Last weekend, I found myself at a gig in Adelaide watching “The Smythes” – a tribute band to The Smiths. As I stood there with my Coopers enjoying “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”, I thought of the blackout protection I enjoy thanks to my Powerwall 2.
Yes even at gigs, I can’t help thinking about bloody solar energy.
Then it struck me: here I was, gleefully singing along to songs that still bring immense joy in 2025, while their original creator, The Smiths’ frontman Morrissey, has become someone whose views I can’t stomach.
This is the same Morrissey who in 2019 performed wearing a far-right For Britain badge and claimed: “everyone ultimately prefers their own race.”
Tribute act The Smythes at The Gov, Adelaide Feb 15 2024.
Many Aussie consumers are wrestling with a similar reality: Tesla makes exceptional products that have genuinely accelerated the world’s electrification, but Elon Musk’s behaviour has become increasingly difficult to defend. The man who once teared up when he learned of energy poverty in Australia now spends his days spreading conspiracy theories and making inflammatory statements without bothering to check their accuracy or worry about the human consequences.
So, what’s a conscientious Australian energy nerd to do?
First up, it’s perfectly okay to loathe Elon and love Tesla. We progressives often get caught between being right and being effective. Yes, Musk may have taken too much credit from the brilliant engineers who built these products. Yes, his constant ‘war mode’ state is hard to stomach. But it’s hard to deny that without Tesla’s innovation, we wouldn’t have the EV market we have today. Tangible progress often comes from imperfect vessels.
Equally, it’s absolutely valid to boycott Tesla because you can’t bear the thought of adding to Musk’s wealth.
Personally, I’m living this dilemma. I own two Teslas and a Powerwall; they’re great. But would I buy another Tesla energy product while Elon’s at the helm? Probably not. The competition has finally caught up, and there’s enough choice that the home energy storage market no longer needs Tesla to thrive.
After years of dominating the best battery category in our Installers’ Choice Awards, Tesla this year had to share the limelight with Sungrow — with Sigenergy not far behind.
Tesla App vs. SigEnergy App. Tesla has certainly inspired other brands to up their game.
Cars, though? That’s trickier. As a cyclist who’s lost dear friends to car accidents and faces weekly near-misses with human drivers, I’m desperate to see autonomous vehicles become reality. I believe Tesla, for all its faults, is leading this race. Their autonomous driving technology could save millions of lives.
So here I am, still enjoying my Smiths playlist while refusing to buy Morrissey’s solo work. Still driving my Tesla while cringing at Elon’s latest tweets. Sometimes progress comes packaged with paradox, and that’s okay. What matters is that we keep moving forward, preferably in a sun-powered EV — whoever makes it.
About Finn Peacock
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How can you loathe a man that is helping to sort out the world in a good way?
When does an ideology start becoming a religion? When does a religion become a cult?
Food for thought.
Lots of friends of mine love Volkswagens – but I don’t think any support the radical views of its ‘creator’.
I’d be more upset about VW’s massive and deliberate lying and cheating in the engine emissions area than the fact the company was around and trying to survive in Germany in the 30’s and 40’s.
yeah nah.
I wouldn’t touch a Tesla product with a 10 foot pole.
Remember back in 2018 his carrying on like a 2 bob watch and calling that bloke that rescued the kids from the caves a paedophile?
Also in 2018 he ran foul of the SEC who forced him out of the Chairmans job at Tesla for 3 years and fined him 20 million?
Bet that was before most people in Australia bought their Tesla products.
He hasn’t changed, people are just noticing his behaviour more these days.
If there was a magnificent product produced by slave labour…. should I buy it?
While it seems a number of posters would, I believe if we have no morality we are simply sophisticated animals.
While many animals exhibit endearing mutual support characteristics, many others have behaviours that would horrify us in humans, like eating their own.
Many people sometimes temporarily turn a blind eye to their conscience (eg a scrape in the parking lot, a deliberate fart in a lift… but generally only to occasional relatively insignificant things.
If one is that poverty stricken that survival demands morals are routinely overlooked…. then you aren’t in the market for solar products.
Musk’s recent actions are horrifying, apparently intent on dismantling the existing american social system, to his immense benefit…. somewhat akin to the russian oligarch political system, where the common masses are severely disadvantaged.
If you deliberately overlook morality issues in daily life, I believe you are a psychopath. While many people with personality disorders deserve some sympathy and understanding…. psycopaths do not…. it encourages harmful manipulative behaviour.
