Tesla regret syndrome has afflicted more than a few consumers of the famous electric car as its CEO Elon Musk has entwined himself with the Donald Trump administration.
Just what does your ride say about you to the rest of the world? Electric-powered cars and trucks have fundamentally altered the global marketplace for automobiles in 2025, making up nearly ten percent of new vehicle sales since January. From innovations on the part of manufacturers to stimuli from federal and state governments, the EV scene dominates our current efforts to transition from fossil fuels.
Over the last decade, Tesla has defined much of the new consumer-based renewable energy frontier and made a massive impact in the automobile marketplace. Now, however, we must factor in a new development in our shift, specifically, toward EVs. “Tesla Regret Syndrome” is afflicting many communities.
Complicating an Energy Shift?
The election of Donald Trump as U.S. president has altered many of the calculations with which auto manufacturers approached the future when they committed to convert their respective fleets to electric power within decades, some by 2030. Now, uncertainty emanates from Trump’s own spoken disdain for most electric vehicles. But it gets even more complicated than that.
When historians recall Trump’s turbulent months or years, one of the aspects that will be most difficult to categorize is the influence of Elon Musk, the South-African-born corporate titan in many fields, including the most successful entrant to the EV sector, Tesla. Already reporting its first-ever drop in global sales last year, Musk, now faces blowback for his cost-cutting actions in the federal government.
After endorsing Trump for U.S. president in 2024, Musk followed up his public campaigning for Trump with taking charge of the U.S. government’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and leading a very public effort to reduce the size of the federal government by implementing cuts to foreign aid, and at times demeaning workers very publicly.
Consumers seem to have taken note. Demonstrators have gathered outside Tesla dealerships across the country, including in the cities of Seattle and Portland, where activists held up placards calling for Tesla owners to sell their cars. One observer said simply, “Musk has become toxic.”
Tesla Leads the Renewable Revolution
In the history of our shift in transportation, Tesla will remain crucial. The hybrid & electric vehicle sector emerged for auto manufacturers in the late 20th century with innovations by Japanese manufacturers, such as Honda and Toyota. In a critical step for personal transportation, the Insight and Prius (and later the Nissan Leaf) allowed consumers to choose to purchase a non-gasoline-burning automobile if he or she desired. This was an option entirely unavailable during the Energy Crisis of the 1970s!
While the Prius will likely be remembered as the transformational device in this moment, Tesla was the first manufacturer to take the possibility of an alternative vehicle and combine it with more typical consumer priorities —namely, style and prestige. Tesla brought bling and sex-appeal to early EVs, which otherwise were often closely-related to their golf-cart cousins. Tesla wowed all observers by selling half-a-million vehicles in 2020 and demonstrating that EVs could compete with traditional vehicles.
While manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda seized control of the market for hybrid vehicles, Musk designed Tesla as a brand to emphasize products that would appeal to the emerging sector of green consumers. After a challenging start, Tesla defined a green sector of energy consumption, branching into products ranging from energy storage components for homeowners to solar-collecting roof shingles.
Buyer’s Remorse
As a result of our political atmosphere, Tesla shares have slumped in recent weeks, including a sharp drop in sales in Europe, bringing the company’s valuation below $1 trillion. On an individual level, Tesla owners have expressed panic at the dropping resale value of their vehicles while also bemoaning the image that they project to the world—often quite the opposite of the driver’s intent.
Searching for ways to express their anger at Musk, many Tesla owners are finding novel ways to distance themselves from his brand of politics. Grassroots efforts are afoot in many communities, and hotlines are available to advise consumers on how best to manage their “Tesla Regret Syndrome.” Partly, this may stem from the reality that a Tesla was typically more than a mere vehicle purchase. For many owners, their Tesla was an empowered statement against a recalcitrant automobile and energy marketplace. Often, their vehicle purchase was an act of green defiance.
One service being made available to such Tesla owners is the advent of “badge removal stations,” in which volunteers assist vehicle owners to pop the Tesla badge from their vehicle and replace it with more acceptable—though fraudulent—brand emblems. Tesla drivers fear that this symbol of our shift from fossil fuels might be sending a different message about them today!
Brian C. Black is Distinguished Professor of History and Environmental Studies at Penn State Altoona and author, most recently, of Ike’s Road Trip: How Eisenhower’s 1919 Convoy Paved the Way for the Roads We Travel. (Godine, 2024). ENERGY TRANSITION 2025 is an ongoing series to place details of our current energy shift into historical context.
Image: Shutterstock/Chris Allan
