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What if everyone followed Sheryl Crow<\/strong>\u2019s lead? It\u2019s no surprise that the singer\u2014long an advocate<\/a> for environmental causes\u2014drives an electric vehicle. Or perhaps I should say \u201cdrove,\u201d as she announced Friday night that she\u2019s dumped her Tesla as a symbolic protest against company founder\/alleged wannabe world-emperor<\/a> Elon Musk<\/strong>, and donated the proceeds from its sale to National Public Radio.<\/p>\n In a video posted to Instagram<\/a>, the 1990s radio superstar<\/a> shared a brief video of a black Tesla loaded onto the back of a flatbed vehicle, with Andrea<\/a> Bocelli\u2019<\/a>s rendition of \u201cTime To Say Goodbye\u201d as a soundtrack. Sheryl Crow, dressed in a casual jacket and fatigue pants, waves from the street as the truck pulls away with the vehicle.<\/p>\n \u201cMy parents always said\u2026 you are who you hang out with,\u201d the caption of the post reads. \u201cThere comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long Tesla.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMoney donated to [NPR], which is under threat by President Musk, in hopes that the truth will continue to find its way to those willing to know the truth,\u201d the caption concluded, with a hashtag imploring followers to \u201cCall1-202-224-3141,\u201d the phone number for the US Senate switchboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time Crow has sold a vehicle as a fundraiser for a cause she supports. Speaking with Vanity Fair<\/em> in 2011<\/a>, the \u201cAll I Wanna Do\u201d singer discussed her decision to auction off her then ride, a 1959 Mercedes two-seater, to support schools in Joplin, Missouri, that were decimated during a deadly tornado<\/a> that year. \u201cMy first instinct was to say, \u2018Who can I get together to do a benefit concert?\u2019 she said of the 14-year-old disaster.\u201d But really, by the time you pay people\u2019s expenses and taxes, you don\u2019t wind up raising that much.\u201d<\/p>\n The one-time HSN salesperson<\/a> apparently switched to a Tesla sometime after that, apparently unswayed by then-arguments<\/a> from more conservative sectors that driving an electric vehicle is a sign of weakness. Remember those days, just a few years ago, when purchasing an electric vehicle was a signal of where one stood on the political spectrum, along with a backyard compost bin and an N95 mask within arm\u2019s reach?<\/p>\n But now we live in 2025, where the EV market\u2019s biggest groundbreaker<\/a> is impossible to separate from founder Elon Musk, a man known for alleged alignment with Nazis<\/a>, a vocal desire to destroy democracy<\/a>, and a distinct agenda against people who are transgender<\/a>, among many other troubling acts and opinions.<\/p>\n (The latter view might be of specific interest to Crow, who dated disgraced<\/a> and famously<\/a> anti-trans<\/a> athlete Lance Armstrong<\/strong> from 2003 to 2006, during which the couple were briefly engaged. \u201cIt\u2019s a part of my past, but it\u2019s hard for me to relate to it,\u201d Crow said in reference to the relationship in a 2021 interview<\/a> with Vanity Fair.<\/em> \u201cI just wish him well.\u201d)<\/p>\n Musk has also been a vocal opponent of NPR news for years, claiming in 2023 that the outlet was \u201cstate-controlled\u201d and threatening to reassign the outlet\u2019s Twitter handle to \u201canother company\u201d when contacted by a reporter<\/a>. In a tweet<\/a> earlier this month, the tech magnate, who is also partnered with<\/a> (or is controlling<\/a>, depending on who you ask) President Donald Trump<\/strong> as the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, said \u201cDefund NPR. It should survive on its own.\u201d<\/p>\n The bulk of National Public Radio\u2019s funding does not come from federal sources, though those grants are a notable portion of its support. In 2023, for example, about $32 million of NPR\u2019s $318 million budget came from public sources. (Audited financial statements for 2022, 2023, and 2024 are available<\/a> on NPR\u2019s website.)<\/p>\n Meanwhile, donations like Crow\u2019s make up about 13 percent of NPR’s revenue, while corporate donations account for around 36 percent. Just thing: if every<\/em> Tesla driver who was aghast at Musk’s behavior swapped their car for a more affordable EV, and dedicated the cash difference to a cause they support\u2026well, maybe that’s something<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n