Elon Musk is the reason why Americans hate electric cars

Elon Musk’s influence on the electric car market in the US is so great that customers’ attitudes towards the Tesla CEO more or less affect the trend of buying electric cars in the US.

According to Carscoops , there was an opinion that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s cooperation with Donald Trump in the presidential campaign would improve the level of support for electric cars in the US. However, a study shows that the opposite happened.

The study, published in the journal Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, analyzed data collected from surveys conducted in August 2023, November 2023, May 2024, July 2024, and March of this year. The study sought to determine whether public perceptions of Elon Musk influence the desire to own Teslas and other electric vehicles.

Carscoops points out that electric cars have traditionally been more popular with left-leaning customers, which partly explains why Tesla is popular in California.

The first study, conducted in August 2023 on 633 adults, found that left-leaning consumers in the US had a positive view of electric vehicle ownership, while right-leaning consumers expressed a more negative view. This trend was repeated in subsequent surveys.

Things quickly turned around, though. General support among left-leaning American consumers began to erode as Elon Musk continued to damage his reputation.

Tesla CEO’s move to the right, supporting Donald Trump in the race for the White House, has not caused Republican customers to increase their purchases of Teslas or any other electric cars.

Explaining to The Guardian , Alexandra Flores – the head of the research team – believes that Elon Musk’s influence on the electric vehicle sector in the US is so great that the attitude towards the CEO has had a significant impact on the entire pure electric car market in the US.

The team initially predicted that left-wing support for electric cars would remain stable, given the green car group’s association with environmental values. They also believed that Elon Musk’s “switch of sides” would make electric cars more appealing to right-wing consumers.

“The opposite has happened. Over time, right-wingers have maintained low levels of interest in electric cars and the Tesla brand, while left-wingers have seen a marked decline in positive attitudes. These people are now less likely to buy electric cars and Teslas,” Flores concluded.