Tesla’s next four years could be decided during Election Day as voters make their way to the polls. Both Presidential candidates have their own distinct advantages and disadvantages in terms of what they could offer Tesla and the entire EV manufacturing sector as a whole within the next few years. However, it comes down to which candidate is more believable. We all know that politicians are a lot of talk and relatively abysmal amounts of what they say actually happens.
For starters, I am completely undecided about this year’s election. Personally, I wouldn’t say I like talking about politics because I feel that people get incredibly ugly when talking about this subject in particular. However, I also think it is essential as a writer who focuses on electric vehicles to highlight what each candidate could offer Tesla. It is not a cookie-cutter scenario here, and quite frankly, both candidates offer substantial benefits.
It seems that Donald Trump’s advantages lean more toward Tesla’s growth in the United States through manufacturing and job creation. Everyone knows “Make America Great Again” and how Trump wanted to recreate the American manufacturing surge that was so dominant in the 20th century. With Tesla planning Giga Texas and what seems to be a few more production plants in the United States within the next few years, there is a chance that Tesla could widely benefit from the views of the current president. While that may be a stretch for some, it is the truth.
FactCheck.com estimates that the Trump campaign has created 6,688,000 jobs so far through his term. That’s a lot of new employment opportunities for people. However, in terms of sustainability, Trump lost 62,000 jobs because of solar tariffs, which is a significant loss for the Earth-friendly energy sector, and it has been a needle in my side in terms of giving him my vote. You can’t say you’re going to create jobs, then lose 62,000 of them because of a Chinese tariff. On top of it, he’s a big supporter of “clean coal,” which isn’t real, because coal isn’t clean.
Additionally, I’m not wholly convinced that Trump would be a great benefactor to the movement of sustainable energy. While I know he’s supported Tesla and Musk in the past, and he also pushed for the Fremont facility to reopen amid the pandemic, which is arguable, there are a lot of jobs in Natural Gas, Coal, and Oil. They bring a lot of money in, and they create employment opportunities. However, they’re not great for the environment, and that’s something that I have a big problem with, personally.
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Biden, indeed, is the more environmentally-friendly choice between the two candidates. He has a laid-out plan for climate change, and he is a supporter of clean energy. One thing I like about him is that he is not denying that climate change is a threat to human existence, and I feel that whoever gets into office over the next two terms is going to have a real problem on their hands if they do not confront this issue head-on. I like that Biden has a specific plan to penalize the big polluters and hold them accountable for the environmental issues they have laid upon the Earth for revenue.
Biden also has a net-zero carbon goal by 2050, which many automotive companies have adopted in 2020. The big key with this is holding companies accountable and doing annual or even bi-annual check-ins to make sure they’re taking steps to work toward becoming cleaner.
Biden also has a plan to create 10 million clean energy jobs in the U.S. over the course of his term. This is an astounding number, but it will take a lot of work to create that many jobs in one sector in four years. So I have a little bit of trouble believing it.
One thing I found sort of humorous about Biden is the video clip he uploaded to Twitter in early August. While sitting in a Stingray, he says that EVs are the future of transportation and that he hopes they make an all-electric version of the Corvette variant. I found this sort of counterproductive, and I got a good chuckle out of it. Nothing says you love sustainability like sitting in a car that gets 12 MPG!
Either way the cookie crumbles in November, both candidates have their own advantages in terms of what they can do for EVs. Tesla being an American-based EV maker, holds to gain, or lose, the most from the election in terms of the potential of the sector in the coming years. Depending on who you ask, both candidates are the “best” for the job. Still, whichever party really ends up helping Tesla and sustainability could hold the Presidency for years to come, as environmentalism is growing and becoming a more critical issue every year.
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Elon Musk
xAI, Musk Foundation helps schools near Memphis supercomputer site
Reports of xAI and the Musk Foundation’s work were recently posted by local news media.
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI and the Musk Foundation have been supporting Memphis-Shelby County Schools with HVAC repairs and facility upgrades, while also funding youth programs for students in the area.
Reports of xAI and the Musk Foundation’s work were recently posted by local news media.
xAI’s school visits lead to facility repairs
Representatives from xAI visited John P. Freeman Optional School, Fairley High School, and Westwood High School, all of which are located near its Colossus supercomputer site, to assess HVAC systems, plumbing, gym facilities, and athletic fields. The visits resulted in a list of priority repairs, some of which were completed in April and May.
In addition to the repairs, xAI also shared a number of initiatives that are planned for students in the area, as stated in a Commercial Appeal report.
“xAI is working on providing STEM workshops for local students, donating equipment to technical training programs, and supporting job fairs to boost employment opportunities. These initiatives reflect xAl’s commitment to fostering education and economic growth in Memphis,” xAI noted in a statement.
Musk Foundation donation
Apart from xAI, the Musk Foundation also donated $350,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, enabling the reopening of two club sites located at Booker T. Washington High School and Westwood High School. Both locations had closed earlier this year due to lapses in funding. As per xAI, the Musk Foundation’s donation allows clubs to reopen for almost 1,000 students.
