There may not be a bigger advocate for electric vehicles than Elon Musk.
The Tesla CEO's line of electric vehicles continues to make strides, and the billionaire even suggested to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) last December to allow Volkswagen to forgo its massive emissions recall in exchange for allowing the automaker to switch to zero-emissions.
So, to say he's a proponent of electric vehicles surpassing gas-powered cars and SUVs on the road someday would be a huge understatement.
That explains why he publicly responded to a Huffington Post article about Koch Industries reportedly ready to shell out about $10 million dollars per year to increase petroleum-based fuels with a simple but efficient "Sigh" on Twitter early Friday morning.
About an hour later, Musk additionally tweeted: "Worth noting that all gasoline cars are heavily subsidized via oil company tax credits & unpaid public health costs."
The Huffington Post story revealed that a Koch Industries board member and seasoned Washington energy lobbyist are collaborating to fund a group to promote the advocacy for fossil fuels. That shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the Kochs' fortune was largely built on fossil fuels.
The media outlet reported that once the new group is launched — although there doesn't seem to be a specific time table on a possible date — they'll push pro-petroleum messages through the media to "make the public aware of all the benefits of petroleum-based transportation fuels," an industry source requesting anonymity told the Huffington Post.
Needless to say, they're concerned with the continued growth of electric vehicles, especially given the fact that Koch Industries is still so heavily invested in fuels.
"They're worried about state and community subsidies," the source added. "In 20 years, electric vehicles could have a substantial foothold in the U.S. market."
According to Huff Post, electric vehicles consist of one percent of automobiles in the United States, but that's expected to increase to as much as five percent in 2025. Likely to add to that number is the government's involvement, in the form of tax breaks being offered to potential car owners willing to go electric.
