Tesla and the environment: Those who want better cars must also build them better!

Anyone who boldly claims to build the "official car for a better world" must indeed build it better, meaning sustainably, environmentally, and human-friendly. Otherwise, the undoubtedly groundbreaking and currently technologically leading electric vehicles will get a major tarnish, and the highly valued reputation of the Californian electric pioneers around their charismatic visionary Elon Musk will be severely dented on the stock market.

If in 2021 the environmental impact in production— and this naturally includes the construction of a new factory—is so blatantly ignored as it seems to be in Grünheide according to a report by the ZDF magazine Frontal21, then the supposed guiding principle of action and the vision of new mobility are not being honored. On the contrary, it continues the principle of ecological exploitation under the guise of "sustainability". Capitalism 2.0, so to speak.

It should also be noted that the world certainly does not have a shortage of car factories today. An example of how it could be done is shown by the Munich startup company Sono Motors: The Sion is built in the former Saab factory in Trollhättan, Sweden, with 100 percent renewable energy.

And by the way, it’s also about "social" resources: If the exploitation of employees is the price for the surprisingly low prices of Tesla models given their performance and package and in comparison to premium competitors, then a bad conscience surely accompanies the ride in the fabulous Californian electric mobiles. And this casts a different light on the much-criticized domestic manufacturers for their technological shortcomings, where nothing happens without the works council and completely different social and wage standards apply—standards that some nurses or delivery workers can only dream of, but that’s another story. In any case, maybe the seemingly bland Teutonic manufacturers should highlight the social and ecological side effects of car production more strongly, and perhaps the magician Musk would quickly be disenchanted.

In any case, the external costs to people and the environment must, of course, be factored in, even if the "price" is then a third higher. There is also no human right to a 400-HP electric car with a catapult start button that is affordable for everyone.

Regarding the environmental impacts, not even the "critical raw materials" like lithium or rare earths in distant countries are being considered locally. A critical raw material also includes water in Brandenburg. And with the drastic consequences of the climate crisis already being felt, it is becoming even more critical. As Musk so cynically puts it: This is not a desert. Not yet, but maybe soon. In any case:

It must not be that cars supposedly intended to save the climate first ruin the environment. The transition to electromobility must be used for a fundamental and comprehensive sustainability transformation, according to the principle "from Cradle to Cradle". Elon Musk must also face this "challenge," something he otherwise never shies away from, even managing to ennoble a factory in Brandenburg with the title "Berlin".