Revenge of the Electric Car Page #4

THE CONTROLLER'S STILL GOOD.

THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

WITH THAT, I CAN BUILD A CAR.

WANT SOME TEA?

- YEAH, I'LL PUT THE KETTLE ON. - OKAY.

LOSING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS EACH MONTH,

GM AND THEIR DETROIT RIVALS COME TO WASHINGTON, D.C.,

TO ASK FOR HELP.

THEY ARRIVE IN CORPORATE JETS,

NOT THE BEST WAY TO PLEAD POVERTY.

- WELL, DO YOU KNOW HOW THEY GOT DOWN THERE?

- WHAT? - ON PRIVATE JETS.

- YEAH. - WHAT THE HELL?

- THEY ZOOM IN IN A PRIVATE JET.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FOLKS ARE GONNA SAY?

"OH, YEAH, LET'S GIVE THEM MORE MONEY."

- WE'RE HERE TODAY BECAUSE WE MADE MISTAKES,

WHICH WE'RE LEARNING FROM,

BECAUSE SOME FORCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL

HAVE PUSHED US TO THE BRINK.

- CAN YOU JUST TELL ME IN ABSOLUTE TERMS,

HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU NEED TO SURVIVE?

GIVE ME YOUR WORST-CASE SCENARIO.

- THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO,

THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT.

I MEAN, WE HAVE SUPPLIER VARIABLES...

- WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT?

- OF $4 BILLION OR $5 BILLION EVERY MONTH.

- MY FEAR IS THAT YOU'RE GONNA TAKE THIS MONEY

AND CONTINUE THE SAME STUPID DECISIONS

YOU'VE MADE FOR 25 YEARS.

I'M AFRAID WE'RE GONNA DO THIS.

IT'LL BE A SHORT-TERM BAILOUT,

AND YOU DIDN'T GET THE MESSAGE.

GIVE US THE CARS THAT WE WAN THAT OTHER COMPANIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE US.

- HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU NEED--

AS PUBLIC OUTRAGE GROWS,

BOB IS SENT OUT TO CALM THE MOB.

- YOU GOT A LITTLE PIN ON THERE.

IT SAYS "GM." - YES.

- THAT STAND FOR "GRAND MASON"?

ARE YOU ONE OF THE--

ARE YOU SECRETLY CONTROLLING THE WORLD ECONOMY?

- OH, GEE, I WISH WE WERE.

- IF YOU WERE CONTROLLING THE WORLD ECONOMY,

YOU WOULD BE DOING A TERRIBLE JOB RIGHT NOW,

I HAVE TO SAY.

- THE CREW IS READY.

- YEAH, I JUST DROPPED MY--

I BANGED MY THIGH ON THE CORNER OF THE DESK,

AND IT'S GONNA TAKE A SECOND FOR THE PAIN TO DIE DOWN.

I'M TRYING TO CATCH UP ON MY EMAILS.

I'M GETTING SO MANY

AS A RESULT OF THE TV APPEARANCES.

I THINK THEY WERE WORRIED I WOULD SAY THE WRONG THING,

YOU KNOW, BECAUSE GENERALLY, OUR COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

IS IN THE DIRECTION OF RISK AVOIDANCE.

IN OTHER WORDS,

A TV INTERVIEW WHERE NOBODY SAYS THE WRONG THING

AND YOU GET OFF RELATIVELY UNSCATHED

IS CONSIDERED A SUCCESS, BUT THE PROBLEM IS,

YOU HAVEN'T USED THE OPPORTUNITY

TO CONVEY ANY POSITIVE INFORMATION,

SO I'M NOT A PROPONEN OF THE RISK-FREE COMMUNICATIONS APPROACH.

MR. HORSEPOWER HAS BEEN CUT DOWN TO SIZE.

HOWEVER BOB SPINS IT,

THERE'S LITTLE TO CELEBRATE IN DETROIT.

FOUR OF GM'S BRANDS WILL BE AXED,

INCLUDING HUMMER.

- HELLO, MARK.

HELLO, MARK. HELLO, JOHN.

EVEN THEIR LUNCHES ARE LOOKING A LITTLE LESS LAVISH.

- WELL, IT'S SANDWICH SURPRISE.

- WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS JUST GO OVER

THE NORTH AMERICA AUTO SHOW, THE LINEUP.

- YEAH, ALL RIGHT.

- I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE,

BUT THIS IS THE WALL.

AND ONE TURNTABLE.

- IT'S RADICALLY DE-BLINGED FROM LAST YEAR.

- RADICALLY DE-BLINGED.

- I MEAN, IT IS--

IT WOULD BE A GOOD TIME FOR A LITTLE HUMILITY.

- IT WOULD BE. - YEAH.

- YEAH

- I'M VERY AFRAID THAT GM'S GONNA DISAPPEAR

IN THE NEXT YEAR.

AND I'M VERY AFRAID FOR OUR ENTIRE ECONOMY.

I'M VERY AFRAID FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

IN GENERAL IF THAT HAPPENS.

GM REPRESENTS SUCH A HUGE CHUNK OF JOBS

IN THE OVERALL NATIONWIDE ECONOMY

THAT TO SEE THEM FAIL WOULD BE HORRIBLE.

ONE MAN TRIED TO REINVENT THE AUTO INDUSTRY

BACK IN THE 1940s.

PRESTON TUCKER STARTED A CAR COMPANY FROM SCRATCH.

LIKE ELON, HE WANTED TO BEAT DETROIT AT THEIR OWN GAME.

BUT AFTER MAKING JUST 51 CARS AT HIS HEADQUARTERS IN CHICAGO,

HE WENT BANKRUPT.

