I also moved to Melbourne recently, and my theory is that the love of trams is inertia from a time where congestion wasn't so bad.
I prefer to walk within the city loop, but both activities would be so much faster and more pleasant without the cars.
There are quite a few Teslas that drive around here with wanky number plates like they're doing the world a favor, which in a city with such usable public transport always makes me cringe.
You're not doing anything wrong by driving a Tesla, and it's preferable to an ICE.
But you aren't doing more for the environment than someone who only takes public transport, which is practical and quite common here.
Keep in mind that you only have a 25 minute drive because so many other people are taking public transport, if it was ripped out you'd have a much longer commute so it is very practical for you, albeit indirectly.
> That 40 minutes a day is very valuable to me
Depending on how crowded the tram/train is that 40 minutes can usable time with a smartphone or laptop, it's not in a car.
I have never been in any train or tram that has anywhere near enough room to use a laptop. In peak hours I try to even avoid using my phone - there's simply not enough room to have a raised hand near your face without the hand also being in someone else's face.
The long-distance trains (like the Quiet Carraiges to Geelong) have more room, and in Perth I could use a laptop for the first ~30min of my journey before the train filled up.
Outside of peak hours is an entirely different story.
To each their own. I'd always take train, even if I couldn't use the time for anything.