The president of the Vancouver Electric Car Association Bob Porter has owned his bright red Tesla for seven years.
“I’m definitely one of the early adopters,” said Porter. “I bought this one in 2018, this was the first batch of Model 3s that came into the country.”
Back then, he admired Tesla owner Elon Musk.
“We just thought he was an industrialist out to make money and supposedly improve the planet. Now he’s gone totally political,” said Porter.
“He’s in a bromance with the president of the United States.”
Musk’s close relationship with Donald Trump and his disdain for Canada – including a recent social media post saying it’s not a real country – have infuriated many B.C. Tesla drivers.
“I have not met a Tesla owner yet that is going, ‘Yay, Elon!’” It’s been very much a big embarrassment for most people,” said Porter.
Werner Antweiller, a professor at UBC Sauder School of Business, says many people see Musk and his companies as an extension of the Trump administration.
“So many people in Canada and elsewhere in the world are looking at this as a kind of Trump brand now. And as a result, people are reconsidering whether or not they want to demonstrate this affinity that comes with the ownership of a Tesla,” said Antweiller.
Porter can’t stop driving his Tesla. So, he created a bumper sticker that reads “I bought this before Elon went crazy.”
“I’ve given them out to other Tesla owners just to say, before he went crazy, we bought this car a long time before it was a political issue,” said Porter.
While he’s a big booster of electric cars, he said he could not in good conscience buy a Tesla right now.
“I’m actually an ex-American, and I love this country and this is my home. And I’m kind of really upset and disgusted by what I’m seeing going on south of the border,” Porter said.
CTV News asked Tesla for Canadian sales data, but did not hear back by deadline. Tesla sales are down significantly in Europe, and so is the stock price.
“Mr. Musk’s stance is really not helping his company. He’s damaging his own brand, which is hard to explain, but that is exactly what he’s doing,” said Antweiller.
Porter says his wife is reluctant to even drive the Tesla now, because of its association with a man who’s so deeply unpopular with so many British Columbians.
“Unfortunately, it has tarnished Tesla, and it’s made it very difficult for Tesla owners.”
