Tesla and his followers

自上一期文章发表（见：当心车内"第二决策者"：人机对抗造成的刹车风险）以来，特斯拉发布了新的评论："对于某些功能，有必要加强消费者教育，比如与驾校或交通部门的合作。让我们了解新车的使用情况，让消费者在使用环节避免误操作

Since the last issue of the article published (see: beware of the "second decision maker" in the car: the brake risk caused by man-machine confrontation), Tesla has released a new comment: "for some functions, it is necessary to strengthen consumer education, such as cooperation with driving schools or transportation departments. Let us understand the use of new cars, so that consumers in the use of the link to avoid misoperation

这句话让特斯拉又一次热搜：大家都怀疑特斯拉的宣传策略是否有问题。但我不认为特斯拉的宣传策略有任何问题-相反，这是一个非常准确的"宗教营销"。

This remark makes Tesla another hot search: everyone doubts whether there is something wrong with Tesla's propaganda strategy. But I don't think there is any problem with Tesla's propaganda strategy - on the contrary, it is a very accurate "religious marketing".

这种"宗教营销"源于特斯拉总部，其实质是利用美国基督教原教旨主义者的传教手段，以对待宗教信徒的方式对待顾客。我们不妨考虑一下宗教的三个特点，并将其与特斯拉所使用的营销方法相结合。

This kind of "religious marketing" originated from Tesla's headquarters, and its essence is to use the missionary means of American Christian fundamentalists to treat customers in the way of treating religious believers. We might as well consider the three characteristics of religion and combine them with the marketing methods used by Tesla.

首先，特斯拉应该强调自己的优势。一个人的宗教必须远远优于其他宗教，才能吸引更多的信徒。否则，人们将无所事事。他们为什么买你的车来加入你的宗教？

First of all, Tesla should emphasize its own advantages. One's own religion must be far superior to other religions in order to attract more believers. Otherwise, people will have nothing to do. Why do they buy your car to join your religion?

于是，特斯拉的优势就变成了车主的优势。通过一系列具有门槛的形式和仪式，特斯拉对其他宗教的优越性转化为信徒对普通人的优越性。

Then, Tesla's superiority becomes the superiority of car owners. Through a series of forms and rituals with threshold, Tesla's superiority over other religions is transferred to the superiority of believers over ordinary people.

最后，是时候让信徒为他们的信仰付出代价了。这一点在美国尤为突出：快速灌注桩不符合国家标准，需要额外付费；为特斯拉游说当地政府也是信徒义不容辞的责任。

Finally, it's time for believers to pay for their faith. This point is particularly prominent in the United States: the fast filling pile is not compatible with the national standard and requires additional payment; It is also incumbent upon believers to lobby the local government for Tesla's sake.

但问题是，这种模式是否普遍适用？

But the question is, is this model universally applicable?

第一步：强调自己"远远优于其他品牌"

Step 1: emphasize that you are "far better than other brands"

熟悉特斯拉措辞的读者可以发现，特斯拉一直试图强调自动驾驶仪是"自动驾驶"。

Readers familiar with Tesla's diction can find that Tesla had been trying to emphasize that autopilot was "autonomous driving".

这种将特斯拉内化为一种生活方式的做法，对于普通车主来说显然是难以想象的：这些车主共同拥有的"生活方式"和"人生价值"可以用任何一辆车来实现，即使是乘坐公共交通工具，甚至是双腿走路。

This practice of internalizing Tesla into a lifestyle is obviously inconceivable to ordinary car owners: the "lifestyle" and "life value" shared by these car owners can be achieved with any car, even with public transportation, or even walking on both legs.

但正如逻辑上明显谬误的"宗教通向善"这句话可以被信徒视为标准一样，"特斯拉是一种新的生活方式"被特斯拉车主视为标准也就不足为奇了。同时，正如宗教为传教目的举行大型集会，建议信徒邀请尚未信教的朋友参加一样，特斯拉也举行了许多大型集会，邀请车主分享特斯拉的经历。

But just as the saying "religion leads to goodness", which is obviously fallacious in logic, can be regarded as the standard by believers, it is not surprising that "Tesla is a new way of life" is regarded as the standard by Tesla owners. At the same time, just as religions hold large-scale gatherings for missionary purposes and suggest believers to invite friends who have not yet been religious to participate, Tesla also holds many large-scale gatherings to invite car owners to share Tesla's experience.

