Earlier this week, news broke that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had let the entire team of 500 other people operating on its Supercharger network, the company’s flagship network of chargers that particularly distinguishes it from its EV competitors, pass through.
The company has even already pulled out of key Supercharger leases, as Electrek reports.
And Tesla owners, who have long been drawn to Musk’s vision of a more nationwide fast-charging network, are furious.
For many, this is the explanation for why they chose to buy a Tesla in the first place: a convenient and particularly quick way to rate their vehicle. As Musk is likely to abandon his ambitions to expand the network, many owners, who otherwise turned a blind eye to his racist antics and questionable habit, are beginning to oppose the mercurial billionaire.
“Superchargers are what won me over when it comes to Tesla,” one user wrote on the TeslaMotors subreddit. “I hope this is the beginning of the end. “
It’s a big change for Musk, who seven months ago showed off stylish renderings of a Tesla hotel, a 24-hour restaurant and a drive-in movie theater at a Los Angeles Supercharger station.
Musk, who once dreamed of trendy burger joints decorating the company’s charging stations, is willing to duplicate the company’s driver-assistance software, a confusing and hard-to-read resolution that would possibly pay off or not.
The stakes are high. Tesla is bracing for a disastrous fiscal year: Sales are down and the company’s reputation has deteriorated, largely due to the CEO’s behavior. Meanwhile, Tesla’s competition is catching up temporarily.
Heads are rolling, with Musk hitting the automaker with two rounds of mass layoffs, which would account for up to 20% of Tesla’s global workforce. Since then, several senior executives have left the company, along with head of electric charging Rebecca Tinucci and her team.
Tesla is losing a huge advantage in EV charging infrastructure. Tesla’s number of new charging stations has surpassed that of its competitors; According to EVAdoption, installs increased by approximately 19 percent between January and March of this year. The company operates 5,682 locations and 27,257 ports across the United States, figures that are surpassed through ChargePoint, an electric vehicle infrastructure company that operates the largest online network of independent vendors. charging stations.
But now that Tesla is drastically reducing its ambitions to expand its Supercharger network, consumers are wary of longer queues. And that’s not counting Tesla’s decision to open up its network to competitors, which will likely only worsen overcrowding.
The company’s North American cargo is temporarily becoming ubiquitous in other car brands, and corporations such as General Motors and Ford have agreed to adopt the plug for long-life vehicles.
In other words, all hell is about to break loose at Tesla’s existing Supercharger stations, and Tesla is upset.
Musk’s resolution to lay off only the entire Supercharger team, but also to pull out of several key charging station leases, has caused many Tesla enthusiasts to scratch their heads.
“I don’t see the point of opening up the network to other brands and then cutting off their expansion?” asked one user on the TeslaMotors subreddit. There are already many stations in my domain that are very busy with Teslas alone. I can’t believe what happens with other cars from other brands. “
Others pointed out that the company’s Supercharger branch made money. According to Bloomberg estimates, the Supercharger network generated about $1. 74 billion in revenue last year, or about 17% of Tesla’s “Services and Others” segment.
Many wondered what Musk’s goal was with this move. Are you looking to shrink the company’s ranks to remain solvent, or are you in the process of getting rid of leaders who aren’t firm enough?
“It’s shaking up the stage and creating those frenzies all the time,” one Reddit user suggested. “It’s their fault to lose blood in their companies. “
Others have strongly opposed the mercurial CEO, echoing the sentiments of many investors who have long argued that Musk is the main obstacle between Tesla and success.
“I’m done with Elon’s ‘break shit’ philosophy,” another rabid Reddit user wrote. “Tesla, at this point, functions as a mature company, not as a pet project. He has to go. “
“Musk makes this logo so toxic,” one user wrote. “It really saddens me to see it. “
Musk’s resolution to lay off the company’s entire Supercharger team may have industry-wide repercussions and genuine consequences for EV adoption.
“This is very bad news, not only for Tesla, but also for the electric vehicle industry in the United States,” said one Reddit user. “This will mean less compressor maintenance and expansion, more congestion and less for new users. “
“It’s almost as if they don’t need to be automakers anymore,” added another.
Musk promised that Tesla would not give up on its efforts to fully expand its Supercharger network, tweeting that it would do so “at a slower speed for new locations and with a greater focus on 100 percent uptime and expanding existing locations. “
But it remains to be seen whether this will be enough for the company’s most unwavering customers, who have been complaining about overcrowding at stations for years.
“The fact is, I was only given Tesla through the Supercharger network,” one user wrote on the TeslaMotors subreddit. “I still don’t like the design and finish of the interior. If the others catch up, that’s it. “
Learn more about Tesla: As Tesla’s crisis deepens, the human boss leaves the company
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