Revenge of the Electric Car Page #6

AND IF I CAN GET THIS THING FROM L.A. TO PALM SPRINGS

AND PROVE I HAVE OVER 100 MILES OF RANGE,

I'VE GOT A VIABLE BUSINESS.

SO VERY QUICKLY, I NEED TO PUT TOGETHER SOME TOOLS

AND GET THE CAR TOGETHER AND GET IT OUT,

AND THEN WE'LL BE BACK IN BUSINESS.

- IF I COULD HOLD, HOLD OUT FOR NOW

WHAT WITH THESE ICECAPS MELTING DOWN

WITH THE TRANSISTOR SOUND

AND MY CHEVROLET TERREPLEIN

GOING AROUND, AROUND, AROUND

COME ON, LITTLE GAMMA RAY

AFTER A YEAR OF DELAYS,

TESLA ROADSTER NUMBER 23 IS FINALLY DELIVERED.

SEVERAL HUNDRED MORE ARE STILL ON ORDER.

- SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I'M WRITING THE SAME STORY

ABOUT TESLA OVER AND OVER AGAIN,

WHICH IS THAT ELON MUSK HAS SAID THIS UNBELIEVABLE THING

ABOUT TESLA MOTORS' FINANCIAL CONDITION OR THEIR PRODUCT PLANS

OR WHAT HAVE YOU, AND IT TURNS OUT NOT TO BE TRUE.

WHICH LEADS US TO MARTIN EBERHARD,

ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF TESLA.

HE IS NOW SUING ELON FOR LIBEL, SLANDER, AND BREACH OF CONTRACT.

- MARTIN WAS THE ORIGINAL VISIONARY OF THE TESLA ROADSTER.

HE'S BEEN SORT OF AIRBRUSHED

OUT OF THE CORPORATE HISTORY OF TESLA

MUCH LIKE A KREMLIN OFFICIAL.

- WHEN I STARTED TESLA MOTORS,

THERE WERE JUST TWO THINGS THAT EVERYBODY KNEW

ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS.

ONE OF THEM WAS THAT THEY SUCKED,

AND TWO WAS THAT THEY WERE DEAD.

AND THIS IS THE CAR THAT CHANGED

THE WAY PEOPLE THINK ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS.

THIS IS TESLA'S FIRST BUSINESS PLAN.

THIS IS THE FIRST COPY OF THE FIRST BUSINESS PLAN.

- TESLA AT THAT POINT WASN'T--

IT WAS JUST BASICALLY A BUSINESS PLAN

AND THREE GUYS WORKING PART-TIME.

IT'S QUITE COMICAL IN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT--

I THINK IT SAID, LIKE, $35 MILLION

OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT--

WAS THE TOTAL THAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO GET TO PRODUCTION.

RATHER THAN $195 MILLION, WHICH IS WHAT IT ACTUALLY TOOK.

IT DIDN'T WORK VERY WELL.

- THERE COMES A POINT IN THE HISTORY

OF MOST STARTUP COMPANIES WHERE THE ENTREPRENEURS

THAT STARTED THE COMPANY HAVE TO MOVE ON,

AND SOMETIMES THAT'S DONE IN A VERY SMOOTH WAY,

AND SOMETIMES IT'S NOT.

- HE WAS FIRED FROM THE COMPANY AT THAT POIN AND FROM THE BOARD.

AND IT WAS A UNANIMOUS BOARD DECISION, BY THE WAY.

MARTIN WITHDRAWS HIS LAWSUI AFTER ELON THREATENS TO COUNTERSUE.

TO THIS DAY, THE TWO MEN DISAGREE

ABOUT THE HISTORY OF TESLA MOTORS.

ELON'S BECOMING BETTER KNOWN

FOR FEUDS AND FIRINGS

THAN FOR MAKING CARS.

AND NOW THE COMPANY IS OUT OF MONEY.

- I MEAN, IT'S PRETTY HARD FIGHTING A TWO-FRONT WAR

IN THE MIDDLE OF A SIBERIAN WINTER.

AND BOTH FRONTS ARE REALLY FRICKIN' HARD.

BETWEEN SPACEX AND TESLA,

ELON'S BURNED THROUGH ALMOST HIS ENTIRE PAY PAL FORTUNE

AND IS DOWN TO HIS LAST $3 MILLION.

- JUST TO KEEP TESLA ALIVE, I HAD TO WIRE $3 MILLION

PERSONALLY WITH NO GUARANTEE OF ANYTHING,

BASICALLY WIRE THE FUNDS AND SAY, "USE IT."

OTHERWISE, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MAKE PAYROLL.

TO GENERATE CASH,

TESLA RAISES PRICES ON PEOPLE STILL WAITING FOR THEIR CARS.

EVEN THE TRUE BELIEVERS ARE STARTING TO DOUBT.

- I PUT A DEPOSIT DOWN TWO YEARS AGO.

$50,000.

THAT'S A LOT OF DEPOSIT.

AND A LOT OF FRIENDS WHO ARE A LOT OF NAYSAYERS.

"YOU'RE SILLY. YOU'RE STUPID.

"YOU ARE JUST ANOTHER ONE OF THE DUMB DOCTORS

"WHO FALL FOR THE BONELESS CHICKEN RANCH KIND OF SCHEMES,

AND YOU'LL NEVER SEE YOUR MONEY."

SO WHEN THIS CAME ALONG,

ALL OF A SUDDEN, I TOOK A BIG GULP.

AND I'M LIKE, "WOW, MY FRIENDS MIGHT BE RIGHT."

- I CANNOT UNDERSTATE THE DEGREE OF GRIEF

THAT I'VE PERSONALLY GONE THROUGH

AND THAT MANY OF THE OTHER PEOPLE AT TESLA

HAVE GONE THROUGH TO MAKE THIS WORK.

