Elon Musk, celebrated as a visionary behind Tesla’s electric vehicle (EV) success, is now accused of dismantling the very government support that fueled his rise, according to a scathing opinion piece in The Guardian by Christopher Marquis. Published today, the piece claims Musk is “pulling up the ladder” for other EV makers by leveraging his influence in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash critical subsidies and regulations.

Government Cash Paved Tesla’s Road to Success

Marquis, a management professor at the University of Cambridge, highlights Tesla’s reliance on public funds. In 2010, Tesla secured a $465 million low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program—equivalent to about $650 million in 2025 dollars after inflation. This lifeline kept Tesla afloat during its early struggles, enabling the Model S to thrive and the company to expand its manufacturing footprint. Additionally, Tesla earned billions through zero-emission vehicle credits, with 43% of its net income in the first nine months of 2024—roughly $1.2 billion—tied to these credits. Marquis argues this public support was crucial, noting that without it, “the company would have gone under,” as insiders told The Washington Post.

Slashing Support: A Blow to Emerging EV Makers

Now, as co-leader of DOGE alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk is pushing to dismantle renewable energy incentives and federal climate investments. Marquis points to Musk’s alignment with climate skeptics like Ramaswamy and Donald Trump, who have dismissed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns as “the devil.” These deregulatory plans could weaken emissions credit markets and make it harder for smaller EV companies to compete. For instance, the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, which Tesla once benefited from, is now at risk—potentially stifling innovation for startups lacking Tesla’s scale.

Hypocrisy or Strategy? Musk’s Dual Role in Public Funding

While Musk calls for reducing “waste,” his companies continue to benefit from government contracts. SpaceX, another Musk venture, has secured over $17 billion in federal awards since 2015, including NASA contracts and taxpayer-funded Starlink deployments in Ukraine. Marquis calls this a contradiction, arguing that Musk’s push to limit public spending conveniently spares his own empire while leaving competitors vulnerable. This selective approach, Marquis warns, could reshape the EV industry by favoring established players like Tesla over new entrants.

Climate Denial Casts a Shadow on EV Growth

Marquis also critiques Musk’s newfound climate skepticism, noting Tesla’s success was partly due to federal and state governments treating climate change as an emergency. Regulatory frameworks, like emissions credits, made Tesla profitable by rewarding its zero-emission vehicles. Yet Musk’s current stance—supporting deregulation that allows polluting industries to ignore environmental rules—threatens to undo this progress. For EV owners and enthusiasts, this could mean a tougher road ahead, with fewer incentives to drive adoption and a potential rollback of charging infrastructure investments.

EVXL’s Take: A Wake-Up Call for the EV Community

At EVXL, we see Marquis’s opinion as a stark reminder of the EV industry’s roots in collective effort—not just individual brilliance. Musk’s story resonates with many of us who’ve cheered Tesla’s role in making EVs mainstream, but this critique hits hard. Imagine a new EV maker with a game-changing battery design, unable to get off the ground because the $7,500 tax credit is gone. The irony stings: the same system that gave us the Model 3 might now block the next big thing. For EV enthusiasts, this isn’t just about Musk—it’s about ensuring the road stays open for everyone chasing a cleaner future.