Tesla Inc. is offering ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area, the birthplace of ride-sharing and where the EV maker has plenty of competition from services with drivers at the wheel as well as from self-driving cars.

California officials said that Tesla was not permitted to offer transportation to the public without a driver in a self-driving vehicle.

Opposition to Musk over his alliance with Trump, which has since ruptured in acrimony, caused many liberal Tesla owners in the US and Europe to express embarrassment with their vehicles. Some have even adorned their cars with anti-Musk stickers that feature slogans such as “Anti Elon Tesla Club” or “I Bought This Before Elon Went Crazy.”

With a potential asking price under $40,000, this skeletonized SUV could be the lifeline Tesla needs. Here’s what you’ll learn reading this story. For the first time, Tesla’s new affordable vehicle has been spotted in public.

The ‘Tesla backlash effect’ might be impacting the broader EV market. Elon Musk’s personal brand has taken a massive hit since the tech billionaire began aligning himself with a conservative base and publicly feuding with President Trump.