What they’re trying to do is give you a number that they think compares more directly with the sticker price on an ICE truck.
They’re trying to say:
Okay, this truck costs $CYBER. and that looks like more than $RAM. But the ownership cost of $RAM is really $RAM + $GAS, and the cost of $CYBER is $CYBER + $ELECTRIC - $REFUND. And $CYBER + $ELECTRIC - $REFUND might be less than $RAM + $GAS. And Tesla would like you to notice that.
And Tesla’s mathemarketing geniuses said: ah, but if $CYBER + $ELECTRIC - $REFUND is less than $RAM + $GAS, then $CYBER + $ELECTRIC - $GAS - $REFUND would also be less than $RAM.
And since Dodge advertises the price of their truck as $RAM, Tesla thinks it’s only fair for them to advertise the ‘fair comparison’ price of their truck as $CYBER + $ELECTRIC - $GAS - $REFUND.
Which by some weird twisted logic makes sense, and the absolute difference in prices is somewhat meaningful, but it gives a misleading impression of the amount you’ll spend and the relative amount you’ll save.
Because it implies you’ll only end up spending $CYBER + $ELECTRIC - $GAS - $REFUND on your Tesla compared to $RAM on your Dodge. It feels like you’re saving $SAVINGS/$RAM.
But you’re actually going to spend $CYBER + $ELECTRIC - $REFUND (which is a bigger number than they are showing) compared to $RAM + $GAS on the Dodge (admittedly also not a number Dodge is advertising anywhere). And you’re actually only going to save $SAVINGS/($RAM + $GAS), which is a smaller proportional saving (remember we don’t know how big Tesla assumes $GAS is, only that they say $GAS - $ELECTRIC is $3000).
But it also assumes that what you’re going to do is follow their logic and take their ‘potential savings’ comparable price, and compare it to the sticker price on an ICE truck. Rather than look at that number and compare it to another truck and then apply your own estimated TCO differential to figure out the all in cost. In which case you’ll double count the TCO difference to Tesla’s benefit.
Because it's not free, it's $6000. It's fine to mention the two things together but rolling them into one figure is nonsense - expected operational savings don't have any impact on purchase price. In the context of the Tesla, the 'gas savings' are 1) an estimate based on a specific scenario and therefore not guaranteed, and 2) not materialised at the point of purchase; this is the difference between 'price' and 'cost'.
Try walking into a Tesla dealership, telling them you expect the car to save you $10,000 over its lifetime, and that you should therefore pay $10,000 less than the ticket price, and see what they say.