换句话说，"特斯拉车主"已经成为一个宗教标签。接下来，我们需要使这个标签具有一定的优势。

In other words, "Tesla owner" has become a religious label. Next, we need to make this label have certain advantages.

这就是为什么特斯拉发表了"加强消费者教育，让人们知道如何使用新车"这样的惊人言论。虽然在普通人看来，这很无聊，但在现有的特斯拉追随者看来，却构成了一条完整的"自夸"逻辑链条："特斯拉是新车，不是人人都会开"——"我会开特斯拉"——"我比普通人优越"。

That's why Tesla made such astonishing remarks as "to strengthen consumer education and let people know how to use new cars". Although in the eyes of ordinary people, it's very boring, but in the eyes of existing followers of Tesla, it constitutes a complete logic chain of "boasting": "Tesla is a new car, not everyone can drive" -- "I can drive Tesla" -- "I'm superior to ordinary people.".

这种逻辑链条对于开传统豪车的人来说似乎几乎是不合理的，但它生动地体现了"精神鸦片"的含义——宗教以这种形式给信徒制造了一种虚假的优越感，让信徒进一步团结在自己身边，更好地攫取信徒的血肉财富。

This kind of logic chain seems almost unreasonable to people who drive traditional luxury cars, but it vividly reflects the meaning of "spiritual opium" -- religion creates a false sense of superiority for believers in this form, so that believers can further unite around themselves and better capture the flesh and blood wealth of believers.

例如，大多数宗教中使用的语言都很难理解，往往涉及复杂的关系（或多或少涉及几千年前的语言），因此研究宗教经典本身就可以成为一门科学。

For example, the language used in most religions is very difficult to understand, often involving complex relationships (and more or less involving the language of thousands of years ago), so that the study of religious classics itself can become a science.

原因是显而易见的——对于信徒来说，为了学习宗教经典而学习特殊知识（和语言），或者为了开特斯拉汽车而改变驾驶习惯，都会产生一种莫名的优越感——"我可以学习某某知识，说某某语言（我可以开车，我买得起特斯拉汽车）"，与普通人不同，他们比普通人优越。

The reason is obvious - for believers, learning special knowledge (and language) in order to study religious classics, or changing their driving habits in order to drive a Tesla car will produce an inexplicable sense of superiority - "I can learn so and so knowledge and speak so and so language (I can drive, I can afford a Tesla car),", Unlike ordinary people, they are superior to ordinary people. ".

这种优越感的存在，使得特斯拉只要降低自己的门槛，就能获得大量不允许进入的追随者。

The existence of this sense of superiority enables Tesla to obtain a large number of followers who were not allowed to enter as long as it lowered its own threshold.

正因如此，特斯拉在积累了大量s/x车型的追随者（以及他们的个人资料）之后，借机推出了3/Y车型：3/Y车型就可以在s/x车型上建立一种优越感，吸引购买力不足以购买s/x的车主。

That's why Tesla, after accumulating a large number of followers (and their personal data) in model s / x, took the opportunity to launch model 3 / Y: Model 3 / y can then build a sense of superiority in model s / X to attract car owners whose purchasing power is not enough to buy s / X.

第三步：向信徒征收"宗教税"

Step 3: collect "religious tax" from believers

特斯拉的特殊"快速填充桩"就是其中之一。

Tesla's special "quick filling pile" is one of them.

与在中国和欧盟销售的特斯拉汽车不同，特斯拉汽车根据当地法律的要求使用标准接口（或提供适配器），而在美国销售的特斯拉汽车则使用专用接口。这个接口及其附带的电气规格与标准规格完全不兼容，因此北美的特斯拉车主在户外充电时必须使用专门的"特斯拉过充"，或者花几百美元购买"适配器"。

Unlike Tesla cars sold in China and the European Union, which use standard interfaces (or provide adapters) as required by local laws, Tesla cars sold in the United States use a dedicated interface. This interface and its attached electrical specifications are completely incompatible with the standard specifications, so Tesla owners in North America must use a special "Tesla overcharge" when charging outside, or buy "adapter" for hundreds of dollars.

在中国，特斯拉车主要想解锁最快的快速充电，还必须使用"特斯拉超值充电"而不是国家标准的超值充电规范。

In China, if Tesla owners want to unlock the fastest fast charging, they must also use "Tesla overcharge" instead of national standard overcharge specifications.

