You know Elon Musk is upset when he’s taking jabs at someone’s intelligence. And he’s clearly not OK with the idea that Bill Gates chose a Porsche Taycan for his first all-electric vehicle.
Late last week, the Microsoft co-founder sat down for a short interview with popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee, in which he talked about anything from EVs to the Coronavirus threat and new tech for 2020. It’s the part about EVs that got under Elon Musk’s skin, as expected.
Speaking about the potential of electrification, Gates said that EVs would still fall behind ICE vehicles because of issues of range and charging times. Beyond that, he conceded, electric vehicles are the driving force (pun intended) to address climate change issues.
He also praised Tesla for the changes it has made in the industry, and the changes it inspires into other automakers.
“And certainly Tesla, if you had to name one company that’s helped drive that, it’s them,” Gates said. The full interview is available at the bottom of the page.
However, Gates didn’t buy a Tesla for his first EV. He got a Porsche Taycan instead, which, depending on the model, can start at $150,000 (for the Turbo) or $185,000 (for the Turbo S). An entry-level Tesla Model 3 is a steal at $40,000, by comparison.
“I just got a Porsche Taycan,” Gates explained. “I have to say, it’s a premium-price car but it is very, very cool. That’s my first electric car and I’m enjoying it a lot.”
And this is where the plot thickens. A Tesla Twitter fan page tweeted about the interview, professing disappointment in the way Gates talks about EVs because it sends the wrong message to potential buyers. The disappointment extended to Gates’ choice for his first EV, though that’s not clearly stated in the tweet at the bottom of the page: it was stated in the first one in the thread.
Musk was quick to respond: “My conversations with Gates have been underwhelming tbh.” Even his supporters are calling him out in the thread for taking a low blow at the man’s intelligence, when his preference for the Taycan must have been based on taste alone.
My conversations with Gates have been underwhelming tbh
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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