Elon Musk has stated that his goal was to build the best car. On this very forum, there is vigorous debate over whether or not he's done it.
But that's not really his ultimate goal: his goal, exercised through the company Tesla Motors, is to change transportation in this country. It's to move us off dependence upon a costly and limited energy source to one that is renewable so that future generations can continue to enjoy the freedom of travelling locally and long distance with convenience and on demand.
Nikola Tesla, for whom the company was named, was a genius who also revolutionized the world with his inventions of the AC induction motor used in our Teslas, the invention of wireless transmission of energy by which I'm able to connect to all of you on my laptop, and the invention of radio (yes, Marconi stole this from him). Tesla was derided and chastised at each and every step, often by people who we think of as great inventors such as Thomas Edison. Just as Musk and Tesla are being challenged at every step by those critical of this change.
My point here is that revolution doesn't come easy. Inertia favors the status quo, and those making money in the status quo or for whom change is unwelcome will do whatever they can to stop the change and keep things the same.
Many of us on this Tesla Motors Forum and at the Tesla Motors Club forum may seem like crazed fan-boys in our zealous defense of Tesla Motors, but the reality is that we see the end game. We see that moving off fossil fuels has innumerable benefits, not the least of which are reducing pollution, reducing monthly bills, reducing the adverse health effects from the toxins released by combustion, reducing reliance on foreign countries, and increasing investment in American companies. Tesla's goal to populate the country with superchargers is a game-changer.
In the early days of automobile transportation, before a national highway system and after Henry Ford killed the electric car with his moving assembly line (an innovation that also changed the world), there were no gas stations. These began to pop up as people pushed the limits of the automobile technology of the time and began taking longer and longer trips. Over 3 decades, a network was built allowing transportation between cities and across vast stretches of the United States. When Tesla is successful with its supercharger network, they will have done this very thing in under 5 years, allowing for Tesla owners the ability to traverse the country at will. It's revolutionary.
For this and other reasons, we are zealous in our defense of the company and the amazing cars they have produced. We can see beyond the short term and realize that this is truly a revolution. Every revolution has its battles, and some of them are bloody. I fully expect Tesla to make a difference. A really positive difference in the lives of most Americans. So I will continue to defend the company against those who come onto its home turf and criticize things that don't matter to the overall goal of the revolution. I will continue to talk with anyone who will listen about how great my car is, and the company who seeks to take the difficult road to change our dependence on fossil fuels. I will continue to gladly take the jibes, stabs and slugs from people who are either too short-sighted, too weak, too self-absorbed, or too intertwined with the status quo to understand they are dragging the country down with their hatred.
100 years ago, internal combustion engine automobiles began making their way into the homes of the average American. 100 years from now, Tesla Motors will be seen as the turning point for our automotive industry, when Tesla Motors began making cars that were a pleasure to drive, did not rely on gasoline, and could be recharged quickly at sites across the country, many of which were powered by the infinitely renewable energy of the sun.
Discuss...
But that's not really his ultimate goal: his goal, exercised through the company Tesla Motors, is to change transportation in this country. It's to move us off dependence upon a costly and limited energy source to one that is renewable so that future generations can continue to enjoy the freedom of travelling locally and long distance with convenience and on demand.
Nikola Tesla, for whom the company was named, was a genius who also revolutionized the world with his inventions of the AC induction motor used in our Teslas, the invention of wireless transmission of energy by which I'm able to connect to all of you on my laptop, and the invention of radio (yes, Marconi stole this from him). Tesla was derided and chastised at each and every step, often by people who we think of as great inventors such as Thomas Edison. Just as Musk and Tesla are being challenged at every step by those critical of this change.
My point here is that revolution doesn't come easy. Inertia favors the status quo, and those making money in the status quo or for whom change is unwelcome will do whatever they can to stop the change and keep things the same.
Many of us on this Tesla Motors Forum and at the Tesla Motors Club forum may seem like crazed fan-boys in our zealous defense of Tesla Motors, but the reality is that we see the end game. We see that moving off fossil fuels has innumerable benefits, not the least of which are reducing pollution, reducing monthly bills, reducing the adverse health effects from the toxins released by combustion, reducing reliance on foreign countries, and increasing investment in American companies. Tesla's goal to populate the country with superchargers is a game-changer.
In the early days of automobile transportation, before a national highway system and after Henry Ford killed the electric car with his moving assembly line (an innovation that also changed the world), there were no gas stations. These began to pop up as people pushed the limits of the automobile technology of the time and began taking longer and longer trips. Over 3 decades, a network was built allowing transportation between cities and across vast stretches of the United States. When Tesla is successful with its supercharger network, they will have done this very thing in under 5 years, allowing for Tesla owners the ability to traverse the country at will. It's revolutionary.
For this and other reasons, we are zealous in our defense of the company and the amazing cars they have produced. We can see beyond the short term and realize that this is truly a revolution. Every revolution has its battles, and some of them are bloody. I fully expect Tesla to make a difference. A really positive difference in the lives of most Americans. So I will continue to defend the company against those who come onto its home turf and criticize things that don't matter to the overall goal of the revolution. I will continue to talk with anyone who will listen about how great my car is, and the company who seeks to take the difficult road to change our dependence on fossil fuels. I will continue to gladly take the jibes, stabs and slugs from people who are either too short-sighted, too weak, too self-absorbed, or too intertwined with the status quo to understand they are dragging the country down with their hatred.
100 years ago, internal combustion engine automobiles began making their way into the homes of the average American. 100 years from now, Tesla Motors will be seen as the turning point for our automotive industry, when Tesla Motors began making cars that were a pleasure to drive, did not rely on gasoline, and could be recharged quickly at sites across the country, many of which were powered by the infinitely renewable energy of the sun.
Discuss...
