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Teslas don't benefit the environment. For every Tesla sold, they are given pollution credits which they sell to other auto manufacturers to let them pollute mo
by new_realist 6y ago
Teslas don't benefit the environment. For every Tesla sold, they are given pollution credits which they sell to other auto manufacturers to let them pollute more. So, there's no climate advantage to buying Tesla vs. some other car. And given their profligate spending (which generates a lot of carbon) and inefficiencies of manufacturing (headcount/car ratio much higher than the industry average) there may even be a climate disadvantage.
- omarshal 6y agoBut these companies don't want to pay Tesla for the credits, so if anything good came from it, is that Tesla pushed the rest of the companies to accelerate EV production. For instance, I don't think VW would come with the ID family in 2020 if Tesla didn't exist. Eventually, with such a competitive market it would happen, but I think Tesla accelerated the thing at least a couple of years in advance.
- s_gourichon 6y agoIf manufacturing+using a Tesla (on average on all lifespan) is indeed greener, and price per pollution credit is well balanced, then the credit machinery economically nudges the equilibrium towards greener overall. That's the theory behind freely exchangeable pollution credit.