# Drive a Tesla, get Sieg Heils? Apparently it ain’t easy being green any more **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 11, 2025, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416 "2025-03-11T03:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/81 "2025-03-11T16:28:12Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > There’s a lot of truth to that. Not much. Most of my father’s generation could afford one at some point. It was a very sincere belief. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/82 "2025-03-11T16:28:25Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > “I can’t afford a Tesla but I don’t like Elon Musk and want to virtue signal about it” wouldn’t fit on the sticker? Oh come on. It’s a funny meta joke. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/83 "2025-03-11T16:28:51Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > What gives you that impression? The people I know who were buying and driving them. No they were not saving gas money. They wouldn’t be caught dead in a Leaf or a Bolt. Not status enough. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/84 "2025-03-11T16:30:16Z")
Personally, I find it a bit silly. I get the sentiment, but Teslas are good cars (not you Cybertruck, sit down), despite the current antics of their Dear Leader. Not many people placed a stigma on buying Fords, VWs, Mercedes, Hugo Boss, etc. despite the fascist sympathies of their owners / founders. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/85 "2025-03-11T16:37:09Z")
> [@Ellecram](#): > > So I looked at some images online and will practice recognizing the brand on my drive to Gettysburg this week I’m curious for what purpose exactly? So you can look disapprovingly at their drivers as you drive by? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/86 "2025-03-11T16:37:59Z")
I can’t see boycotting VWs because of what happened in the 1940s. I certainly can because of the emissions scandal. > **[Volkswagen emissions scandal](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_emissions_scandal)** > > The Volkswagen emissions scandal, sometimes known as Dieselgate or Emissionsgate, began in September 2015, when the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to German automaker Volkswagen Group. The agency had found that Volkswagen had intentionally programmed turbocharged direct injection (TDI) diesel engines to activate their emissions controls only during laboratory emissions testing, which caused the vehicles' NO In 2013, the Int... ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/87 "2025-03-11T16:39:53Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > So you can look disapprovingly at their drivers as you drive by? Considering that a couple weeks ago I passed a number of Teslas that refused to alter anything about how they were driven on two lane highways with the occasional third lane for passing, yes. Complete inattention to anyone around them and constantly clogging up the passing lane so they didn’t have to change speed at all. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/88 "2025-03-11T16:41:33Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > > [@Ellecram](#): > > > > looked at some images online and will practice recognizing the brand on my drive to Gettysburg this week > > I’m curious for what purpose exactly? So you can look disapprovingly at their drivers as you drive by? Because she’s curious how many of them there are out there. I’m not good at recognizing car brands either. I’m not sure if it’s an extension of my face blindness or that I’ve never been a car guy. Once I bought my Tesla was when I started noticing them and realized how crazy common they are in my area. Going into 2024, they were no more a status thing than an Accord. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/89 "2025-03-11T16:42:20Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Considering that a couple weeks ago I passed a number of Teslas that refused to alter anything about how they were driven on two lane highways with the occasional third lane for passing, yes. Complete inattention to anyone around them and constantly clogging up the passing lane so they didn’t have to change speed at all. But you would presumably do that no matter what brand of car they were driving. Your annoyance had nothing to do with their car being a Tesla per se. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/90 "2025-03-11T16:43:27Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > > [@Ellecram](#): > > > > So I looked at some images online and will practice recognizing the brand on my drive to Gettysburg this week > > I’m curious for what purpose exactly? So you can look disapprovingly at their drivers as you drive by? A bit presumptive of you. But I will answer. As a child I used to ride my bike through town and after awhile I could identify all of the cars on the roads at the time. I tried to keep up with this throughout my life but cars started to look homogeneous. So I gave up for the most part. I recently started to practice this again and have been able to pick out Subarus and Hondas. I thought I would branch out and see how many different cars I can ID these days as I drive on sometimes long and boring road trips. Nothing toxic at all. I also looked up Rivians because I had never heard of them. Maybe I will get to see one on the road tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/91 "2025-03-11T16:45:30Z")
