Elon Musk wants to sell Tesla cars to conservatives, but if that’s the strategy, the automaker should start with having stores and service centers in red states and rural areas.
It’s no secret that Elon Musk’s approval ratings with progressives have been plummeting over the last few years and even more so in the previous few months.
Since he has control over Tesla and he is the only official spokesperson since he let go of the PR department in 2020, the CEO is dragging the automaker along for the ride.
This is a problem for Tesla as Democrats are much more likely to buy electric vehicles than Republicans:
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Tesla’s sales have been crumbling over the last few months, and after the stock crashed 15% last Monday, President Trump held a controversial commercial for Tesla with Musk on the steps of the White House on Tuesday.
It could be that people see through Musk and Trump’s quid pro quo and, therefore, don’t value Trump’s “Tessler” endorsement seriously. Still, there’s also a more practical reason why Trump’s fans and conservatives generally don’t buy more Tesla vehicles: the locations of Tesla’s stores and service centers (hat tip to Ben).
Even if some Trump fans were interested in buying a Tesla after the White House commercial last week, they might have been turned off by the idea of having to drive several hours to a store or service center.
Tesla does not have stores or service centers in Alabama, Arkansas, North and South Dakota, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, or Wyoming.
In some cases, it’s not entirely Tesla’s fault, as some of these states have laws against Tesla’s direct sale models. They force automakers to go through third-party franchise dealerships. This is an abuse of old state laws aimed at protecting dealers against unfair competition from the automakers they represent.
Car dealer lobbies use their influence on state legislatures to use these laws to block Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, and other automakers who never had franchise dealerships from operating their own stores and service centers.
But on top of not having locations in several red states, Tesla also primarily has locations in urban areas, whereas conservatives disproportionally live in rural areas.
The automaker has several dead zones and doesn’t operate locations in smaller cities and towns where there are several Ford, GM, Toyota, and other car dealers:
While it certainly does happen, it’s hard to convince someone to buy a car if they have to drive several hours to pick it up and have it serviced.
Electrek’s Take
In short, it’s not only harder to convince conservatives, on average, to buy an electric vehicle, but Tesla is also not correctly set up to sell and service cars in conservative regions of the US.
Though, I think that’s a small part of the problem.
Cars are not supposed to be political.
Even if Tesla successfully converted a significant percentage of conservatives to electric vehicles, it wouldn’t stop the company’s brand destruction.
Tesla’s reputation amongst Democrats and independents has sharply decreased over the last few years, and especially over the last few months, and that’s thanks to Elon Musk alienating them.
It’s tough to be a successful consumer product company when you have alienated 50% or so of your market.
Tesla is basically becoming the MyPillow of Trump’s second term.
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The major electric bicycle brand Velotric has just launched its newest model, the Velotric Breeze 1. Part commuter, part cruiser, the Breeze 1 is a fast yet comfortable e-bike intended for those who want a relaxed riding style without sacrificing performance.
Most cruiser electric bicycles are considered to be more of a laissez-faire endeavor, but the Velotric Breeze 1 is hoping to crank things up a notch with fast speeds and high-tech features.
Replacing the traditionally large and swoopy frame is a more accessible step-through design that comes in two sizes to fit a larger range of riders. But while the frame may look different than a classic cruiser, the pedal-forward geometry and swept-back cruiser handlebars definitely evoke true cruiser vibes.
That geometry, including the adjustable angle handlebars, helps give the Velotric Breeze 1 a more upright and relaxed ride.
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But don’t think that just because the Breeze 1 is a relaxed ride, it can’t still bring the performance. A 750W motor offers up to 28 mph (45 km/h) of speed in unlocked mode, though the bike comes with a 20 mph limit right out of the box. To open up Class 3 speeds, users will need to use the settings menu in the color display, where a plethora of other parameters can also be adjusted.
A 48V 13.4Ah battery provides 643Wh of battery capacity, or enough for a claimed maximum range of 75 miles (120 km) in the lowest power pedal assist mode. There are also 15 levels of pedal assist and the ability to choose between the torque sensor or the cadence sensor to activate that pedal assist (and of course throttle mode, for those who don’t want to pedal at all).
While torque sensors are generally more highly praised for their ability to offer near-instantaneous power delivery and more natural feeling riding, some people prefer a cadence sensor since it can be used more like a foot throttle, allowing minimal effort from the rider. By offering the option to choose between the two, Velotric is giving everyone the opportunity to ride the way they prefer.