这也解释了为什么在南昌充电事件中，特斯拉下意识地把锅留给了国家电网。尽管当时这些车辆都是靠自己的过充电桩充电，但他们试图在媒体上渲染国家电网的负面形象，这可能会对国家电网及其国标充电桩网络造成打击，从而鼓励用户更多地去自己的充电点系统。尽管在老百姓看来，特斯拉的乱收费也是国家电网（或中国南方电网）的电堆，电堆的收费是特斯拉车主直接的"宗教税"，但更神秘、更可笑的事情还是要来。

This also explains why Tesla subconsciously left the pot to the State Grid during the Nanchang charging incident. Although the vehicles were charging on their own overcharge piles at that time, they tried to play up the negative image of the State Grid in the media, which could strike a blow to the State Grid and its national standard charging pile network, So as to encourage users to go more to their own charging point system. Although it seems to ordinary people that Tesla's overcharge is also the electricity pile of the State Grid (or China Southern Power Grid) and the charge of the pile is a direct "religious tax" for Tesla owners, the more mysterious and ridiculous things are still to come.

特斯拉长期以来一直采用一种叫做"目的地收费"的布局模式：与加油站往往位于人烟稀少的地方不同，特斯拉往往在商场等人流密集的地方设置多收费桩。在中国，特斯拉的多收费现象经常出现在百货公司、酒店或写字楼的地下车库里。

Tesla has long adopted a layout mode called "destination charging": unlike gas stations, which are often located in sparsely populated places, Tesla tends to place overcharge piles in shopping malls and other crowded places. In China, Tesla's overcharge can often be found in the underground garage of department stores, hotels or office buildings.

这种布局模式使得居住在郊区的车主要么在自己家中使用慢速充电，要么为了使用快速充电而将车开到商业地产网站。同时，为了获得"设立特斯拉充电桩"的权利，商业地产网站需要为特斯拉提供专门的停车位、广告位等实实在在的费用。然而，对于商业地产而言，与"特斯拉充电桩"的成本相比，吸引特斯拉标榜为"高购买力"的消费者更为重要。

This kind of layout mode makes the car owners who live in the suburbs either use slow charging in their own homes or drive their cars to commercial real estate sites in order to use fast charging. At the same time, in order to obtain the right to "set up Tesla charging pile", commercial real estate sites need to provide Tesla with special parking spaces, advertising spaces and other real costs. However, for commercial real estate, compared with the cost of "setting up Tesla charging pile", attracting consumers labeled as "high purchasing power" by Tesla is the more important thing to consider.

这种模式类似于某些宗教对生活方式的要求——如果你想与宗教信徒做生意，就必须向宗教组织缴纳某种形式的宗教税。当然，这种宗教税总是"羊毛出於羊"，最终转嫁给信教群众。假设这是另一种税收形式。

This model is similar to the lifestyle requirements of some religions - if you want to do business with religious believers, you have to pay some form of religious tax to religious organizations. Of course, this kind of religious tax is always "the wool comes from the sheep", which is ultimately passed on to the religious believers. Let's say it is another form of tax.

换言之，特斯拉的这种方式让特斯拉车主与"特斯拉生活方式"及其源源不断的现金流联系在一起——与传统车主投保后甚至不想去4S店不同，特斯拉车主与特斯拉在日常生活中的互动以及向特斯拉缴纳的税款显然要频繁得多。

In other words, this way of Tesla makes Tesla owners tied to the "Tesla lifestyle" and its continuous cash flow -- different from the traditional car owners who don't even want to go to 4S stores after being insured, the interaction between Tesla owners and Tesla in their daily life and the taxes paid to Tesla are obviously much more frequent.

在美国，特斯拉变得越来越虔诚

In the United States, Tesla is becoming more and more religious

特斯拉还利用这种宗教式的销售方式来加强对车主的控制。例如，特斯拉早在2016年就提出，任何由25名以上特斯拉车友组成的"特斯拉汽车俱乐部"必须获得官方认证，才能获得品牌商标授权。

Tesla also uses this religious style of sales to strengthen its control over car owners. For example, Tesla proposed as early as 2016 that any "Tesla car club" composed of more than 25 Tesla car friends must obtain official certification in order to obtain the authorization of brand trademark.

该认证条款对特斯拉车主有很多限制：一是"汽车俱乐部必须协助公司遏制知识产权侵权和/或未经授权和/或非法数据泄露"。这一条款被美国业界批评为限制参加该协会的车主改装或修理自己的车辆。

There are many restrictions on Tesla owners in this certification clause: one is that "car club must assist the company in curbing intellectual property infringement and / or unauthorized and / or illegal data leakage". This clause has been criticized by the American industry as restricting car owners who have participated in the association from refitting or repairing their own vehicles.

