Ellsworth

Elon Musk Said something like 'So goes Norway, so goes the rest of the world.'

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Ellsworth
, 07-20-2025 at 06:04 AM (133 Views)
Elon Musk said, "As goes Norway, so goes the rest of the world." Because Norway hit 97% EVs

Quote Originally Posted by Paul Harvey voice
Now, the rest of the story.
Ok, not 'the rest,' but it's more to think about.

  • Norway has about the same population as the US state Maryland.
  • About 70% of Norwegians own cars, compared to 92% of Americans. Imagine over 30% fewer cars being sold in America.
  • Norway was the first country to adopt universal healthcare in 1966, they started to fight for universal healthcare around 1900 (let that sink in?).
  • Norway has a larger immigrant population than the United States, percent of population wise, and perhaps connected to that fact they also have a slightly higher birth rate.
  • The vehicle ownership rates in Norway have started to drop, a small dip or the start of a trend. Autonomous driving has hardly started, and there's a great chance car ownership rates will drop significantly as autonomous driving / car sharing increases.
  • Here's a glance at Norway's wealth disparity issue... randomly chosen link (like all the links I use, 'deliberately chosen' yet also 'genuinely random' or as much so as one can experience using 'search engines') "Is economic inequality in Norway really as bad as in the UK and France? '10% [of Norway's population] own 60% of the wealth.'"

And then there's the fact that 'generally speaking,' Norway is a very liberal country, Musk is not. So goes California, so goes America... he left California.

But I can't judge the guy too harshly, part of his job is to get clicks and as a soundbite it clearly worked. I just looked up some data.

__________________________________________

I wrote the above content yesterday, and this morning a new thought occurred to me.

WAR / conflict and trade embargoes might be a contributing factor to Norway's rapid adoption of EVs.

"These charts show Europe’s reliance on gas before the war in Ukraine"
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022...ortage-russia/

"Norway plans 'historic increase' in defense spending of $56B over next 12 years"
https://www.foxnews.com/world/norway...g-56b-12-years

America has 7.9% EV sales per year.

If there's a middle east oil embargo, how will we fare?

Will we fare as well as we are facing rare earth tariffs?

It might be a great time to buy an electric vehicle.* For American families that own more than one vehicle, where traditionally both have been internal combustion, perhaps it's time for a set that doesn't match.**

* A question, not a statement.
** A question, not a statement.

Edited to add: Norway seems to have been bitcoin friendly from early on, and they have recently placed a temporary ban on bitcoin mining to conserve electricity.
California is unarguably bitcoin friendly, from a business/class/cohort containing geo region perspective.
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  1. Ellsworth's Avatar
    https://www.foxla.com/news/in-n-out-...out-california

    Recently it was announced that In N Out is moving from California to Tennessee.

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Harvey voice
    Now, the rest of the story.
    Ok, not 'the rest,' but it's more to think about.

    • Tennessee has one of the highest drug addiction rates in the country.
    • Tennessee ranks in the lower half of the education statistics, over 27 states rank above it.
    • Tennessee ranks 40th out of all US States for healthcare.
    • Tennessee ranks poorly in regards to public parks and public spaces
    • Tennessee does have a lower unemployment rate than the national average
    • Tennessee will save the company and the employees that move there a lot of money. It'll shave about 50% off the majority of expenses give or take, compared to many other states
    • Tennessee has one of the highest rates of religious participation (74%).
    • Tennessee has one of the highest violent crime rates in America -- yet with the drugs and violence, it has a lower than average incarceration rate.
    • Tennessee has a high unsolved crime rate.
    • Tennessee has one of the highest rates of domestic violence.

    In N Out might not do an in and out regarding their move to Tennessee, but they might.

    Pick the 'right' location within the state, have the right resources, and none of the above matters to a person because they won't see it. And a company is a person, right?

    Perhaps In N Out will be a magnanimous corporate donor to causes within Tennessee, and help fix the major issues described above. Perhaps they will donate more to worthy causes within Tennessee every year, than they will be saving every year by moving out of California.

    Disclaimer, I'm not pro or anti Tennessee or any individual US state, or at least I try not to be biased. And the state of a State now, isn't the state of a State later (see the two 'perhaps' comments directly above. How In-N-Out's social experiment works out is anyone's guess, it's a pinky toe presence in regards to actual employees and an outsized presence in regards to political funding).

    I will likely be buying an In-N-Out burger every time I drive by their new WA location.     I have no desire to visit their three story mega restaurant in Las Vegas, awe shucks.

    Edited to add:
    "In-N-Out heiress clarifies burger chain’s relocation to Tennessee"
    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/gene...ee/ar-AA1J9JNX

    Is there an Indian reservation in Tennessee?
    Are there any Indian reservations in Tennessee?