What the hell happened to Elon Musk?

Sharing is SO MUCH APPRECIATED!

By David Suzuki

Elon Musk once seemed like one of the good guys. In a 2015 talk at the Sorbonne in France just before the Paris COP21 climate summit, he clearly explained the global heating crisis and the need to “fight the propaganda of the carbon industry.” As head of the innovative electric vehicle company Tesla he seemed to want to do good in the world. Now, he’s become so toxic to so many people that even his electric car business is crashing.

The U.S. president who has long railed against electric cars and other modern innovations was recently on the While House lawn shilling for Musk’s expensive electric trucks and cars, hoping to attract buyers who have been duped into believing that electric cars are for “radical left lunatics.”

Electric vehicles won’t solve the climate crisis on their own, and encouraging widespread private vehicle ownership is bad for the environment, whether the cars and trucks are powered by gas or electricity. But as long as people are using personal vehicles, electric is far better.

The same technologies can also be used to power public transit and car share and ride services. Offering better, cleaner mass transportation and other travel modes will reduce private car use, greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

It’s difficult to say now whether Musk’s moves will hurt or help overall electric vehicle sales. He certainly hasn’t done his own company any favours. But many of his competitors are doing well, even without presidential endorsements.

Those who know the many benefits of electric vehicles — less maintenance, lower “fuel” costs, reduced air and noise pollution, greater efficiency — are not likely to avoid buying an e-vehicle; they just might not choose a Tesla. And maybe a few MAGA supporters will heed the president’s pitch and change their minds about e-vehicles.

Overall electric vehicle sales are doing well for now, especially in China, where lower-priced cars are available, but also in North America and Europe, where sales are increasing steadily. Tesla’s sales have gone down, as people react to the power Musk has been wielding over the U.S. president and administration, getting his minions to slash thousands of jobs in essential areas, only to have courts order them reinstated.

It’s a shame, because the company has been a leader in electric vehicles and could have spurred even more innovation, especially in areas of public transportation. I suppose there’s a chance it could still turn things around.

What’s critical is that the electric vehicle transition continues. Again, private automobiles for all — with congested streets and enormous resources poured into roads and parking infrastructure — aren’t the answer no matter how they’re powered. But electric vehicles are better, and technology and charging infrastructure are improving.

Ultimately, we need to get away from car culture. The idea that we need tonnes of computerized metal and plastic to move one or two people, whether we’re using gas or electricity, is absurd. Using far fewer resources, we could develop extensive clean-powered public transport systems, better ride hailing and car and bike share programs and extensive train and bus service between cities — along with the infrastructure to support it all. We could turn road and parking spaces into bike and walking paths and parks and gardens.

Those who need vehicles for work or public services would benefit from less congested roads and cheaper maintenance and operating costs with electric options.

I’m not sure what’s got into Elon Musk, but at one time he seemed to have some great ideas. Investing in an innovative company selling electric vehicles was one of them. His commitment to science and evidence were also solid.

Surely he can see that being on the side of sanity and solutions when it comes to the climate emergency is a more fulfilling place to be than on the side of those who want to tear away at progress and fuel the crisis even more — to “drill, baby, drill.” Surely he understands that electric vehicle technology is an important part of the solution and that he could be seen as a leader, as someone who used his wealth and power to help create a better world. But he’s chosen a chaotic, destructive path.

Let’s hope he doesn’t get in the way of the positive progress he’s helped make happen.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington.

Learn more at davidsuzuki.org.

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2015 talk at the Sorbonne: