republicans.”
Republicans, however, represent less than a quarter of registered EV owners in California and have been slower to embrace the technology nationally. Analysts say courting those potential buyers isn’t a winning strategy.
“Don’t make EVs political if you want them to succeed with the consumer,” Alexander Edwards, president of polling firm Strategic Visions, said in an email.
There’s a wrinkle, though: California’s EV market may be mature enough to thrive with less Tesla — but its charging network isn’t.
Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend touted Tesla’s February agreement to open its superchargers nationally to Ford and Rivian (not “all electric vehicles,” as the San Francisco Chronicle and KTVU reported), dropping a video Saturday on X of himself driving a Ford Mustang Mach-E to a Tesla station.
Most EV manufacturers are transitioning from CCS to NACS charging ports, a Tesla-developed system. That sets Tesla up to play a huge role in building the 2 million chargers the California Energy Commission estimates the state needs by 2035 (California is only at 105,000 now).
“I believe that Tesla can do very well in being a charging provider company, not just a car company,” said Gil Tal, director of UC Davis’ EV Research Center. “They are ahead of the game, they already have good technology and they can build it.
