E-Paper
CEO cancels order for 15 Tesla cars, says he’ll buy European EVs at higher cost
French entrepreneur Romain Roy, CEO of the Roy Energie Group, has canceled an order for 15 Tesla electric vehicles (EVs).
French entrepreneur Romain Roy, CEO of the Roy Energie Group, has canceled an order for 15 Tesla electric vehicles (EVs), choosing instead to purchase European-made models despite an additional cost of €150,000 ($164,000). This decision reflects a growing movement in Europe to boycott American products in response to US President Donald Trump's policies and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's controversial actions, reported Fortune.
Roy, for one, is exasperated by Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s comments and the US administration’s stance on environmental policies. Besides serving as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk is also head of the US Department of Government Efficiency and is one of Trump’s closest and most vocal supporters.
“They won’t get my dollars”
Roy's company, specializing in photovoltaic panels, had incorporated Tesla vehicles into its fleet for several years. However, the political landscape of the US has made him reconsider this year.
“Last November, we purchased around thirty electric vehicles, including 15 Teslas. In January, I decided to cancel the Tesla order,” the French CEO was quoted as saying by La Republica.
“They [Tesla] weren't very happy. But in life, you have to know how to position yourself,” he explained.
Roy did not mince words in criticising Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
“They're screwing with the environment. They're cowboys, they won't get my dollars,” he said. “We have to fight their moralizing about the environment, about Europe. The United States wants to wage a trade war, notably with higher customs tariffs. I'm stopping supporting that regime through purchases.
“They only have money on their lips; they don't think about the environment,” he said.
This sentiment is part of a broader European trend of boycotting American goods. In Denmark, a movement has emerged to boycott US products, fueled by Trump's aggressive foreign policy stances, including threats to annex Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Gaza. Danish citizens are actively seeking alternatives to American brands, leading to a noticeable decline in Tesla sales and a surge in the popularity of European products.
In Germany and France, Tesla dealerships have been attacked and Tesla sales have fallen dramatically. London, meanwhile, has been plastered with anti-Musk posters, comparing the superbillionaire to a Nazi.
(Also read: Elon Musk gets ripped apart in posters across London: ‘Goes from 0 to 1939 in 3 seconds’)