与此同时，特斯拉还试图利用车主来改变一些事情——比如政府政策和舆论。在认证条款中，业主必须同意应公司要求参与游说工作。同时，业主协会还必须帮助控制舆论，即删除或反击那些"以负面形象描绘特斯拉"的帖子。

At the same time, Tesla is also trying to use car owners to change things - such as government policy and public opinion. In the certification clause, the owner will have to agree to participate in the lobbying work at the request of the company. At the same time, the owners association must also help control public opinion, that is, delete or counterattack those posts that "portray Tesla in a negative image".

毫无疑问，特斯拉已经认识到了追随者的特点：一方面，他们不是不懂得修理的机械专家，或者他们害怕高压电线，所以他们不在乎是否允许自己修理车辆；另一方面，请他们帮忙游说，可以增强信徒"宗教所需"的优越感，增强宗教在"共同做事"过程中的凝聚力。

There is no doubt that Tesla has recognized the characteristics of its followers: on the one hand, they are not mechanical experts who don't know how to repair, or they are afraid of high-voltage wires, so they don't care whether they are allowed to repair their own vehicles; On the other hand, asking them to help lobby can enhance the believers' sense of superiority of being "needed by religion" and increase the cohesion of religion in the process of "doing things together".

因此，在2021年3月，特斯拉通过其网站engage Tesla进一步宣传了这种方式。在这个平台上，特斯拉直接要求信徒就与自身（或新能源汽车产业）发展相关的话题和法案游说当地决策者：康涅狄格州是否禁止直销？大厅！纽约州不再有商店了？大厅！路易斯安那州不给保养费？大厅！

Therefore, in March 2021, Tesla further publicized this way through its website engage Tesla. On this platform, Tesla directly asks believers to lobby its local decision-makers on topics and bills related to its own (or new energy vehicle industry) development: is direct sales prohibited in Connecticut? Lobby! No more stores in New York State? Lobby! Louisiana doesn't give maintenance? Lobby!

例如，记者约翰娜·克里德（Johnna Crider）为清洁新闻网站cleantechnica工作，也是特斯拉的所有者和股东。利用职务之便，他发表了一封致路易斯安那州政府的公开信：请于2021年4月20日在路易斯安那州保留特斯拉的服务中心，在短短的一段中，他展示了特斯拉的宗教本质

For example, reporter Johnna Crider works for cleantechnica, a clean news website, and is also a Tesla owner and shareholder. Taking advantage of his position, he published an open letter to the government of Louisiana: please keep Tesla's service center in Louisiana on April 20, 2021. In a short paragraph, he showed the religious essence of Tesla

爱德华兹州长，请不要背弃那些关心环境并希望在我们州的环境目标上与你结盟的公民州长，请您不要拒绝我们的请求；

Please, Governor Edwards, don't turn your back on your citizens who care about the environment and want to ally with you on your environmental goals for our state.――州长，请您不要拒绝我们的请求；

特斯拉车主是清洁能源、电动汽车和我们环境的最大倡导者之一特斯拉车主是最拥护环保的人；

Tesla owners are some of the loudest advocates for clean energy, EVs, and our environment.――特斯拉车主是最拥护环保的人；

由埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）领导的特斯拉品牌是唯一真正关心从化石燃料转向可持续交通的汽车制造商特斯拉是唯一想着可持续交通的品牌。

Tesla, the brand, which is led by Elon Musk, is the only automaker that truly cares about moving from fossil fuels to sustainable mobility.――特斯拉是唯一想着可持续交通的品牌。

这句话充满了信徒们对"特斯拉信仰"的自豪和信念。也就是说，特斯拉花了十年时间在美国建立了一个完整的"特斯拉信仰"，并开始从信仰中获得一些"宗教税"。

This statement is full of believers' pride and belief in "Tesla faith". In other words, Tesla has spent ten years to establish a complete "Tesla faith" in the United States, and began to obtain some "religious taxes" from the faith.

特斯拉正试图将这种信仰复制到中国和其他地方——但这些地方似乎没有如此强大的宗教土壤。

Tesla is trying to replicate this belief to China and other places - but it seems that these places do not have such strong religious soil.

Link：https://new.qq.com/omn/20210531/20210531A0BU6Z00.html

update time：2021-05-31 18:56:41