My Mom’s Independence and the Global EV Race

What having a Tesla has taught me about safety, dignity, and U.S. competitiveness.

I bought a used Tesla because air pollution is a hidden killer. It turns out, it’s the best car I’ve ever driven.

I bought my Tesla because I wanted a cleaner choice. What I didn’t expect was that it would fundamentally change how I, and my family, think about driving itself. This machine, chosen for its tailpipe emissions (zero), has become the most capable, advanced, and empowering vehicle I’ve ever owned.

That empowerment hit home when my mom lost the vision in one eye last year. Facing the devastating prospect of giving up her independence, we discovered her world didn’t have to shrink. Tesla’s design—with its panoramic view from cameras around the entire car, displayed on a large, central monitor—gave her the spatial awareness she lacked. She could safely check blind spots, navigate parking lots, and see cross-traffic with clarity the mirrors in her standard sedan couldn’t provide. For her, this wasn’t a fancy tech feature; it was a lifeline to normalcy.

Now, while visiting her, we’re testing the latest Full Self-Driving (Beta) software. Watching the car merge into traffic and navigate obstacles, I see a potential key to my mother’s continued freedom. She’s started avoiding trips to the senior center and her hairdresser, not because she can’t drive, but because the anxiety of unpredictable traffic is too much. This assisted-driving technology promises a future where she could regain that confidence. The mission to reduce air pollution has, in my family, unexpectedly become a mission to preserve dignity and independence.

A Global Race We Can’t Afford to Lose

Because of this personal experience, the transition to electric vehicles is no longer a speculative environmental bet; it’s a tangible leap in safety, capability, and software-driven innovation. Yet, as an American, I’m concerned. The U.S., home to pioneers like Tesla and adventurous innovators like Rivian, is losing its early lead in the global EV race.

The competition is no longer just about cars; it’s about industrial ecosystems. China’s BYD, now the global leader in EV sales, is part of a vertically integrated empire that controls everything from mines to batteries to the final product, backed by long-term state strategy (CNN, 2024). In Europe, giants like Volkswagen and Volvo are executing aggressive, government-backed transitions. These companies aren’t just making electric cars; they’re building the supply chains and manufacturing scale that define the new auto age.

Why Tesla’s Innovation Isn’t Enough for America to Lead

Tesla’s genius proved the market and forced the world to change. But one company’s innovation cannot secure an entire nation’s industrial future. The U.S. is faltering on the foundational elements: a secure, domestic battery supply chain and consistent, long-term policy. While the Inflation Reduction Act was a crucial step to onshore production, we are years behind Asia in mineral refining and battery cell manufacturing (IEA, 2023). Furthermore, the political polarization of EVs in the U.S. creates a dangerous uncertainty that China and Europe don’t face, chilling investment and consumer adoption.

The Stakes in My Mom’s Driveway

For my mother, and for all of us, this lag has profound implications:

• Declining EV manufacturing leadership threatens our industrial heartland and ties a critical technology to geopolitical rivals.

• Without a competitive EV market here, the pace of advancements in safety and accessibility—like the features that help my mom—could slow.

• Americans have fewer affordable, cutting-edge models to choose from. It is sad that Americans can no longer access certain car manufactures at all. 

  
  

The vehicle that preserves my mother’s independence was born from American ingenuity. The question is whether we will build the future around it, or let other nations drive us all toward a destination of their own design.

SOURCES[1] CNN, “BYD overtakes Tesla as world’s top‐selling EV maker,” January 2026. Link

[2] International Energy Agency (IEA), Global EV Outlook 2023 — electric vehicle trends, supply chains, and policy developments. Link

[3] Congressional Research Service, Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA): Provisions Related to Climate Change (includes transportation and EV incentives context). Link