Readers had a lot to say about Micheline Maynard’s piece “Americans need Tesla to succeed. That means Musk has to go.” published in the Sunday Ideas section on May 4. Below is a selection of letters to the editor and reader comments. All are edited for length and clarity.
Micheline Maynard wrote about the urgency of Tesla’s success (“Americans need Tesla to succeed. That means Musk has to go.” Ideas, May 4). Why so? The electric vehicles Tesla offers are profitable in part because of extensive federal subsidies and Tesla’s slowness in fixing safety shortcomings that have already killed people.
Investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of those defects were crippled by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and its firing of responsible engineers. Add to all that the Biden-era rules effectively barring the import of all Chinese cars and trucks to the US market, and the recent Trump tariffs on Chinese vehicles — vehicles that are sold in the rest of the world for much less than the cost of Teslas. These are all measures that protect Tesla’s profits — not jobs nor the public’s safety nor their wallets.
Again, why is Tesla’s success an essential national priority subsidized by me, you, and everyone else in the country? Let Tesla sink or swim on its merits, not on access to the Oval Office. We should instead open up the electric vehicle market to domestic and foreign competitors with safer and less expensive cars.
Fred Perkins
Becket
Tesla isn’t the best choice for electric vehicles. Their self-driving capabilities have been dishonestly advertised. All car manufacturers are poor custodians of customer data, including location data and how you drive, but Tesla has been the worst. Tesla has very much led the charge when it comes to eliminating physical controls and putting things on a touchscreen, which is less safe for drivers. Even ignoring Musk, I would look at alternatives first. I’ve driven some Hyundai Ioniqs as rental cars and they are pretty nice. There are other options, too. So I don’t know that I agree with this framing that Tesla is too important. (jh.dale)
Let them fail. This administration has erased climate change from existence. Who needs electric cars anymore? I heard Ford is making a coal-powered car. (NorthHollywood)
It’s too late for Tesla. Nothing will right the ship at this point. Even if Musk leaves, people won’t forget the damage he’s done and the way he has treated people. The DOGE cuts have resulted in people dying in Africa from AIDS and starving to death. He is not a person I want to buy a car from and people will always associate Tesla with this villain. Even if he leaves Tesla. (Wait...What?)