Tesla, everyone must have heard of this car brand. Tesla is increasingly popular because of its unique innovations. Although it is called a symbol of a sophisticated and environmentally friendly future car, Tesla actually has quite a lot of haters. What makes Tesla so controversial? The answer is certainly inseparable from its founder, Elon Musk. Otomodify will explore why the sophisticated Tesla has haters.
Elon Musk: Visionary or troublemaker?
Elon Musk is the brain and face of Tesla. He managed to raise this brand from a small startup to the automotive giant it is today. But along with its popularity, Elon Musk often creates various controversies. Such as:
Weird comments on Twitter/X: Elon Musk often makes statements that reap controversy. Even some of his tweets have caused Tesla's stock value to plummet. Elon Musk's comments or statements are often diverse. Not only commenting on the automotive world, Elon Musk often comments on political issues to satire business competitors.
Extreme leadership style: Elon Musk is known as a leader who demands perfection. This was confirmed by one Tesla employee who spoke out about the high work pressure and long working hours as well as the "hard" work culture.
Making Tesla synonymous with himself: Many observers believe that Tesla's reputation is too dependent on the image of Elon Musk. As a result, Elon's personal mistakes often drag the Tesla brand into being hated.
Tesla product quality
Although known as a pioneer in electric automotive technology, Tesla often receives criticism regarding the quality of its cars. Some of the problems reported by Tesla users include:
- Imprecise body panels
- Car paint that peels easily
- Interior components that are easily damaged
Many users feel that a car as expensive as Tesla should have higher quality standards.
Controversial Autopilot
The main attraction of Tesla is the autopilot feature. However, it turns out that it is not only an attraction, this feature has also drawn a lot of criticism. Although it is called a semi-autonomous car, in reality this feature is not perfect and still requires supervision from the driver.
Several fatal accidents have occurred when drivers rely on autopilot. This then raises a big question. Is Tesla selling the dream of full autonomy too quickly?
Disappointing service
All Tesla services are carried out online or through official Tesla service centers. This is because Tesla does not have a dealer network like conventional manufacturers. This is a problem for Tesla users because:
- Long service waiting times
- Difficulty in getting genuine spare parts
- Lack of truly expert technicians
Problems like this certainly frustrate some Tesla users. Especially if they are outside the United States.
Environmental issues and production ethics
Although Tesla claims to be an environmentally friendly company, some criticisms regarding the environment still come. Among them are:
- Lithium mining for batteries causes environmental damage
- Battery recycling is still limited
- There are reports of labor exploitation in the supply chain
This then makes Tesla a symbol of paradox. Where on the one hand Tesla saves the earth, but on the other hand causes new environmental impacts.
High prices and hidden costs
Although users are no longer burdened with a gasoline purchase budget, Tesla is not a cheap car. Tesla's initial price can already show that Tesla is a relatively expensive car. In addition to the initial price, there are other additional costs that users need to prepare. Among others:
- Charger installation at home
- Battery replacement costs after a few years
- Expensive service costs due to exclusive spare parts.
In some cases, someone has exploded their Tesla car because they could not afford the cost of replacing the car's battery.
Too much hype
Tesla is often positioned as the "most sophisticated" car or even the "car of the future". But this hype can backfire for Tesla when users later feel the quality is not in accordance or does not meet their expectations for a "sophisticated car". Then this can turn into disappointment.
Conclusion
Elon Musk is the key to Tesla. To some, he is a visionary genius who changed the world. To others, he is a symbol of immature technological arrogance.
Love him or hate him, one thing is for sure: Tesla and Elon Musk have changed the face of the automotive industry forever. And the talk about them doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.