The man in front of us unbuttoning the top two buttons of his white shirt with a quick motion. He is worth $ 9 billion according to Forbes magazine.
Elon Musk can, sloppily put, do what he wants, and he was once based payment service Pay-Pal are now trying to revolutionize the automotive and aerospace industries. At the same time.
He takes a sip of the rippling water in the drinking glass, watching SvD Enterprise’s envoy and says:
– What can we do better? What are we doing wrong?
We are in Tesla’s temporary supply premises close to the severely delayed major airport in Berlin. A black shadow falls into the room from a window, a bilsiluett slowly whizzing past us on the other side of the wall. It’s the new Tesla Model S four-wheel drive and 700 elhästar now being launched.
– I want to show that electric cars are not slow golf carts that have hardly any scope.
But What is your vision of Tesla?
– forcing the introduction of electric cars and sustainable transport, he says quickly.
And he has a concrete goal, and it is beyond vitriolic sports and luxury cars.
– I told my girlfriend at the outset that the goal is to create a cheap electric car with a long reach. Had we been able to do that from day one we had done it. Now it is three years away.
To reach the the smaller electric car chiselled out a business plan back in 2004. It had four steps. First launch an expensive sports car, then a four-door luxury car which was still expensive, but did more – it is the current Model S. It took the established luxury car manufacturers on the bed in 2012 and is now in a hyper-speed version that does 0 to 100 kilometer per hour in unimaginable 3.2 seconds, which is on par with supercars like the McLaren F1.
The third step is an SUV that will be built on the Model S platform – and called the Model X. But where has it come spanner in the works. After four delays, it is said now that it will reach the market in late 2015th
Why is it late again?
– I am a perfectionist with the car so you can blame me.
What do you mean?
– There are some elements that are very complicated as gullwing doors that open upwards and the second row.
Elon Musk speaks quietly but quickly. The South African accent makes him sound relaxed and almost slurred at the same time.
We will enter the the fourth step and the goal of the company: a smaller and cheaper electric vehicle.
– In three years, in 2017, the Tesla “model 3″ is launched, a smaller car you can afford better with. It will cost 35,000 dollars, ie half the price of the Model S and be able to walk between 30 and 50 mil. Imagine an Audi A3 or A4.
This is what Elon Musk promised his girlfriend. But to be able to launch it, he succeeds with even a risky project: a giant battery factory in Nevada for $ 5 billion – which is the key to bringing down battery costs by 50 percent by 2020. In the fall, several pieces in it to say the least spectacular project fall into place, including a partnership with Panasonic. But still not all funding resolved.
And in the near term, it has also raised some questions. At the last quarterly report of 5 November he was forced to write down the forecast of the number of cars sold in 2014 from 35,000 down to 33,000 cars, which he says are related to the closed factory.
How many do you sell next year?
– We expect a 50 percent increase, so around 50,000 cars. If we are lucky will be the 60th 000th
Tesla has an ambitious goal to sell 500,000 cars in 2020.
Does the case still?
Here hesitate Elon Musk, speech flow stops.
– In 2020, I think … it is likely that it will be in 2020.
Last quarter, sales increased, but also the loss to $ 75 million.
When do you gain?
– Profit is not our goal. I have been clear when I talked to investors. We have strong growth and will lose money for many years to come.
But you have well a target when you are going to be profitable?
– I feel confident that we will be profitable at some point. But I’m not sure when the right time is.
So far, investors have confidence in Tesla, which was listed on Nasdaq in 2010.
Next, the course has increased considerably, from around 35 dollars to Tuesday’s low of around $ 260.
Elon Musk takes a sip of water. We come in the name Tesla. It comes from Nikola Tesla, who is regarded as the father of electromagnetism and alternating current.
– We wanted someone who revolutionized electricity and chose between Faraday and Tesla.
Michael Faraday was also one of the pioneers of electromagnetism and invented the electric motor.
Elon Musk laughs.
– We took actually not the name Tesla, but it made a jeppe in Sacramento in the US who did not want sell it to us.
Elon Musk light up, get a dreamy look in her eyes.
– He did not answer the telephone or letter. We had to send a representative who basically camped outside his door until he sold the damn brand.
What did it cost?
– 75 000 dollars, it was a lot for us in the beginning.
What was Sacramento man’s plan with Tesla?
– He was probably just crazy.
start talking about comparisons with other luxury car manufacturers, who have been much slower to electric vehicle development. He will return to the word risk.
– large corporations are generally slow to embrace new technology. It’s so much easier to do the same as last year but 5 percent better. That’s what big companies do.
He got up steam. Taking a sip of water.
– Making electric cars is another thing. When you take a big risk, especially when talking with investors.
He sighs.
– Finance guys always look in the mirror and ask me about successes with other electric cars, and I say, ” There are no “. That’s how it sounds. We must now show that it can be a success. Then it any other electric car manufacturers.
Audi CEO Rupert Stadler told me in October that Audi would never take the risk that premium automakers to make cars that handle 40 mil on electricity. What are you thinking about it?
– When they see that the Model S is a success, they will take the risk, because we have taken the risk to them. We want everyone to get better electric car manufacturers. That was also why we recently opened up our patent even if the deterioration of our competitive position.
Do you mean you did a great action that is fundamentally bad for Tesla?
He gets quiet. Seems to push off and the voice deepens.
– Many wondered if the patents. But there was nothing mysterious trick that will give us the advantage. It gives us the cons, but it is also consistent with our vision, he says, and meets up with eyes that do not fold.
He keeps coming back to his vision: to create sustainable transport and to speed up the development of electric cars.
But there’s a tricky query that basically foil the most part. His electric cars is not the solution to the world’s environmental problems as long as the electricity is produced by coal fired power stations – as in Germany where we are.
He breaks off. Becomes short cut.
– This is why we need a carbon tax. We need obviously sustainable energy production.
And the eyes flashes of even more life when he starts talking about the next question – which is extremely unusual for publicly-CEOs placing smallest hot air about.
Elon Musk start talking about space travel. For Mars. A huge smile spread out.
He has namely another visionary project: Space-X that will revolutionize space launch rockets and put people on Mars. One project he put in $ 100 million in. Yes, you read that right – $ 100 million. Recently he has also started a new project where 700 satellites with new technology to provide internet access to millions of people.
Which projects are most important?
– They are all equally important on each arena. Tesla is about solving the sustainable energy consumption. SpaceX is that we should be able to stay on multiple planets.
Some argue that you do not add enough very focused on Tesla. What do you say?
– Haha, I think I always hear that stuff all over the place, but it depends who you ask. I split my time 50/50 between Tesla and SpaceX. Maybe 5 percent otherwise.
One of the goals of SpaceX is to enable individuals to live on Mars.
Would you like Tesla Cars on Mars?
– Absolutely. I hope we all will live as long as we get to see people on Mars. It would be so amazing.
Recently, crashed Richard Branson’s commercial space shuttle Spaceship Two in the Mojave Desert.
To send people to Mars with SpaceX would be a big risk. Are you worried?
– Of course. But if we do not challenge the limits, we will never reach anywhere.
Elon Musk draws a deep sigh and his face becomes relaxed. The gaze disappears away.
– We will all die one day and … there are better and worse ways to die.
What do you mean?
– You can die from a disease – like cancer or you can go out in a spaceship and force limits. I think the second option is better.
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