This is the post I needed to see today, and from Popular Mechanics it makes it that much sweeter.
The Tesla Roadster gave me hope back when I was younger and despairing over the soaring prices of gas. I loved cars, but how could I justify spending so much damn money on fuel each weekend while driving my local canyon roads? Not to mention the nasty effects that gas-powered cars have on the environment and on people's general health. Electric and hybrid cars -- the obvious (to me) evolution of the car -- were dull and pathetic, which meant that owning a fun, fast, well-handling car would be a thing my parents enjoyed but I could not. Wanna be a modern gearhead? Forgetaboutit.
THEN I saw an article about some guy with a company named after a pioneer of electricity supply systems who had an electric car that was designed in part by Lotus and was fast. I was over the moon. Who cares that its price tag was way beyond my reach? The point was that technology would eventually become common place and trickle down to me.
Hope is a precious commodity. Elon Musk and his first Tesla roadster gave me hope, and then sprinkled in some joy, and added a bit of optimism and excitement about the future. Classify me as a fanboy or cultist if you want, and I'll wear that label proudly. I don't see any other billionaires out there trying to solve problems beyond "how do I effectively shelter this income stream from the IRS?" So, quit picking on the guy and let him do his thing. Eventually we'll all benefit.
The Tesla Roadster gave me hope back when I was younger and despairing over the soaring prices of gas. I loved cars, but how could I justify spending so much damn money on fuel each weekend while driving my local canyon roads? Not to mention the nasty effects that gas-powered cars have on the environment and on people's general health. Electric and hybrid cars -- the obvious (to me) evolution of the car -- were dull and pathetic, which meant that owning a fun, fast, well-handling car would be a thing my parents enjoyed but I could not. Wanna be a modern gearhead? Forgetaboutit.
THEN I saw an article about some guy with a company named after a pioneer of electricity supply systems who had an electric car that was designed in part by Lotus and was fast. I was over the moon. Who cares that its price tag was way beyond my reach? The point was that technology would eventually become common place and trickle down to me.
Hope is a precious commodity. Elon Musk and his first Tesla roadster gave me hope, and then sprinkled in some joy, and added a bit of optimism and excitement about the future. Classify me as a fanboy or cultist if you want, and I'll wear that label proudly. I don't see any other billionaires out there trying to solve problems beyond "how do I effectively shelter this income stream from the IRS?" So, quit picking on the guy and let him do his thing. Eventually we'll all benefit.