The Sarah Palin Tesla ‘loser’ slam is unfair Elon Musk’s electric car.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr , the Sarah Palin Tesla comment called the electric car company a “loser,” which angered Elon Musk to the point that he responded.
This situation recalls the fact that Obama’s $90 billion in alternative energy projects are failing , with 96 percent of the green jobs created being lost. Cronyism was also suspected because Al Gore, an investor in 14 green technology companies, benefited from $2.5 billion in government money. Steve Westly, who raised $437,000 for Obama’s first presidential campaign and created electric car maker Tesla Motors, also received $465,000.
This is the Sarah Palin Tesla “loser” comment:
“Once again, the American public lost when the Obama administration attempted to pick ‘winners and losers’ in the free market. This losing tax-subsidized [Fisker] venture joins other past losers like the Obama-subsidized Volt that gets 40 miles per battery charge, or like the Obama-subsidized Tesla that turns into a ‘brick’ when the battery completely discharges and then costs $40,000 to repair. … As we’ve seen time and time again, We the People are always stuck subsidizing the left’s ‘losers.’ ”
First off, Elon Musk has already pointed out that the Tesla Model S “bricking” issues are covered under warranty and customers will not be paying that $40,000. The reason it’s so expensive is because of the battery technology, which is acknowledged as the best available now. The Tesla uses Li-ion batteries and stores 56 kWh of electric energy and delivers up to 215 kW of electric power. Lithium ion batteries can cost $500 to $550 per kilowatt hour. That’s about $30,000 alone in batteries, so I’m assuming the remaining $10k is for other costs and labor.
Calling the Fisker Karma a “loser” is probably a fair comment, but not so for Tesla. Fisker is on the verge of bankruptcy after receiving $200 million fro the government, while Tesla is exceeding sales targets and says it made its first profit in the first quarter of 2013. Fisker’s bankrupt battery maker, A123 System, used $129 million of its $249 million federal grant before biting the dust, and contributed greatly to Fisker’s woes.
The Sarah Palin Tesla comment is especially unfair to lump the two companies together since the $465 million low interest government loan to Tesla is now being repaid. Tesla expects to reimburse taxpayers in 2017, five years ahead of schedule. After all, Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in 2012 was the Tesla Model S.
Tesla is also a R&D company, and innovations in battery technology will continue to yield profit. Most experts agree Tesla will continue continue to profit now that it’s leasing its technologies to most major manufacturers.
Elon Musk is also associated with the SpaceX company, which has yielded new systems that can transport goods to the International Space Station. Lastly, Tesla is a US company that employs Americans, whereas many other green companies receiving government money are not even US based.
Do you agree the Sarah Palin Tesla “loser” comment is being unfair to Elon Musk’s electric car company?