>

You missed the auto part.
They did this so the long range model Y will qualify for the $7500 credit >

And the Model X weights over 6,000lbs, so it sells b/c business owners can deduct the full price.
A huge portion of Tesla's success is b/c of taxpayer funding....Elon shouldn't receive all the profits. >

Thats the whole goal of the taxpayer funded incentives: to get companies to produce electric cars when they otherwise wouldnt be profitable. Seems like its worked really well >

Seems like but isn't >

What is the goal of taxpayer funded incentives then? >

One initial goal is to help jumpstart a new technology that has high adoption barriers vs an entrenched industry. Companies will produce what they wouldn't have otherwise, leading to technological advancements and economies of scale, reducing prices. Happened with hybrids (also appliances, lighting) and it's happening with EVs. That's the part the comment above deliberately leaves out. It's sort of a chicken and egg problem initially. Companies won't invest in something not profitable in short or medium term. But without production, the technology doesn't improve so we're stuck. 
Another goal is to reward technologies that pollute less and use less fossil fuels, sort of like carbon pricing but using incentives on the cleaner technology side rather than fees. >

You just said essentially the same thing as /u/PicklePanther9000 except with more words. >

After having raised prices 20%. 
The “affordable” model 3 was supposed to be around $30-35k. It’s now priced at $48,190 to start. >

It qualifies for the new $7,500 tax credit though. $40,690 is less than the average new vehicle price. Include long term fuel and maintenance savings and it’s actually not bad. >

Lol. 40k for a new car... that's an entire year's salary for most people. >

Do you know that a new civic costs these days?
Cars are just expensive now. >

Then I guess I'm walking when my car eventually dies. >

One day I can finally get my model 3 below 35k!
Ha, I kid.
Looks like it will be a bolt or equinox. >

I am waiting for the Ford Maverick to go all EV. >

A reasonably sized EV truck would be awesome. >

Ford trademarked “Ranger Lightning” and “Maverick Lightning”.
Personally I think it will be a Ranger EV built on the new platform and a Maverick PHEV because there isn’t ability to add an EV battery without a complete redesign but there is space for a PHEV batter under the rear seats.
They also wouldn’t canibalize each others sales as much. >

PHEV would be great good too.  If it can cover day driving, and then use gas for trips and heavier loads.
/Volt Owner >

And for the “I live in the city but do a road trip to moms 800 miles away once a year and haul drywall twice a year” they can just get gas once every other month, on road trips, and while hauling people and shit in the back >

Honestly, a PHEV Maverick would be perfect for me. >

It's over. People will just buy EVs from real car companies >

The funny thing is: 
For the 43 billion Elon spent on a now languishing smart phone app, Twitter... 
Elon could have bought an entire prestigious, evolved real car company! (More than one, even, for that money.) 
For example: Honda's market cap value is less than the 43 billion Elon spent on Twitter. And sure: not that he could have actually bought Honda--I don't know about international investment regulations, though I doubt Japan would allow that to happen. 
But still: the theoretical idea that Elon could have bought Honda for cheaper than he paid for Twitter, just gives you an astonishing example of what an insanely bad, draining waste of money that investment was for him in Twitter, that could have been utilized in countless other far more obvious beneficial ways for him, and his current holdings. >

He paid three times what Twitter was worth on a good day, and put the rest of his fortune in play and jeopardy at the same time. It’s astonishing, really. >

Indeed: absolute insanity. 
If he had only A) Just shut up on Twitter, and B) Spent that 43 billion merging Tesla with a well known car brand... 
Just think of where the Tesla share price, and optimistic outlook for Tesla might be today, instead of the current debacle. At the very least, share price would absolutely be higher than it is today, that's for certain. >

Twitter doesn't make money. It's only value is pushing political propaganda. >

That’s exactly why he bought it >

or he's just an idiot. >

It’s for propaganda. The countries backing the purchase all pay for botting to influence their own elections or media. >

Elon made driving a Tesla cringe >

BMW should be paying for Elon’s drinks forever. They always got the douche driver moniker and now Tesla has taken that over. Now when I see a BMW driver I think it’s quaint. 
I got high beamed on the freeway the other day by a Tesla driver because I changed into the lane he was in. You would think I probably cut him off right? He was about 300 feet back. Was I going slow? No I was riding a 6 cylinder motorcycle that goes 0-60 in 2.6 seconds, hard to go slow on that. 
He just decided it was his lane and no one else could be in it. >

More likely the tesla was on autopilot, you were right at the edge of it's detection range, and the driver was panicking in trying to figure out how to turn the high beams off and mentally apologizing for high beaming you. The whole forced-ish auto highbeams suck, and they really hide how to turn that off. >

They don’t hide it at all. You push the left stick forward.