The donation will fund staffing, supplies, and transportation, among others. “Kids are the future of humanity,” Elon Musk said in a statement, adding that students need “every chance to shoot for the stars.”
“We’re honored to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis in reopening these sites, giving kids in underserved communities the tools to build brighter futures,” Musk said.
The gift was praised by local officials, including Boys & Girls Clubs board chair Michael Garriga, who stated that the “commitment will ensure the youth of our community have the opportunities they need to develop their skills and talents to become successful students and future citizens.”
Lifestyle
EV fans urge Tesla to acquire Unplugged Performance for edge in fleet and security industry
Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles.
A growing number of Tesla enthusiasts and longtime community voices are calling on the electric vehicle maker to acquire Unplugged Performance, a California-based aftermarket company best known for tuning Tesla vehicles and developing specialized government fleet solutions under its UP.FIT division.
The idea was once considered a niche proposal among EV fans, but it is now gaining serious attention not just as a performance play but as a strategic move to deepen Tesla’s roots in the fleet and security industry.
A strategic fit
Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles, from track-optimized components to visual and aerodynamic upgrades. But in recent years, its UP.FIT division has pivoted toward a more functional future by outfitting Tesla vehicles like Model Ys for police, military, and government use.
That work has sparked growing calls for closer collaboration with Tesla, especially as the EV maker increasingly leans into autonomy, AI, and fleet services as core components of its next chapter.
“I posted this four years ago, but I think it’s more true now than ever,” wrote Whole Mars Catalog, a well-known Tesla investor and FSD Beta tester, on X. “Tesla should buy Unplugged. But not just as a Performance division. What they are doing with UP.FIT unlocks large government and commercial fleet purchases that can improve utilization.”
Tesla fans such as shareholder Sawyer Merritt echoed the sentiment, calling Unplugged a “great fit within Tesla.” adding, “They are literally located directly next to Tesla’s design studio in Hawthorne.”
Enabling the next wave
Supporters of the idea noted that integrating Unplugged into Tesla’s corporate structure could help accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies in government sectors. With UP.FIT patrol cars already in use across some U.S. police departments, Tesla fans envisioned a future where self-driving Teslas could potentially revolutionize law enforcement, search-and-rescue, and public service logistics.
“Just imagine how autonomous patrol cars could transform policing and bring us into a safer future,” the veteran FSD tester wrote.
The benefits could also extend to Tesla’s existing consumer base. “They also have some incredible products in the works that I think will appeal to many ordinary Tesla drivers — not just those looking for performance or mods. Stuff that’s so good it should have come straight from the design studio next door,” Whole Mars Catalog noted.
Unplugged Performance, founded in 2013, shares not just a product vision with Tesla, but also geography. Its Hawthorne headquarters sits directly adjacent to Tesla’s design studio, and the two companies have maintained a close working relationship over the years. The aftermarket firm has long positioned itself as a “mission-aligned” partner to Tesla.
In response to the recent calls for acquisition, Unplugged Performance acknowledged the support from the community. “Our very existence is to support the Tesla mission with @UpfitTesla and @UnpluggedTesla,” Unplugged CEO Ben Schaffer posted on X. “We love working with Tesla and are grateful for the community’s support since 2013!”
Elon Musk
X account with 184 followers inadvertently saves US space program amid Musk-Trump row
Needless to say, the X user has far more than 184 followers today after his level-headed feat.
An X user with 184 followers has become the unlikely hero of the United States’ space program by effectively de-escalating a row between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump on social media.
Needless to say, the X user has far more than 184 followers today after his level-headed feat.
A Near Fall
During Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s fallout last week, the U.S. President stated in a post on Truth Social that a good way for the United States government to save money would be to terminate subsidies and contracts from the CEO’s companies. Musk responded to Trump’s post by stating that SpaceX will start decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.
Musk’s comment was received with shock among the space community, partly because the U.S. space program is currently reliant on SpaceX to send supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Without Dragon, the United States will likely have to utilize Russia’s Soyuz for the same services—at a significantly higher price.
X User to the Rescue
It was evident among X users that Musk’s comments about Dragon being decommissioned were posted while emotions were high. It was then no surprise that an X account with 184 followers, @Fab25june, commented on Musk’s post, urging the CEO to rethink his decision. “This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days,” the X user wrote in a reply.
Much to the social media platform’s surprise, Musk responded to the user. Even more surprising, the CEO stated that SpaceX would not be decommissioning Dragon after all. “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Not Planned, But Welcomed
The X user’s comment and Musk’s response were received extremely well by social media users, many of whom noted that @Fab25june’s X comment effectively saved the U.S. space program. In a follow-up comment, the X user, who has over 9,100 followers as of writing, stated that he did not really plan on being a mediator between Musk and Trump.
“Elon Musk replied to me. Somehow, I became the accidental peace broker between two billionaires. I didn’t plan this. I was just being me. Two great minds can do wonders. Sometimes, all it takes is a breather. Grateful for every like, DM, and new follow. Life’s weird. The internet’s weirder. Let’s ride. (Manifesting peace… and maybe a Model Y.)” the X user wrote.
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