Comments on: Elon Musk: Gas should cost $10 per gallon

The Tesla Motors founder sounded off at the Wired Business Conference as to why he thinks the Prius isn't good enough, why auto CEOs shouldn't be finance guys, and that he wants to get a bigger toehold in Detroit.

[pwb9]

The better argument is that gas prices don't cover the US military spend that is required to maintain the dependency on the Middle East.

[Mergatroid Mania]

That's too bad. I was in Tesla's corner right up until this guy says something as stupid as: Gasoline "should probably be $10" per gallon, said onetime PayPal co-founder Musk,.

$10 a gallon would restrict driving to the wealthy. This ass is so rich he's forgotten (or never knew) how much real people make from their crappy jobs trying to get by in this crappy excuse for "Capitalism".

Musk, get stuffed.

[ecotony]

He left out the hidden money our government expends to keep the supply chain pumping the oil to the US. Those little wars in the Middle East are not to keep democracy rolling, it's to keep the Oil flowing.
Ummm, how much does that cost us each year? How much is that cost rolled into the price at the pump... I'm guessin' not much.

[nickgon]

Raising gas tariffs will be one of the most regressive taxes the government could impose. People on the margin, who commute to work, will be broken by a 3x increase in gas prices.

Public transit and electric cars are just not a viable alternative in the US yet. My sense is that the most cost effective way to cut down on gas consumption is ensure people don't have to drive as often. i.e. make it easier for employees to work from home and build mixed use urban areas.

[medezark]

This guys quote gets a top billing because??


and, most carbon neutral accounting methods I've read so far, are bluntly, based on false premises.

[gerrrg]

For the record, I don't think you need gas at $10; as long as we paid the same amount as Europe - $5/gallon, we'd be long on our way towards a country that didn't rely on oil.

[David Arbogast]

Wow... I used to want one of his vehicles... now that I understand a bit more about the philosophy driving the man... he can just keep his electric gizmos. Any time a business owner starts playing politics with the government for the benefit of his company, I walk away. If you can't compete without the government handing you favors, get out of the industry.

[unknown unknown]

Lets not confuse what good for Tesla with what's good for the country. In Tesla's case the only way their stuff looks even remotely like viable option is if the cost of ownership for non-electric vehicles is made outrageous, in this case with taxation and an artificial market created around carbon credits.

[SactoGuy018]

At US$10/gallon, the US economy would scream to a halt and Elon Musk will be wondering why his company is out of business.

[Eddie-c]

Elon Musk ...

1) You're over-priced crappy car SHOULD HAVE AIRBAGS but somehow you bought off the govt who let you get away with it.
2) Just because YOU may have crap-loads of cash doesn't mean everyone else does - unless you want to spread those $$$ around!

[planetfall]

What a self serving wanker, it's like a gun manufacturer saying he wishes more people wanted to shoot each other.

CO2 is not a pollutant, green plants love the stuff.

[odubtaig]

Let's stick you in a 100% oxygen filled room and see how you do. Mammals love oxygen, right? What could possibly go wrong?

[willdryden]

How many days must I stay in your room? Will you provide internet access?

We are no where near 100% co2. We are currently less than 300 PPM. That is .03%.

'While NASA has reconfirmed by detailed review that the inflight cabin atmosphere, outside the Earth's atmosphere, should continue to be 100 percent oxygen at 5 p.s.i.a"

[galeso]

$10 per gallon! One person on the internet, so it must be true, claims it costs $50 to remove a ton of CO2 from the atmosphere. That would be $0.50 per gallon.

Musk is a PR team's worst nightmare. The man is wildly delusional. Talk about Apple's reality distortion field. At least they know there's a reality to distort. Musk truly believes the drivel he spouts IS reality. "I started Telsa...." Yeah right! Dream on goofball.

[alaris3k]

yeah when you're wealthy it's easy to say gas should cost $50 a gallon. FU

[vincentyu2007]

I think electric cars are as clean as all those coal-fired power plants.

[Willie Winkie]

Global warming may not be a sham (as many have stated), but ALL of the proposals for greenhouse gas reduction accomplish virtually NOTHING. None of the developing nations are going to play by the rules, so its pointless for the rest of the industrialized world to try to take up the slack. UNLESS your REAL objective is to raise a lot of tax revenue! That's what this is REALLY about. It's a back-door up-the-butt tax increase that will accomplish a big fat NOTHING. Gas may very well go to $10/gal, but none of the tax revenue will go toward making anything like a meaningffull dent in greeenhouse gasses. It MIGHT spur the development of alternative energy (and that's not a bad thing) but meaningfull greenhouse gas reduction would have a better chance if every American shoved a mini methane filter up their anus.

[odubtaig]

Oh no, it's also doing very well for the car companies in the UK. There's a government funded car scrappage scheme so you give them your old car and get money off your new one and the second hand market is shredded. How much carbon dioxide is pumped out in the production of every new car again? More than it will output in its entire time on the road.

[gmhendo]

Where is all the aggression from? A lot of people here seem to blame Musk for the problems of the world, yet he is at least trying to advance a solution. If his solution does not seem right to you, that's fine, but how about getting out there and do something yourself?

If that's not practical, and it won't be for many people, at least maybe see that the real problem with the world is us - yep, you and me! We simply take too much from Mother Earth. Work out your way to change that.

[odubtaig]

Given that a great many of us would love to be doing more but are stuck while governments we have little control over pump our money into car companies while starving public transport, do us a favour and keep your proselytising to yourself you sanctimonoius ass.

It's difficult enough without some patronising dossbag like Musk coming up with a non-solution which entirely out of self-interest. It's not a solution, it's a pile of crap.

If this guy's that interested in saving the planet maybe he could lobby the government to provide better public transport, pay for some of it himself. Ladles and Jellymen, we have the successor to St. Bono of Vox!

[Inconnux]

Tesla cars should start at an affordable price... your average person isn't going to buy a car at $49,900.
Perhaps this loud mouth should start with things that he can control first... If he could release an affordable car then the demand for gas guzzlers would go down.

[mishmash0101]

Big talk from a guy who's only sold 500 cars. Ever.

[freemarket--2008]

How many have you sold?

[mishmash0101]

Why should gas carry the burden? Maybe all cars should carry a $50K enviro tax.