Tesla CEO Musk: Gas Should Be $10 A Gallon

The Business Insider ^ | 6/15/09

[FromLori]

Speaking at the Wired Live conference in New York today, Elon Musk told the crowd that we should all be paying $10 at the pump for a gallon of gas.

The low price we're currently spoiled with doesn't factor in "the true cost of gasoline at the pump," said the Tesla CEO (via CNET), "since nobody's explicitly paying for the CO2 capacity of the oceans and atmospheres, it's getting consumed. We will pay for it down the road, but we are sort of ignoring it for now."

Nevermind that $10 gas would absolutely devastate our economy, Musk wants it so that more people will snap up his $100,000 cars. According to Jalopnik, Musk also said he wants to take over one of the abandoned factories left in the wake of the auto industries' implosion. He'll use those to crank out 100,000 more electrics annually.

He also used the conference to trash the Prius, because "a Prius is not a true hybrid, really...The current Prius is like, 2 percent electric. It's a gasoline car with slightly better mileage." No shocker there. Musk uses every chance he gets to rag on any non-electric car that tries be environmentally friendly. He compared the Chevy Volt to a lawnmower last month.

Sadly, he didn't address the Martin Eberhard lawsuit that calls Musk a big phony.

[FromLori]

I don't know what he is worried about I am sure it will be by the time the obamageddon is done with it.

[rom]

Imagine the outcry if someone from the oil companies said that electricity should be 5x as expensive as it is.

Outrageous.

[yldstrk]

Get over it Tesla, GE won.

[cripplecreek]

We will pay for it down the road, but we are sort of ignoring it for now."

So we'll pay for it down the road. Now go away.

[mamelukesabre]

What the H*!

The true cost of gasoline???

The true cost of gasoline???

take out all the goddam taxes and then you got yourself the TRUE COST OF THE GODDAM GASOLINE YOU JERK!

[vpintheak]

Moron! I can understand trying to sell his car, but the cost of electricity would go through the roof in this was the case, along with just about everything else.

[Army Air Corps]

Eat it.

[King Moonracer]

Check Czech.... Not!

[max americana]

This is the same jerkwad who created Paypal, probably the worst rip off when it comes to payment online.

[pnh102]

I hope this moron’s company goes bankrupt and he is personally forever poor.

[kingu]

Elon Musk, you owe $397.22 for your blatant expelling of carbon dioxide while making these statements. Please pay immediately; an invoice charge of $2433.18 will be added for the carbon footprint of printing and delivering a paper bill, or $175.80 for the carbon footprint of an email delivered bill.

(I've just figured out how to end all this nonsense - just tax the heck out of every global warming nut until they no longer have enough money to fly to every conference and drive to every camera and mouth off this junk.)

[GOPJ]

The true cost of gasoline??? take out all the goddam taxes and then you got yourself the TRUE COST OF THE GODDAM GASOLINE YOU JERK!

Don't hold back - tell us how you really feel. :)

[NormsRevenge]

Musk = ecoPunk

[truthguy]

Tesla is going to fail and Musk knows it. The all electric cars just are not practical and the public will soon know it. They may be a great novelty but most families simply cannot be constrained by the range factor of the all electric car.

If the electric car has a future it will be EREV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle). Much beleaguered GM has a huge lead here (or it would seem) and they will introduce the Volt next year. They have several other EREV's on the heels of the Volt. If they can get the cost down, the Volt and the others will blow the Prius out of the water. The Volt will be a better than the parallel hybrid of the Prius. I would be surprised if all the manufacturers didn't have EREV plans.

An EREV will be very difficult for Tesla. I don't think their battery will accommodate this feature. I could be wrong but I don't think so. Tesla has been inspiring and I admire what they have done. But Musk is right. The only way the Tesla could make it is if gas were $10/gal. However $10/gal gas would absolutely destroy the American economy.

[keving]

I agree and more people should speak or write the truth. Don’t let others moderate you even in jest.

[keving]

I agree and more people should speak or write the truth. Don’t let others moderate you even in jest.

[UCANSEE2]

Maybe he'll get caught at the airport with a suitcase full of cocaine.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Musk should be paying $100.00 per gallon for it. He could single-handedly “save the planet.” What a jackass. Or is it Musk Ox?

[yldstrk]

I personally would not really be enthusiastic re: a car called “Volt” because I just want to get around, not be electrocuted. Now, I do happen to think that batteries have a lot of potential if we could only figure out how to store energy better...............

[Kirkwood]

Hey Musk! Good job PO’ing potential customers!