Tesla, Inc., the American electric automaker with the 49-year-old chief executive officer (CEO) Elon Musk behind the wheel, is nothing short of impressive. The year 2020, one for history books, was quite a challenge for many because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, the self-proclaimed “Meme Lord” had quite a fruitful year, having become the second-richest person in the world.
By the end of 2020, Tesla met its production goal of half a million cars, additionally delivering nearly the same amount, with 499,550, thanks to several factories (and workers) located in the United States. Additional factories in Shanghai, China, and Berlin, Germany are set for completion this year to increase future productions. According to marketwatch.com, Tesla’s stock was around $90 at the beginning of 2020 and reached roughly $700 by the end, having increased 678% in only a year! Consequently, the company joined the S&P 500 on December 21st, 2020, and became the “Most Valuable Automaker” in the world.
Tesla aims for “accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy,” as stated in their mission statement. Honoring this goal, Tesla has reduced nearly four million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and pledged to use 100% renewable energy. Thus, Tesla’s electric automobile is a great option for many students who carry a passion for a better environmental future at Concord Academy.
Marisa Beard ’24, the owner of a Model 3, shared the many great aspects of owning a Tesla; her family recently purchased the car at the beginning of December.
Marisa explained, “It is really smooth and quiet, compared to my dad’s old car, which my sister and I will share once I get my license. This is known, but it obviously has such advanced technology all throughout the car. The wonderful sound system allows any song to sound so much better with it, like, ‘Holy’ by Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper. Another great thing has been our improved morning drives to Concord Academy. In the mornings, the Tesla app allows us to ‘preheat’ the car when experiencing cold Massachusetts weather, so we aren’t freezing. Additionally, in the past, it took us twenty-five minutes, but with our new Tesla, it takes us only 15 minutes, which was super nice because I didn’t have to worry about waking up too early for my B Block class. It’s honestly incredible that it doesn’t need gas, and we can just pay to charge our car anywhere like at the supermarket. In our current day and society, we need to change our approach to the environment, which is why I think Tesla is the perfect answer, with the mission of being more environmentally-progressive.”
If one does not mind shelling out a few tens of thousands of dollars here and there, any soon to be released model is perfect! Whether it be the Roadster that can go zero to sixty miles per hour in sixty seconds, the Cybertruck that looks like it came straight out of a classic Sci-Fi movie, or the Semi that uses less than two kilowatt-hours every mile, all terrific options can help save the planet in style.