I am a liberal who has lived in northwestern Massachusetts for over 50 years. I am actively involved in opposing what I see as illegal and unconstitutional abuses of power by the Trump administration. So why, some of my political friends ask me, are you still driving a Tesla? I’ll try to answer this question.
Back in 2011, the first Teslas started appearing here and there. An all-electric car made in the USA! At the time we were driving a Prius and were committed to the best environmental choice of motor vehicle we could manage. We decided to get a Tesla, hoping to keep it on the road for many years, which we have been able to do.
It was quite an adventure, being an “early adopter” of an all-electric car. We charged the car in our garage from an outlet that was meant for welding and other high power uses, using electricity from our solar array. Going out on short drives was one thing. But getting home from Connecticut, where we visited a friend, or from the Cape, where we went for a short escape, was another matter altogether. We had to be very resourceful to get charged up away from home in those early days. And always, folks who were complete strangers — at electric companies, town halls, RV parks, and campgrounds — helped us generously to get charged and on our way.
In those early years of the electric car, it was also not unusual to come out of the grocery or hardware store to find someone waiting at our car to talk to us about our experience of driving the Tesla. There was much curiosity and excitement. We loved answering questions about range, charging, handling, power, and so on. The fact is the Tesla was and is for us a tremendously fun and satisfying car to drive.
I’m proud to say I’ve driven for the past 15 years essentially without using fossil fuels. Tesla‘s ever-growing supercharging infrastructure has made longer trips far beyond our garage charging possible. Along the way we have made numerous good connections with Tesla employees, idealistic tech geeks and savvy mechanics. My loyalty to Tesla goes back 15 years to the beginning of electric vehicles in the United States.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has played a truly reprehensible role in Trump‘s negative and divisive campaign and presidency. Musk’s unconstitutional and illegal rampage as head of DOGE, meanly dismantling aid-providing and other needed agencies and stealing individuals’ protected information has done much to undermine our country’s social order, security, and our previously humanitarian role in the world. I believe Musk and other Trump operatives should be held accountable for their extremely destructive actions.
I understand the political will to “take down Tesla.” But, in my opinion, seeking to take down Tesla is to undermine one of the good things Musk has done. That doesn’t make sense to me. Our country has been slow to adopt the environmentally smart choice of electric cars. Look at Norway: 96% of new vehicles sold in 2025 were electric! The result of government policies and intelligent environmental planning. Al Gore credits Musk with advancing the adoption of electric vehicles worldwide by decades. This is a highly significant accomplishment for the environment.
At this point, we are a 100% electric car family, an environmental rather than a political choice. Now there are many choices of EVs, but Tesla still stands out for its value and it’s innovation. And most of the other U.S. and foreign auto makers have been slow to come to the EV market, instead promoting larger, fossil fuel burning vehicles.
So yes, I will be driving my Tesla, wherever I go, at least for now. But let’s keep talking.
Lynn E. Perry lives in Heath.