March 31, 2016
Tesla lives in the headlines, because it has a compelling story behind it. The man that established the company does not just have a vision for the future of his many companies, his vision blankets over humanity. Tesla is not even the most impressive company under his many hats, SpaceX is already the first private company to have stolen governmental contracts away from NASA. Elon Musk wants to use SpaceX to colonize Mars and make humanity (the first?) a multi-planetary species. The reason, I am sure, is because he (like many other scientists) believes earth is in hot water (pun intended), due to climate change melting our polar ice caps. Given the successes of SpaceX, it is clear, history will favor Mr. Musk due to his corporate altruism. Instead of being driven by a profit motive, he (claims at the very least) is more interested in the public welfare. If all goes according to plan, SpaceX will be mentioned in Mars history classes across the universe. In that vein, he aims to address the Climate Change issue with his motor company, so earth may also have a future. Tesla Motors is trying to combat rampant automobile pollution by creating a viable alternative to petroleum powered cars. Obviously, the automaker has already created two models that are exactly that, the problem is, those are produced in very low volumes. So, if that is the end of the story, Tesla Motors might not make the history books (though the internet will never forget). However, Tesla Motors is poised to do even more than being a side note of the history of a great man. The Model S is already one of the most iconic cars of this generation, second only to the hideous Prius. The Model X too has some clout behind it, though honestly, that is only because it is a tall Tesla Model S with crazy Gullwing doors. All of the effort up until now has been leading up to this moment. Anyone can make a one off low volume flagship, what gets automakers is the transition into high volume people peddlers. That is what made the Model T so impressive, it was the very first car to be mass produced and sold to average households. Unfortunately, for Henry Ford, the Model T was not what he had intended it to be. Tesla Motors is not only trying to recreate that icon’s success, but they are also trying to make the Model 3 into the eco icon Henry originally envisioned. The Model T will never be forgotten, however, if Tesla Motors delivers on their promise it will be outshone for the first time ever. Because, the Model 3 will not be an evolution of what was available like the Model T was, it will be a revolution that eradicates the established norms. That may sound like an exaggeration, but why would people buy a petroleum powered car, when an electric car is just as readily available. Instead of paying $50 or so every 2 weeks, inconveniencing themselves by going to fill up at a gas station; they could pay a fraction of that to charge their cars at home every night. Granted, there are more factors involved.