WHEN I SAY IT WAS LIKE EATING GLASS,

I MEAN GLASS SANDWICH EVERY BLOODY DAY, OKAY?

I WISH WE DIDN'T HAVE TO RAISE PRICES.

IT SUCKS.

BUT I CAN'T CARRY TESLA ENTIRELY BY MYSELF.

IT'S JUST--I JUST DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DO IT.

- WE TOOK FAITH IN YOU,

AND NOW YOU'RE JUST TURNING AROUND

AND CHANGING THE PRICE ON US, NOT TELLING US,

AND THEN WE FIND OUT ABOUT IT BACKWARDS,

AND NOW, WELL, KIND OF--

EVERYONE'S HURT BECAUSE WE WEREN'T TOLD.

- WE CAN'T SELL CARS FOR, YOU KNOW,

LESS THAN THEY COST US TO PRODUCE.

IF ANYTHING, WHAT WE HAD, MORE THAN THAT OCCURRED,

THEN IT WAS AN ACCIDENT--

- WELL, THAT'S WHY THERE WAS A BUNCH OF COMMENTS

AFTER IT THAT ALL GOT--

- OKAY.

THERE SEEMED TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF ANGER

FROM SOME PEOPLE IN THE ROOM

WHO FELT THAT WE'D KIND OF DONE A BAIT AND SWITCH.

AND I MEAN, THAT'S SORT OF A LITTLE BIT TRUE

THAT THERE WAS A BIT OF A BAIT AND SWITCH.

I MEAN, IT'S--

THAT'S, I MEAN, KIND OF WHAT HAPPENED.

IT WAS VERY TOUGH.

I NEVER THOUGHT I WAS SOMEONE

WHO WAS CAPABLE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN,

BUT I THINK I CAME AS CLOSE AS I'LL EVER COME

ON DECEMBER 22ND.

AND THEN I THINK, ONCE YOU'VE SNAPPED,

YOU PROBABLY DON'T REALIZE IT BECAUSE YOU'VE GONE INSANE.

AND YOUR ABILITY TO SORT OF

LOOK IN THE MIRROR PSYCHOLOGICALLY

IS SUBSTANTIALLY IMPAIRED.

PROBABLY, MOST INSANE PEOPLE DON'T THINK THEY'RE INSANE.

SO I DON'T KNOW.

IT WAS JUST LIKE, "JEEZ."

- IF TESLA MOTORS WERE TO FAIL, IT WOULD BE--

IT WOULD BE A DRAMATIC COMEUPPANCE FOR ELON.

IT MIGHT BE THE THING THAT SORT OF SHAKES HIM AWAKE,

THAT HE CAN'T JUST IMAGINE A NEW WORLD

AND WILL IT INTO BEING,

THAT HE ACTUALLY HAS TO SOLVE ALL OF THE EVERYDAY PROBLEMS

THAT EVERYONE ELSE IN THE BUSINESS WORLD

HAS TO SOLVE DAY IN, DAY OUT.

ELON'S DREAM OF TAKING ON DETROI WITH A PUBLICLY TRADED CAR COMPANY IS FALLING APART.

DESPERATE FOR MONEY,

HE'S REPORTEDLY TALKING WITH BIG CAR COMPANIES

AND HAS APPLIED FOR A $465 MILLION LOAN

FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.

- WELL, WE'VE BEEN TOLD BY THE D.O.E.

THAT WE ARE LIKELY TO RECEIVE THE MONEY

IN ABOUT FOUR MONTHS.

SO IF WE WERE TO TAKE THEM AT THEIR WORD,

THEN THAT'S WHAT WILL HAPPEN.

- 8 MILE WAS ALWAYS THE DIVIDING LINE.

SOUTH OF 8 MILE WAS DETROIT.

NORTH OF 8 MILE WERE THE SUBURBS.

REGARDLESS OF HOW BAD THE ECONOMY GOT,

IT NEVER WENT NORTH OF 8 MILE.

AND THEN IN MAYBE THE EARLY '80s,

IT NEVER WENT NORTH OF 12 MILE, 13 MILE.

NOW YOU CAN GO UP TO 16 MILE, 17 MILE,

AND YOU'LL SEE A MULTIPLICITY OF "FOR SALE" SIGNS,

AND NEVER HAD YOU SEEN THAT BEFORE.

AND I THINK THAT REALLY DEMONSTRATES

THE DIRE TIME THAT WE'RE IN.

WE HAVE SEEN THE RISE AND, YES, THE DECLINE

OF WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE BIG THREE:

GENERAL MOTORS, FORD, AND CHRYSLER.

LIVES ARE HANGING

IN AN ABYSS OF UNCERTAINTY

AS BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS WILL DECIDE

ON WHETHER THEY WILL OR WILL NO EXTEND A HELPING HAND.

ALL OF YOU:

THAT WORK FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY,

COME TO THE ALTAR.

WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT.

- WE'RE GONNA MAKE I - COME ON, I KNOW SOMEHOW...

- I KNOW SOMEHOW

- AND I KNOW SOMEWAY...

- I KNOW SOMEWAY

- WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT.

- WE'RE GONNA MAKE I IT LOOKS LIKE THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE GM

WILL BE TO LET THE COMPANY GO BANKRUPT.

- OKAY, EVERYBODY BACK IN THE VEHICLE.

BOB'S GOOD HUMOR IS WEARING THIN.

- THIS IS PROBABLY THE FIRST PICTURE OF ME EVER

IN THE NEW YORK TIMES.

- FROM YESTERDAY?

- YEAH, IT WAS YESTERDAY.

WELL, THE GIST OF THE ARTICLE IS,

COULD WE PLEASE TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT GENERAL MOTORS?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes