Follow Elon’s Lead
By John Deneen
Tesla is now the most valuable automaker on the planet (La Monica), and has done so after being in the business for only 15 years. That is a serious feat in itself, but what I find truly impressive is what Tesla has done for public opinion on electric vehicles. However you feel about capitalism or the questionable morals of selling carbon credits to traditional automakers, Tesla truly changed the face of the electric car industry. It did something of immense value to the rest of the renewable energy community: making it cool. Among young people, that being Millennials and Generation Z, it is not only seen as one of the coolest auto brands, but as one of the coolest brands in general (Dow). The importance of this cannot be overstated.
In my own experience, particularly that from back home in Minnesota where electric vehicles aren’t as common as on the East Coast, I can attest to the popularity of Musk’s cars, and really of his whole persona. I think back to my COVID-necessitated graduation parade, where one of my closest friends rented a Model 3 to drive through town. Dozens of our classmates, myself included, asked him to take a ride sometime before he took it back. Four of us even got up at 6 a.m. the following Saturday to do just that. Tesla is desirable, modern, luxurious, safe, but undeniably cool. The cars are even becoming affordable. Tesla has every quality needed to draw attention to itself. I even still whisper to myself, “Ooh a Tesla” whenever one drives by me on the highway, despite their growing presence in the mainstream.
Looking more generally to Elon, a similar fact is true: young people love him. He has been called the “coolest CEO in America” by Business Insider (Davies). His age, his products, his rockets that land on boats in the ocean, his public image. He draws attention to himself. And however that attention is received, be it through memes made by high schoolers or his reputation as IRL Iron Man, it is press for him and his car company. His electric, emission free car company. Apathy in the realm of renewable energy simply cannot be tolerated any longer. A push into the real mainstream is already happening for vehicles and needs to continue for everything else.
As climate policy continues to deteriorate in the US, a push for more public support of change in the energy industry is crucial. If not enough people care to make the switch, then it simply won’t happen. How the switch is presented to the public could have a real effect on whether it comes to fruition. There are already plenty of reasons to make the switch, and if you’re reading this, you probably don’t need to hear about how renewable energy can be cheaper, more efficient, result in cleaner air, reduce reliance on foreign imports, etc. (Green Power Technology). Those reasons, and of course the desire not to make our planet unlivable, are great. But evidently, it is difficult to use them to drastically shift public opinion.
Instead, especially in societies built on capitalism and consumerism, renewable energy needs to be made cool and marketable to everyone, and if not directly so, then the idea needs to be presented as such. The climate clock is ticking, now quite literally (Moynihan), and renewable energy cannot afford to be just a novelty. It needs to be marketed and popularized relentlessly. Energy companies (and honestly governments, too) need to follow Elon’s lead in creating a public image that sticks, that appeals not just to people who already care about the environment, but the average citizen. Energy needs to be made undeniably cool.
I imagine a world where renewable power plants are treated with the same degree of awe as are other feats of engineering, where energy CEOs and frontrunners of environmental policy are worshipped on social media like modern celebrities. I imagine annoyingly artsy Instagram photos taken by influencers not at a smoothie bowl restaurant, but in front of their local solar or wind farm that was just installed. Social media is just one way to begin to foster this positive, popular public image for renewable energy. It’s time to start following Elon’s lead, in more ways than one.
Sources:
La Monica, Paul. “Tesla is the most valuable auto company on the planet”. CNN Business. 10 June 2020.
Dow, Jameson. “Tesla is ‘coolest’ auto brand for teens and millennials, despite relative lack of awareness.” Electrek. 4 April 2020.
Davies, Alex. “Why Elon Musk is the World’s Coolest CEO.” Business Insider. 26 December 2013.
“8 Motivating Reasons for Choosing Green Energy.” Green Power Technology.
Moynihan, Colin. “A New York Clock that Told Time Now Tells Time Remaining.” 26 September 2020.