(January 26, 2019 at 11:49 pm)Shell B Wrote: I like Tesla, and can afford it if I'm smart with my money. Might as well have what I want if I'm going to work hard for it. Believe me, I'd load up on muscle cars too, but I am trying to be environmentally-conscious.
Everyone gets mad at me for this, but I feel that I have to say it. Buying a Tesla is not enviromentally-conscious. It is virtue signaling. It's a highly visible and expensive status symbol that creates the appearance of caring about the environment. About half of a car's carbon footprint is created in manufacturing it, so fuel consumption is only part of the problem with a car's carbon footprint. The Tesla, along with all other EVs, depreciates much faster than other cars. About twice as fast. So if half the carbon footprint is from manufacturing, and the car depreciates twice as fast, then there is no carbon reduction. Then add in the source of electricity that fuels the EV. Then you have a larger carbon footprint.
Right now, EVs are not exactly green. The EV is currently less green than fuel efficient sub compact cars, and the Toyota Yaris owner is greener than the Tesla owner. I'm not against EVs. I think that R&D needs to be done on them, and the current market for them is about right for real world field testing of them. EVs are certainly a big part of a greener future, but the battery tech isn't here yet.
We do not inherit the world from our parents. We borrow it from our children.
