Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk claimed to be "deeply wounded" by former Alaska
Gov. Sarah Palin's Facebook post last week that called the electric automobile company a "loser."
Palin compared Tesla Motors to Fisker Automotive, an Anaheim, Calif.-based electric car company that last Friday let go more than 75 percent of its workforce and owes $192 million to the government, according to The Associated Press.
Palin's April 5 Facebook post reads, "This losing tax-subsidized venture joins other past losers like the Obama-subsidized Volt that gets 40 miles per battery charge, or like the Obama-subsidized Tesla that turns into a 'brick' when the battery completely discharges and then costs $40,000 to repair."
Special: Should the Supreme Court Legalize Gay Marriage? Vote in Urgent Poll.
"This is really just the latest manifestation of the administration's crony capitalism as their green energy buddies benefit from this atrocious waste of taxpayer money," said Palin. "Americans really need to get outraged by these wasteful ventures. As we've seen time and time again, We the People are always stuck subsidizing the left's 'losers'."
Responding to Palin's post this week, Musk writes via Twitter: "Sarah Palin calls Tesla a loser. Am deeply wounded. . . Btw, Model S warranty does cover 'bricking'."
In 2012, several reports surfaced about Tesla cars being susceptible to "bricking" due to design flaws. If the car battery should totally discharge, the car would become completely immobile, unable to start or reportedly even be pushed down the street.
This is apparently not the first time a conservative has been critical of the government subsidized electric car industry.
In his 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney also reportedly referred to Tesla as a "loser," reported the AP.
Founded in 2003, the Silicon Valley-based company gained national attention for introducing the Tesla Roadster, the first fully electric sports car. Between 2008 and 2012, Tesla has sold more than 2,250 Roadsters in 31 countries.
Tesla presently employs nearly 3,000 full-time employees in California and is reportedly planning to expand operations throughout North America and Europe in the coming years.
Musk, the 41-year-old South African cofounder of Tesla, is worth an estimated $2.7 billion according to Forbes, having initially earned his money through launching the e-commerce business PayPal with billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel.
Urgent: Obama or GOP: Who’s to Blame for Budget Crisis? Vote Now
Musk is also a co-founder of
the space exploration company SpaceX.
Related stories:
Electric-Car Maker Tesla Says First Quarter Profitable
Tesla Re-Slams New York Time's 'Fake' Review of Electric Car
Tesla Motors Fourth-Quarter Loss Widens to $81.5 Million
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.