The fast information of the previous week with regard to US President Joe Biden and world EV chief Tesla is that Biden has said that Tesla is “our nation’s largest electrical automobile producer” — simply as he did a month in the past in a separate speech about US manufacturing. Why is that this a giant deal? By itself, it’s not a giant deal, however within the context of how Tesla followers have been responding to Biden’s speeches on the electrical automobile revolution, it’s a vastly vital story. Learn on.
BREAKING: In his Made in America speech at the moment, President Biden talked about Tesla is the biggest EV producer within the U.S. 🇺🇸
Thanks @POTUS! pic.twitter.com/0VIgxeEkf7
— Tesla Hype (@TeslaHype) March 4, 2022
Joe Biden is a pro-labor, pro-union, pro-working class politician. He has been for many years. This help for the working class has lengthy been one of many causes he rose so excessive in politics and is likely one of the solely folks in historical past to have been elected each president and vice chairman of the US.
Regardless of being a Democrat centered on manufacturing jobs, local weather motion, and powerful help for cleantech, although, he has had an odd relationship with Tesla. I imagine that it largely stems from a giant narrative from a number of years in the past. I’ve lined Tesla since 2012. In truth, our protection of Tesla right here on CleanTechnica has been among the most considerable and nicely acquired Tesla protection on the planet. Elon Musk himself has appreciated or retweeted a whole bunch of our tales. I’ve spoken to him a couple of occasions and imagine that I’ve understood and communicated his core goals, the fact of Tesla, and Tesla’s place within the trade fairly nicely over this previous decade. Nonetheless, the union story from a handful of years in the past has been one of many hardest for me to grasp — or have religion that I perceive precisely. In truth, it’s one of many solely massive Tesla tales I’ve by no means felt assured I’ve the total image on, and I can’t consider something comparable in Tesla world. I received’t go into element on it, since that’s not the purpose right here, however I’m highlighting all of this as a result of I believe it’s essential to grasp that that is a kind of areas the place folks can have vastly totally different opinions and concepts about Tesla and I truthfully can not say that one in every of them is extra correct than the opposite.
The quick story is: Some years in the past, at Tesla’s Fremont manufacturing facility, its solely automobile manufacturing facility on the time, there was a push to unionize the employees. I believe it’s protected to imagine that it was largely organized by the UAW (United Auto Staff union), which has a protracted historical past of each political affect and outright corruption on the high of the ladder. Heck, less than one year ago, the one that had been named President of the UAW in 2018 was sentenced to 28 months in jail for such corruption. He’s the second UAW president to be sentenced to jail for corruption, and is one in every of 15 members of the UAW charged by US prosecutors. Elon Musk himself obtained a slap on the wrist from the judicial system after it was decided a 2018 tweet was thought-about union busting. Whereas there have been efforts underway to unionize Tesla’s workforce, Musk spoke out towards it, arguing that Tesla staff had been higher off as they had been and that the UAW was corruptly making an attempt to drive the change and even perhaps assist their core members (GM, Ford) by crippling Tesla and maybe serving to it to die a untimely loss of life.
A variety of investigative experiences got here out again round that point, significantly from Reveal and the Guardian. They centered on reported employee security issues and different issues within the Fremont manufacturing facility. Studying these experiences, it’s simple to conclude that Tesla had all types of issues in the way it managed its manufacturing workforce. Based mostly on these experiences, I don’t assume it’s unreasonable that many individuals — particularly pro-working-class folks on the left — assume horrible issues about Tesla. Moreover, whereas Tesla pushed again on these investigations and stated they didn’t characterize the corporate or its give attention to security in any respect, I believe there have been numerous security and employee enhancements that Tesla carried out in response — or partly in response — to those assaults on the morality of the corporate’s administration. I toured Tesla factories in 2019, and apart from seeing ample proof of significant concern for employee security and all kinds of precautions, the picture I obtained from some Tesla employees was that they thought the investigative smears had been laughable and ridiculous — by no means consultant of the corporate. However that doesn’t change that these experiences have had an actual impact on what hundreds of thousands of individuals consider the corporate and its regard for its workforce. Elon Musk has identified on numerous events that Tesla employee security is above common within the trade and that it goals to be far and away the most secure auto producer on the planet. Although, don’t count on most of his critics to have seen these tweets or to imagine the claims and objectives.
There’s way more to say on that subject, however let’s get again to Joe Biden. Indisputably, Biden heard the worst issues attainable about Tesla. Not solely does he have an enormous community of pro-labor, pro-working class employees {and professional} connections — lots of whom should genuinely assume Tesla treats its staff horribly — however he’s additionally lengthy been allies with the UAW and different unions. Some see that as pure corruption, however I believe that’s as misguided as seeing Elon Musk as a grasping capitalist who doesn’t care about his corporations’ staff. I believe it’s evident that Biden has lengthy been allies with unions as a result of he sees them as defending the pursuits of the working class — as they typically do. Regardless of the causes for the alliance, although, it’s definitely apparent that the UAW is in Biden’s ear and will get its biases and speaking factors prominently in entrance of Biden. It’s additionally noteworthy that Musk has made some excessive right-wing statements on Twitter lately, has seemingly by no means been pleasant towards Biden (making jokes about his age, for instance), and did nothing to battle towards Trump’s existential threats to US democracy however has routinely complained about US regulators making an attempt to guard human well being and security. With such a historical past, why would Biden be very vulnerable to belief or hearken to Elon Musk?
All of that’s the preface for what has been one of many major matters of focus for Tesla followers up to now 12 months: that Biden doesn’t give sufficient credit score to Elon Musk and Tesla for his or her EV management. Indisputably, the exclusion of Tesla in numerous EV occasions and statements has been apparent and odd. I imagine that the above — vastly simplified as it’s — explains why, however that additionally doesn’t imply that it’s been a smart method. Other than the truth that Tesla is the worldwide chief in EV manufacturing, EV gross sales, and galvanizing folks to imagine in an EV future, it’s additionally a really poor transfer politically to alienate so many hardcore Tesla/Elon followers — individuals who might nicely have voted for Democrats or could also be open to doing so however who’ve a lot stronger allegiances to Elon than to every other politician. I’m a bit shocked that none of Biden’s high advisors appeared to see the political threat of ignoring Tesla an excessive amount of. As I’ve stated for the reason that situation arose, it hurts Biden way more than it hurts Tesla or Musk for Biden to not state the plain — that Tesla is way and away the USA’s and the world’s EV chief.
Nicely, evidently the message was lastly relayed and the Biden staff has modified course. Whereas nonetheless speaking up GM’s and Ford’s shift towards EVs, Biden now routinely highlights Tesla as “our nation’s largest electrical automobile producer.” He may nonetheless say extra to get the Tesla fan group onboard his practice and to acknowledge that Tesla has been a pacesetter in revitalizing American manufacturing, in pulling the world ahead on electrification of transportation, and specializing in serving to humanity. However, hey, at the very least we’re seeing that month after month, pro-Tesla speaking factors are getting delivered. In truth, in case you evaluate Biden’s Made in America speech from final week together with his feedback on the White Home final month, there are practically similar. See the next two clips:
BREAKING: In his Made in America speech at the moment, President Biden talked about Tesla is the biggest EV producer within the U.S. 🇺🇸
Thanks @POTUS! pic.twitter.com/0VIgxeEkf7
— Tesla Hype (@TeslaHype) March 4, 2022
Anticipate to listen to Biden name Tesla the USA’s high electrical automobile producer once more, and once more, and once more, sooner or later.
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