Inside the Tesla Takedown Protests

10 snips

Apr 8, 2025

Guest

Laura Starr

Guest

Ed Niedermeyer

Join Ed Niedermeyer, journalist and author of "Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors," and Laura Starr, organizer of the Tesla Takedown protests in California. They dive into the grassroots movement rising against Tesla dealerships, fueled by frustrations over Elon Musk's political connections. Niedermeyer shares insights on how these protests could impact Tesla’s bottom line, while Starr highlights the community mobilization and the deeply personal motivations behind the protests. It's a compelling conversation on reclaiming civic space and collective action.

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INSIGHT

Ironic Protest Locations

Urban design in the US prioritizes cars, hindering civic life and protests.
Ironically, Tesla dealerships, often located in car-centric areas, became protest hubs.

ANECDOTE

Accidental Organizer

Laura Starr, a Marin County resident, joined resistance groups after 2016.
Witnessing concerning political developments, she helped organize a protest at a local Tesla dealership.

INSIGHT

Unpredicted Power

Ed Niedermeyer has covered Elon Musk for nearly 10 years and predicted Tesla's issues.
He's surprised by Musk's power despite foreseeing potential negative impacts.

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Since early February, a protest phenomenon has been building steadily across the United States, springing up at scores of Tesla dealerships from coast to coast. Organizers call it Tesla Takedown. It's remarkable in part because in today’s United States, we have engineered an environment that prioritizes automotive convenience and speed—and in the process deadens civic life and makes protest difficult. So it’s ironic that Tesla dealerships, many of them located in the worst kind of automotive sprawl, have emerged as crucial nodes in a decentralized network of resistance to Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

In this episode, we talk to participants and organizers about what is motivating them. We also caught up with journalist Ed Niedermeyer, return guest of The War on Cars and author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors, about what effect this could have on Tesla’s bottom line, and why it’s an effective tactic to weaken the hold that the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has on the United States government.

Note: This episode was recorded before the huge Hands Off protests of April 5th, 2025. Clearly, American protesters are starting to find their voice, and their space.

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This episode was produced with the generous support of the Helen & William Mazer Foundation.

This episode was also supported by Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest discount on the best and most stylish rain gear for walking and cycling.

Save 15% on the amazing Arclight Pedals and everything from Redshift Sports with code WARONCARS at checkout.

LINKS:

Find a #TeslaTakedown protest near you.
Check out Ed Niedermeyer’s Autonocast podcast.
Read Ed's book, "Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors."

Pick up official podcast tees and other merch in our online store.

Save 15% on everything from Redshift Sports, including the amazing Arclight Pedals, with code WARONCARS.

This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded by Justin Fernandez at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Transcripts are by Russell Gragg.

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