I’m sorry, but I just find this story mind blowing. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around it.
I have definitely come to see that Elon Musk doesn’t know much about a lot of things and yet is keen to put his opinions out there to hundreds of millions of followers as if they are sound and solid (instead of totally misguided). But I figure this comes from two core factors: 1) having had his head down in EV and space matters almost 20/7 for two decades, and 2) being surrounded and influenced by people who have bad intentions or who are equally misinformed and misguided.
But the Elon Musk news of the day is different. It’s not nearly as consequential or important as other matters he chimes off about (which makes me feel a bit guilty writing about it). However, it defies those other allowances, since it is right inside one of Elon’s core work topics — electric vehicles.
This is the deal: For some reason, Elon Musk was at Formula One in Miami today. (Confusing in itself.) At the event, he says he recommended they do a pure EV event, instead of the current gas/hybrid racing. He felt so good about this suggestion that he later tweeted out what he said.
Fun discussion of aero & battery technology in F1.
I proposed a pure EV vs gas/hybrid F1 race.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2023
When he mentioned it at the event, they probably took it as a joke, but his followup joke definitely makes it seem like it wasn’t. The odd thing about this, of course, is that there is a pure-electric racing event like F1 — Formula E.
And how does Elon not know that?
This brings up a personal story for me, too. We’ve had writers go to many Formula E events, but I’ve only gone to one (car racing is not my thing). The Formula E event I went to was in Los Angeles, and I went to it because I was in town for the Tesla Model 3 unveiling (back in 2016). Did Elon not know it was in town? Has he genuinely never heard anything about Formula E? That seems impossible. I don’t get it.
As it turns out, though, just when I think Elon Musk can’t surprise me again, he does. At least in this case it’s not a harmful, disastrous tweet. It just happens to be one of the most confusing.
Featured image courtesy of Mahindra Racing.
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