Other news today on Elon Musk and Solar City: SolarCity brings IPO plans to light [Homeland Security, E-bay, Google, Walmart, Armed Forces, etc]
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April 15, 2012 (National Legal and Policy Center) Taxpayers Subsidize Forbes 'Green' Billionaires' Schemes
"........Musk, best known as co-founder of the company that became PayPal, is Chairman of SolarCity and CEO of Tesla. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, SolarCity spent $535,000 in 2009 and 2010 to lobby Congress and the Department of Energy on climate legislation, the Recovery Act, “green workforce training and development,” and provisions in various legislation “relevant to solar development.” SolarCity has sought to extend a program, due to expire at the end of 2012, that delivers to manufacturers an upfront cash grant in lieu of a 30 percent Investment Tax Credit (called the Section 1603 grant program). So far, according to DOE reports, SolarCity has received more than $66 million from that program.
The company also won a partial guarantee from DOE of a $344 million loan that will place up to 160,000 rooftop solar installations on military housing across the country..........." Source
Tesla has even more questionable connections:
Tesla brings political pull, as well. A former Tesla board member, Steve Westly, is an Obama bundler who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the president in 2008 and for his 2012 re-election campaign. His Westly Group was also a financial supporter of Tesla Motors until Tesla went public in 2010, and Westly continues to back the company.
Tesla’s founder and CEO, Elon Musk, is a hearty political contributor who has primarily backed Democrats, including Obama. According to published reports, another Tesla investor is Nick Pritzker, a donor to Obama and a cousin of Penny Pritzker, the national finance chair of Obama’s 2008 campaign.
Not a fan of Tesla, but what public purpose is served by not letting car manufacturers cut out the middle man and sell direct to the public?
Sounds like some group bribed politicians and set up a system to block competition.
The ONLY Tesla product that will make money, a Tesla tee-shirt.
Bwahahaha!
How do ya like all those “progressive” antitrust laws now Elon Musk?
I don’t see anything wrong with Tesla selling direct to consumers. But I would think twice about becoming a dealer for a company that has no qualms about competing with their own dealers.
If you want me to sell for you, don’t bypass me.
If you’re going to bypass me, then why do I want to be your dealer?
Cue the "In a Yugo" song!
I doubt you'll here a song about the VOLT or Fiskar or Telsa in car songs!!