One scene in Netflix’s futuristic film “Leave the World Behind” features an army of Tesla Model 3s on attack after they’d been hacked and put into full self-driving mode.
While the movie moment plays into many people’s fears of Tesla’s autonomous driving features, company CEO Elon Musk seemed unfazed, using the spotlight as an opportunity to tout Tesla’s post-apocalyptic capabilities.
“Teslas can charge from solar panels even if the world goes fully Mad Max and there is no more gasoline!” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Important to note is that Tesla’s self-driving capabilities only engage if someone is in the vehicle, so as of yet, an army of rogue Model 3s is a stretch.
Futuristic is not a stretch, however. Tesla recently rolled out the Cybertruck, known for its next-century look and array of features, including the ability to serve briefly as a boat, according to Musk. The electric truck apparently has some pretty impressive off-road capabilities as well, in case drivers ever find themselves in a real-life Mad Max-esque chase scene.
It’s hard to argue with Musk’s post. Solar panels utilize a clean and renewable energy source, so they come out ahead if we run out of gasoline in the future.
Plus, EVs can save consumers money in the long run. Although they require an initial investment, discounts come in the form of reduced fuel costs over time.
EVs are also better for the environment — cradle to grave, they produce far less planet-warming pollution than traditional vehicles. Because they do not produce tailpipe emissions, they also make for cleaner, more breathable air.
It seems that Musk’s followers were on his side on this one.
“If there is ever an extended power outage, you want to have a BEV that you can recharge with stationary batteries, wind or solar, not an ICE,” one commenter said.
Another person added: “Teslas are much more of a survivalist vehicle than gasoline-powered engines. The notion that a survivalist community can refine oil to gasoline, or even produce biodiesel from crops is not realistic.”
Meanwhile, at least one person was upset about the potential destruction of Model 3s to make the film.
“Elon, did Netflix really crash all these Teslas?” they asked.
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