1. Let’s Get Real About CO₂

You’ve been told Tesla is “zero emissions.”
That’s false. Start to finish, Tesla cars require more CO₂ to manufacture than gas-powered cars. Sometimes several tons more. Why?

• Massive battery production = heavy mining (lithium, cobalt, nickel)
• Gigafactories = concrete, steel, rare earths, and more mining
• Shipping = long-haul emissions across continents
• Components = silicon chips, screens, aluminum, carbon-intensive materials

Before a Tesla even touches the road, it’s already behind.

2. The Long Road to Carbon “Break-Even”

A Tesla has to be driven for years—at 100% newly generated renewable energy—just to maybe beat an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle in emissions.

And let’s be clear:

• Most renewable energy is already spoken for—you’re stealing clean electrons from someone else
• If you’re charging on a grid with fossil fuels? You’re just driving a coal-powered car with a lithium battery

3. Money Has a Carbon Footprint Too

Every dollar spent on a Tesla isn’t just a financial transaction; it’s a carbon transaction.

• Global average CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP: Approximately 0.33 kg CO₂ per 2011 international dollar .
• Implication: A $60,000 Tesla purchase equates to around 19.8 metric tons of CO₂ just to earn that money.
• Context: That’s before considering the emissions from manufacturing the car itself.​DataBank+2Voronoi App+2Our World in Data+2US EPA+6DataBank+6Voronoi App+6

In essence, the societal effort to afford a Tesla — encompassing work, energy consumption, and infrastructure — carries a carbon cost that probably outweighs any benefit. The Cybertruck has no shot.

4. Subsidies Could’ve Bought a BYD For Everyone

Instead of handing Elon Musk billions in subsidies, the U.S. government could have:

• Bought Americans a BYD EV outright—for about the cost of Tesla’s $7,500-per-car tax credit
• Upgraded public transportation, charging infrastructure, and local manufacturing
• Actually reduced emissions

But instead?

We got aging, flammable, self-combusting, recall-ridden rust buckets that cost twice as much and emit more CO₂ to produce than the ICE cars they pretend to replace.bsidies Could’ve Bought a BYD For Everyone

5. The Bottom Line

Tesla isn’t clean.
It’s a hyper-expensive, government-funded, meme-powered luxury brand that emits far more CO₂ than it claims—and exists primarily to inflate Elon Musk’s net worth.

Clean?
No.
It’s the dirtiest lie ever sold.