One thing that the Tesla FSD does poorly is get out of the passing lane when there is a car coming up from behind. I’m always very mindful of that and get the hell out of the way. I read that only around 15% of Teslas use that feature so that may not be the whole issue. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/92 "2025-03-11T16:46:17Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > The people I know who have Teslas got them because they did the math and figured out it would pay for itself by saving gas money. How much driving is needed to save $60,000+ of gasoline over the price of electricity? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/93 "2025-03-11T16:48:17Z")
You can get a new Tesla for around $38k. Presumably they were getting a new car anyway for around the same price tag and that was one of the factors that made them choose the EV ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/94 "2025-03-11T16:48:50Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > Personally, I find it a bit silly. I get the sentiment, but Teslas are good cars (not you Cybertruck, sit down), despite the current antics of their Dear Leader. Not many people placed a stigma on buying Fords, VWs, Mercedes, Hugo Boss, etc. despite the fascist sympathies of their owners / founders. The VW Beetle was straight up Hitler’s brainchild. Even the Cybertruck is better than _that_! ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/95 "2025-03-11T16:52:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > How much driving is needed to save $60,000+ of gasoline over the price of electricity? Over the lifetime of the car? A completely reasonable number of miles. That said: > [@hajario](#): > > You can get a new Tesla for under $40k. Presumably they were getting a new car anyway for around the same price tag and that was one of the factors that made them choose the EV Precisely, the Tesla doesn’t need to pay for the full sticker price, it just needs to pay for the upcharge over a comparable car. (For the Tesla owners I know, it was a considerable upcharge, because they hadn’t had either a new off the lot car or anything that could be described as a Luxury brand in decades. So it was Tesla, vs a 4 year old used economy car. But they do enough driving that it was worthwhile). ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/96 "2025-03-11T16:53:29Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > > [@Dorjan](#): > > > > Personally, I find it a bit silly. I get the sentiment, but Teslas are good cars (not you Cybertruck, sit down), despite the current antics of their Dear Leader. Not many people placed a stigma on buying Fords, VWs, Mercedes, Hugo Boss, etc. despite the fascist sympathies of their owners / founders. > > The VW Beetle was straight up Hitler’s brainchild. Even the Cybertruck is better than _that_! The Germans also invented the separated grade intersection (AKA “cloverleafs”) for the autobahn, which pretty much defines our freeways and interstates. Maybe we should boycott those, too! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/97 "2025-03-11T16:58:02Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Over the lifetime of the car? A completely reasonable number of miles. That said: Also if you have solar and do the bulk of your charging at home it’s like having free gasoline for life which really changes the numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/98 "2025-03-11T17:12:10Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > “I can’t afford a Tesla but I don’t like Elon Musk and want to virtue signal about it” wouldn’t fit on the sticker? It’s more likely someone just thought it was a funny joke. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/99 "2025-03-11T17:12:22Z")
That’s what tilted the numbers for us, back when we still had our Tesla. We could use our excess solar capacity more productively by putting it in the battery vs selling it back to the power company. Still, I’m not sure it pencilled out completely on the energy economics alone. But the minimal-to-no-service costs, the benefit of not going to a gas station once or twice a week, the value to us of reducing our emissions, and simply having a nice quiet car to drive made the deal make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/100 "2025-03-11T17:13:48Z")
The idea the anyone bought a Tesla primarily for the economy is a new one on me. Not saying no one has ever made that decision (or SAID that was their reason!). Just that I never heard it, and always thought they were priced at a level that would be somewhat above “economy” level. Always suspected for many if not most, there was at least some element of luxury/novelty signaling involved. Similar to a BMW or Mercedes. I’m sure something like a Camry or Accord is the most common car around here, but there sure are A LOT of Teslas. I’m a little surprised that anyone who pays any attention to cars would not think them pretty easy to recognize. Tho I know nothing about the different models, the Tesla snout is pretty distinctive. (And that one model had the ugliest wheels ever put on a car! ;)) Serious, nonjudgmental question - what is your math as to the environmental “cost” of producing the batteries? How long are they expected to last? What is the dollar/environmental cost of replacing/disposing of them? (Sorry if this is hijacking.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416.md?page=6)