Mussolini was a buffoonish psychopath that caused immense harm to the people of italy and others. His rise to power and actions have very disturbing parallels in america. I suspect some here would happily stand by wordlessly if they were transported back to the time of his rise in power.
Totally agree. I own a Tesla, 2 powerwalls and Tesla shares, yet I’m in the same bind. I used to admire Musk and now I can’t stand him. Do I sell my Tesla shares because of comments made by the CEO who owns less than 20% of the company? But then the is the actions of say Toyota, who don’t make public comments but behind the scenes are doing everything they can to stop EVs and reductions in ICE emissions
Living this exact same thing right now Finn! People I know aghast I bought a Tesla, but I said for the integrated home energy solution (with the Powerwall too), and the incredible efficiency of the vehicle plus the access to the Supercharger network, and the brilliant software, it couldn’t be bettered. And I also live in a regional area, so the requirement for very little servicing is brilliant.
I often say to incredulous friends, what did you think of Boris Johnson? Many of them couldn’t stand him. So I ask them did they boycott the UK, when Johnson was the PM there? No, of course not. Similarly many friends drive VWs, and I ask them if it matters to them that the Nazis created VW? Never even occurred to them.
I refuse to punish the 130,000 brilliant people working at Tesla just because their CEO. I’ve worked for brilliant companies with appalling CEOs, and would have been devastated if the brilliant people in those companies were punished because of who was in charge.
Musk stinks.
My wife abhors the man and what he stands for and for sure it is a factor for future purchase decisions. We may at one time have considered Tesla. No more.
We are moving to a new home soon, it has no solar PV or battery (it does have existing solar thermal systems for water and pool heating). I will be putting in PV and battery. There’s zero chance it will be a Tesla product. We also have a non-Tesla EV.
The only Tesla concession we make is very occasional highway DC fast charging and use of NSW Govt sponsored Tesla Superchargers. At least in that case the energy supplied is made here.
I understand why you would think this, but then you also have to ask about the competing products you will be purchasing. Is it ok that the companies are ultimately controlled by communist China, who commits atrocities against people every day, has total disregard for international law (and the list is long, from territorial to IP protection to dangerous military actions). It not as black and white as it may seem. Plus you are still ok with using Tesla superchargers (only partially funded by the govt) and paying them for power from which they do earn income, because that just happens to benefit you. Perhaps a tad hypocritical
Musk is a terrible person, I agree.
Its a hard thing to do, stand by your principles, especially when its convenient not to.
“The only Tesla concession we make is very occasional highway DC fast charging and use of NSW Govt sponsored Tesla Superchargers”
Tesla batteries and EVs have no significant technical appeal, and are uncompetitive, I think. Elon’s mental, social, and ethical decline is a mere irritation, and none of my business, really. Trump’s decline will precipitate USA’s fall from 1st rank, diversify trade away from them, at high speed in Canada now, and even unite the EU militarily … eventually. (My rellies in Denmark are now stockpiling water supplies for two weeks, and iodine tablets.)
My 46 kWh of EVE prismatic cell DIY LiFePO₄ batteries cost only $18k with three nifty Jikong BMSs. OK, there was at least one MPPT and battery inverter to add, but you’re still under half price compared to Tesla. The “automotive grade” cells are set to outlast me, so greater expense would be unwarranted. Rackmountable assembled batteries with BMS are competitive now, even if you shy away from $1600 for 5 kWh, and take $2700 for for 5 kWH, for greater peace of mind.
The MG4 EV sells at around $33k now, cheaper than a Toyota Corolla, I’m told. And 100% off-grid solar EV charging amplifies the saving with every km driven. Supporting our major trading partner is easy when their EV technology is world-beating in terms of bang for buck, and styling is better. OK, China is beginning to nibble at reclaiming bits of Eastern Siberia, taken from them by Russia, but they’re not threatening to invade Greenland, Gaza, Canada, and Mexico, and withdraw from NATO. They’re also doing more to avert climate catastrophe than USA, with PV panels, EVs, and batteries. With a little luck they’ll bankrupt more major ICE car manufacturers by the end of the decade.
The coal power stations were only a transitional stopgap.
Is, though, the rampant rise of political chaos significantly a symptom of deep angst at the looming disruption of climate induced infrastructure destruction on a civilisation-altering scale, with hundreds of millions of climate refugees before the end of the century? (40M in Indonesia alone.)