That’s why the Tesla record driver would no longer buy a car from Elon Musk

E-cars are becoming more and more mainstream. Last year, about 470,000 electric vehicles were registered in Germany and more than 40,000 in Switzerland – a record. Hansjörg-Eberhard von Gemmingen-Hornberg was there from the start.

He wants to show the world that you can drive a lot of miles a day in an electric car – “and stop the electric car bashing,” as he said in previous interviews.

He has covered 1.7 million miles in his Model S since 2014, an unofficial world record.

Now, however, the big Tesla fan was critical of his favorite car and gave multiple reasons why his next car would not be from Tesla.

The 13th engine and Elon Musk’s lack of appreciation

In an interview with De Spiegel, he complained in particular about engine wear, but also about the company’s lack of transparency. After nine years of operation, he has now installed his 13th engine. Although this was always free of charge for him thanks to the warranty, such wear and tear is still disappointing. He therefore asked Tesla several times what could be the cause, but received no answer:

After all, the 13th engine has run flawlessly for 80,000 kilometers. The batteries look positive: “With my current battery I am at 533,000 kilometers.” The previous one had 671,000 kilometers on the clock, but was ‘repaired in the meantime’. Before that, there were often repairs».

On the other hand, he was disappointed in Elon Musk. The billionaire never actually congratulated him on his records, but gave just two thumbs up on Twitter almost a year later. It could also be “that he avoids me precisely because I drive so much and then the vehicle’s weak points come to the fore.” Tesla, in turn, “cut or ignored him on several occasions”.

For the trained farmer a sign of lack of gratitude:

Environmental protection at Tesla is just a facade

In addition, Gemmingen-Hornberg now believes that Musk merely dazzled fans with his vision of environmental protection — and was primarily interested in money. “But maybe Musk tapped that way before and now he’s revealing himself more and more.”

This also fits with the constant use of his private jet, which is “a disaster for the environment”, as well as some of his decisions. The announcement to run the supercharger on green electricity was not tenable because “the infrastructure of some countries simply does not allow it”.

Despite Musk’s antics, the magic of the Tesla brand still exists. “There are new drivers who often don’t even ask themselves what Musk is doing and what he is talking about.” But that is also the case with other brands. Despite the emissions scandal, people happily continued to buy cars from manufacturers that allegedly cheated.

Musk approaches Republicans

All this, according to the frequent rider, also fits “with the Republican behavior” that Musk is now showing. While the Republican Party would also have its advantages, action must be taken “when it comes to destroying democracy.” In that context, the Tesla driver also sees Musk’s work as Twitter CEO as problematic.

The love for Tesla is currently being tested for many. For example, when Musk leaves ex-President Donald Trump on Twitter again. According to Gemmingen-Hornberg, this changes the customer base at Tesla.

Next car no longer from Tesla

Separately, the record driver thinks Tesla’s concept of selling only electric cars is “still unbeatably good”. That is why he will continue to drive his Model S for the time being. However, the company could soon be overtaken by other car manufacturers, for example in terms of fast charging or the durability of the cars.

His next car will not be from Tesla. “Actually, I was determined to buy a new Tesla Roadster. But I’m done with that.” Although he still wants to travel at least two million kilometers with his Model S, one day he will buy a new electric car. The Mercedes EQS or the Porsche Taycan are exciting alternatives for him.