If this had been done by an EV company not associated with Musk I think the reception here would be a lot more positive, at least if they end up making a lot of these and place them in the right places.
The fact that they put it where they did hints that they might have the right idea. The location they picked is near the western end of historic Route 66, which was one of the most famous and important motorways in US history. It was often called the "Main Street of America".
It was Route 66 people took for the great migration of hundreds of thousands of people in the '30s to California to escape the Dust Bowl [1].
It connected rural and urban communities from Chicago to Los Angeles, bringing commerce and tourists that greatly boosted small towns all along the route.
Many new roadside businesses and attractions were formed to provide services along it. This was the birth of what became American roadside culture with quirky attractions, motels, and diners. McDonalds for example started next to Route 66.
It became a symbol of the spirit of adventure and freedom on the open road.
If they place these similarly all along some major long routes, especially some where EV charging is still a hassle on road trips, it could help promote a similar spirit of adventure and freedom with EVs. They could also pay motels along those routes to install a ton of EV chargers, and maybe to do some redecorating to be more futuristic to further help promote the image.
Are they planning to do this? I don't know. But if someone was planning to try to bootstrap something like classic American roadside culture for EVs, this would be first step.
I know it's popular to dunk on Elon because of US politics, but it seems like a fun idea. Charge, watch a big screen and eat junk food. This is like the most peak American activity possible. You can loaf and eat a slice of apple pie...
The food prices are in-line with most fast-casual places in the area. In general I would prefer this to most gas stations. I say this as somebody that does not own a Tesla, nor any EV.
You may not owe that person better, but you owe HN better than this.
HN is not a site for fixating on the daily controversies or trivialities about tech celebrities or mega-corps, whether they be positive or negative. We only want to give exposure to stories about major companies where there is genuine interest value - e.g., an interesting new tech product release or significant change in company direction.
You'll notice this story didn't get any exposure on the front page of HN, as several community members flagged it.
Rather than repeatedly polluting HN with these vile comments every time this person or company comes up, please just do what good community members do when they think a post is inappropriate for HN: flag it and move on.
> daily controversies or trivialities about tech celebrities or mega-corps,
Being a neo-Nazi supporter when you are one of the richest people in the entire world is not a triviality - it's an imminent danger. That he supports wiping out an entire section of the population based on race seems like something that should be of interest to everyone.
My comments might be vile (I tend toward merely uncouth) but his existence is an insult to the human race. There is no attack against a neo-Nazi that is uncalled for.
The fact that they put it where they did hints that they might have the right idea. The location they picked is near the western end of historic Route 66, which was one of the most famous and important motorways in US history. It was often called the "Main Street of America".
It was Route 66 people took for the great migration of hundreds of thousands of people in the '30s to California to escape the Dust Bowl [1].
It connected rural and urban communities from Chicago to Los Angeles, bringing commerce and tourists that greatly boosted small towns all along the route.
Many new roadside businesses and attractions were formed to provide services along it. This was the birth of what became American roadside culture with quirky attractions, motels, and diners. McDonalds for example started next to Route 66.
It became a symbol of the spirit of adventure and freedom on the open road.
If they place these similarly all along some major long routes, especially some where EV charging is still a hassle on road trips, it could help promote a similar spirit of adventure and freedom with EVs. They could also pay motels along those routes to install a ton of EV chargers, and maybe to do some redecorating to be more futuristic to further help promote the image.
Are they planning to do this? I don't know. But if someone was planning to try to bootstrap something like classic American roadside culture for EVs, this would be first step.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl