In stark contrast to the electric automaker’s behavior at home, Tesla, maker of the Model 3 and :Cybertuck, reportedly pushed the UK government to raise the price of gas-powered cars. A letter from a vice president of the automaker called for the then newly-elected British PM to reach out to Tesla to consult on introducing an EV mandate for big trucks and to add an ICE tax to help support selling more EVs.
Tesla
Tesla, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer largely attributed to driving the EV revolution. Through the Model S and subsequent products, Tesla has innovated and challenged industry conventions on numerous fronts, including over-the-air updates, self-driving technology, and automotive construction methods. Tesla is considered the world’s most valuable car brand as of 2023, and the Model Y the world’s best-selling car in the same year, but the brand’s greatest achievement is arguably the Supercharger network of EV charging stations.
- Founded
- July 1, 2003
- Founder
- Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning
- Headquarters
- Austin, Texas, USA
- Owned By
- Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
- Elon Musk
The letter, obtained through a freedom of information request, is dated July 8, 2024. That’s just four days after the Labour Party under Kier Starmer won 411 seats and thoroughly ousted the Conservative Party and then-leader Rishi Sunak. It is from the VP of Tesla for Europe and the Middle East.
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In the letter addressed to roads minister Lilian Greenwood, Tesla’s head in Europe says that “the government should ask those still choosing to purchase a new polluting vehicle, to pay more.” Joe Ward, the VP who wrote the letter, said that the automaker “applauded the Labour Party’s strong position [on] decarbonisation of the energy system by 2030, growth and net zero.”
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He went on to urge the UK to keep up with the EU and introduce a zero-emissions mandate for large trucks to come into effect in 2040. He also urged the government to strengthen the UK’s ZEV mandate and said that current EV incentives should remain in effect “until at least 2028.”
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To help pay for it, Ward said that the Starmer government should “ask those still choosing to purchase a new polluting vehicle to pay more.”
While the released letter didn’t include a reply, Tesla CEO Elon Musk must not have been happy. Just weeks later, he lashed out at the UK government. The BBC reported in September that the government did not invite Musk to an investment summit because of his political interventions. Since then, Musk has spent his time attempting to troll Starmer on Twitter.
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Meanwhile, in the US, where Musk spent $250 million to help Donald Trump’s election campaign, Musk is calling for something completely different. Instead of asking for more subsidies for EVs and raising the price of gas cars, Musk is asking for EV subsidies to go away. Musk started asking for the removal of US tax incentives for EVs just weeks after the letter to the UK government.
The UK government is currently engaged in consultations in regards to its zero emissions mandates. Carmakers are pushing for it to be eased as buyers aren’t buying EVs in sufficient numbers. Tesla, which sells electric cars exclusively, would benefit from this strong mandate by selling its own excess credits to automakers who can’t make the cut.
Source:
Fast Charge