The battery is IPX7-rated, meaning it can be submerged in up to three feet of water. The rest of the bike is IPX6-rated, allowing owners to pressure wash the bike without worry of water getting inside. Like all of Velotric’s electric bikes, both the battery and the entire bike are UL-certified.
The Velotric Breeze 1 also includes Apple FindMy location tracking, punchy hydraulic disc brakes, bright LED lighting including turn signals, easy-rolling 27.5×2.2 urban tires, a Shimano 8-speed derailleur, and is even rather lightweight for a cruiser e-bike at just 48 lb (21.7 kg).
The seat stay-mounted tail lights are also spread wide on the rear of the bike, allowing the turn signals to function even better as directional indicators for drivers.
The bike lacks suspension, offering a purely rigid fork and frame, but is likely intended for operation on smooth beach paths and other areas without the bumpy terrain that typically begs true suspension.
Priced at US $1,799, the Velotric Breeze 1 was just launched this morning and is already available for order on Velotric’s site. The bike comes in five different colors and two different frame sizes, fitting riders between 4’11 and 6’4″ (150-193 cm).
What do you think of Velotric’s newest e-bike? Let us know in the comment section below, and be on the lookout for our own review of the Breeze 1 coming soon!
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ACME stock soars on today’s cartoonishly silly episode of Quick Charge, we watch Tesla Autopilot crash into a wall with a painting on it, make the Elon stans look silly when they point out shady behavior from their fearless leader, and toss out the notion that some franchise dealers might help the troubled EV brand make more sales in red states.
We also cover Toyota as it moves to position itself for global battery dominance by suppling batteries to more than 400,000 electrified Honda vehicles per year, plus an upgraded Xpeng G6 electric SUV that makes everything on this side of the Pacific look positively plebeian. All this and more, enjoy!
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.
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Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
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Tesla has already started offering 0% APR on loans for the new Model Y in China, showing a clear sign of weak demand.
We recently reported that Tesla is under increased pressure from competition in China, the world’s largest EV market.
The Tesla Model 3 was recently surpassed in sales by the Xiaomi SU7 in a record short period from starting production. The SU7 not only outsells Model 3 in China, but Xiaomi’s electric sedan has a 31-34-week-long order backlog compared to just 1-3 weeks for Tesla’s.
Tesla didn’t apply these same offers to new Model Y orders because Tesla enjoyed more demand for the vehicle due to the launch of the Model Y refresh, and the production launch limited the supplies.
We noted that a good indication of when Tesla is running out of the backlog of orders, which was opened in January, for the newly delivered vehicle would be if Tesla brings back financing incentives on the Model Y.
Today, Tesla announced that it was bringing back the 0% interest loans on the base version of the new Model Y:
The Model Y RWD is by far Tesla’s best-selling car in China and Tesla is now offering up to 3 years at 0% for a 30% down payment and some discounted rates for a smaller down payment.
The incentive starts now and up to April 30. Tesla wrote:
If you purchase a Model Y rear-wheel drive version from March 18, 2025 to April 30, 2025 and pick up the car before the order expiration date according to the delivery and payment terms in the order, eligible customers can apply for the following financial preferential plans:
Tesla currently quotes “2-4 weeks” as a delivery timeline for new orders for the new Model Y RWD, and 6-10 weeks for Long Range AWD.
The Long Range appears to enjoy a bit more demand. Tesla even slightly increased the price by RMB 10,000 yuan ($1,380).
Electrek’s Take
It’s important to consider that Tesla is believed to be selling a mix of RWD vs AWD around 3 to 1 or even 4 to 1. Therefore, any change in pricing and subsidized loans to the Short Range RWD would have a massive impact on Tesla.
I have to say, I’m surprised. I suspected Tesla would have some issues selling the new Model Y in the second half of the year after some excitement for the new version wore off and competition like the Xiaomi YU7 would arrive, but I didn’t think it would come so fast.
Even if this is because Tesla was able to ramp up production of the new version faster, which could mean more deliveries in Q1, the fact that they are already discounting them is a terrible sign of demand.
I didn’t have high hopes for Tesla’s prospects in China in 2025, but even I thought this would not come for another 3-5 months.
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