- PRESTON TUCKER'S BIGGEST PROBLEM WAS,

HE UNDERESTIMATED THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IT TOOK

TO KEEP A CAR COMPANY GOING,

AND THEN THAT LED TO HIM GETTING INTO LEGAL PROBLEMS,

AND THAT WAS THE END OF MAYBE A VERY GOOD IDEA.

- THE INVESTMENT WORLD HAS ALL OF A SUDDEN

SORT OF PULLED BACK INTO THEIR SHELL, IF YOU WILL,

IN THE FACT THAT THE MONEY'S JUST NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE,

AND THEY PROBABLY DON'T HAVE IT AVAILABLE TO THEM,

AND THUS, IT'S NOT AVAILABLE TO US.

IT'S UNFORTUNATE.

I THINK IT'S JUST PART OF THE TIMES RIGHT NOW.

AND, YOU KNOW, I LOST SOME FRIENDS

THAT I WORKED WITH FOR MANY YEARS,

AND THAT'S TOO BAD, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE--

HOPEFULLY, WE CAN MOVE ON

DESPITE WHAT HAS HAPPENED RECENTLY.

- I GOT A MESSAGE LAST WEEK

THAT IF ROADSTER CAN'T SUSTAIN THE COMPANY BY MARCH,

THEN THAT'S IT, AND THAT SCARES ME.

- WE NEED TO GET THE COMPANY TO CASH FLOW POSITIVE

IN SIX TO NINE MONTHS, OR WE'RE SCREWED.

IT'S REALLY PEDAL TO THE METAL HERE.

LIKE, I MEAN,

EACH MONTH THAT PASSES IS LITERALLY--

COSTS US TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

I MEAN, WE NEED TO APPRECIATE THAT.

TESLA'S GONE THROUGH

MORE THAN $100 MILLION IN TWO YEARS

AND MADE JUST OVER 100 CARS.

- IT WASN'T UNTIL ZACH AND DOREEN FOUND THE FAULTS

THAT WE THEN REALIZED THAT WE HAD SUBSTANDARD PARTS

ON THOSE CARS,

WHICH, QUITE FRANKLY, PISSED ME OFF.

- I WANT NAMES NAMED.

SO IF SOMEONE'S ALWAYS ON THE HOT SEA AND IS ALWAYS THE ROOT CAUSE FOR PROBLEMS,

THEY WILL NOT BE PART OF THIS ORGANIZATION LONG-TERM.

IT'S NOT OKAY TO BE UNHAPPY AND PART OF THIS COMPANY.

- RIGHT. EXACTLY.

EXACTLY.

- HI. - HI, HOW ARE YOU?

AT 38, ELON'S RUNNING SPACEX AND TESLA.

HE'S GOT FIVE BOYS,

HE'S GOING THROUGH A VERY PUBLIC DIVORCE,

AND HE'S GOT A NEW FIANCEE.

- I DO HAVE...

- DAD, WHAT'S THIS GAME?

WHAT'S THIS GAME?

- DID YOU JUST TAKE--

DID YOU JUST TAKE THAT FROM YOUR BROTHER?

- YEAH, BUT I WANTED TO SEE WHAT GAME IT IS.

- SEE, THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.

SOMEBODY TOOK SOMEBODY'S TOY.

- BUT I WANT TO SEE--

- I DON'T KNOW HOW HE HANDLES THE STRESS.

I MEAN, IF I WAS HIM, I'D HAVE DIED OF A HEART ATTACK.

YOU WOULD NOT WISH THAT KIND OF PAIN ON YOUR WORST ENEMY.

ELON PROPOSED REALLY QUICKLY.

THE IDEA OF BEING SWEPT OFF YOUR FEET IS APPEALING,

AND I'D PROBABLY HAVE SAID YES

TO ANYONE THAT SEEMED HALF SENSIBLE

IF THEY PROPOSED AFTER TEN DAYS

JUST 'CAUSE IT'S KIND OF AN INTERESTING THING TO DO.

- DO THAT THING, DAD.

- YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY MOVED

STRAIGHT INTO THE HOUSE WITH THE CHILDREN,

AND IT BECAME A VERY REAL THING IMMEDIATELY.

MY PARENTS ARE TRAUMATIZED BY THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE.

ALTHOUGH THERE'S BEEN SO MANY TIMES, I'M LIKE,

"RIGHT, I'M GETTING ON A PLANE TO ENGLAND,

AND I'M NEVER GONNA SEE YOU AGAIN."

- REALLY?

- NO.

UM...

NO. NO, NOT REALLY.

NO.

CUDDLY GIRL.

- ALL RIGHT.

- THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF THINGS BEING SAID ABOUT THE VOLT,

A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT,

REALLY, HOW MUCH MILEAGE WILL IT GET?

THERE HAVE BEEN RUMORS ABOUT SPENDING A LOT OF TIME

IN THE WIND TUNNEL CHANGING THE DESIGN,

THE BATTERY HAVING TECHNICAL ISSUES

AND REALLY NOT BEING ABLE TO DELIVER ON GM'S PROMISE.

- THIS IS THE LATEST VERSION.

- NO, IT'S NOT, BECAUSE IT'S STILL GO THE SCREEN THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S REMOVABLE.

- WELL, AND THEN--AND WE GOT THE GEARS TO BE FIXED--

- THAT GEAR SHIFT.

- AH, YOU ARE TAKING AWAY THE STORY.

SO THIS IS THE LATEST VERSION.

- ALMOST THE LATEST VERSION.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S REMOVABLE,

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes