During the European election campaign, I traveled 15,000 kilometers in three months, which made me realize the need to purchase a car. As environmentalists, I decided to buy a fully electric car that would ensure a long and safe journey with significant autonomy. I’m not a car expert, so I browsed through different websites and noticed that many options were more expensive than Tesla,” said Elisabetta Piccolotti, a deputy of Avs, addressing the political controversies surrounding the purchase and use of a Tesla electric car.
Piccolotti clarified, “I didn’t tell the journalist who called me yesterday that Tesla is cheap; I said that Tesla costs less than other cars with similar features.”
“In the end, I decided to make this purchase through leasing because I needed the car now, but may not need it in a few years, so I wanted to feel free to return it without much burden. Meanwhile, Musk began expressing his political opinions, even making a Nazi salute. That day, I decided that once I finish paying the leasing installments, I will return the car, as many European and global consumers are rightly doing,” she added.
Piccolotti questioned the scandal surrounding Tesla, stating, “Perhaps it has become a scandal because we hold uncomfortable positions and fight important battles to defend the rights of ordinary people, which leads to constant delegitimization. We are criticized whether we drive a Diesel car that may catch fire, or a red Fiat Panda. We are attacked whether we dress well or poorly, as was disgracefully done to our European parliamentarians on the day of their election. We are not concerned about all this; we know we are fighting the right battles and have courageous positions. We will not be intimidated. Keep discussing Tesla, but let’s now close this chapter and focus on serious matters,” she concluded.
Piccolotti revisited the controversies on the radio show “Un giorno da Pecora” on Radio Rai Uno, stating, “The accusation of being ‘posh’ or left-wing ‘poshness’ does not fit my background, where I come from, or my social relations.”
Massimo Gramellini discussed ‘poshness’ in an editorial in Corriere della Sera. Piccolotti mentioned, “I called him and asked which car I should buy, what the barometer for ‘poshness’ is. If we assume that electric cars are posh, that owning one is posh, we are saying that ecological transition does not concern the rights of future generations, but it certainly does.”
Regarding the car, she applied a sticker that reads, “I bought this Tesla before Musk went crazy,” a gift from her sister. She explained, “It’s a sticker that all Americans, dismayed by Musk’s positions, are putting on Tesla cars.”
Addressing recent controversies, she mentioned the one involving her husband, Fratoianni, the secretary of Si, who reportedly distanced himself by saying, ‘call my wife,’ which she found pathetic. She added, “I haven’t left X yet, but I’m not using it much. I’m reflecting because if we leave all platforms, we essentially leave room for misinformation and fake news. It’s a decision that needs to be weighed considering this effect. X is the global center for propaganda and misinformation.” Among all the memes, one made her laugh the most, “The one by Oscio, where I say: we need to remember to change the castor oil in the Tesla.”
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