Revenge of the Electric Car Page #7

AND THE WHOLE TENOR OF THE CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY

AND THE QUESTIONING HAS BEEN,

WE JUST INSISTED ON MAKING BIG TRUCKS,

AND WE FAILED TO SEE THE CHANGE.

WE FAILED TO SEE THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL,

AND THE WISE JAPANESE IN THEIR INFINITE FORESIGH SAW THIS COMING AND CONCENTRATED ON SMALL CARS.

AND, YOU KNOW, THAT IS WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS.

THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL SENTIMENT ASIDE,

GOES WHERE THE GAS PRICES ARE.

THERE IS A RISK AT CURRENT GASOLINE PRICES

THAT THE VOLT WILL EXPERIENCE THE SAME FATE AS THE EV1,

THAT IS, EVERYBODY LOOKS AT IT AND SAYS,

"THAT'S NICE, BUT WHY SHOULD I PAY

"ALL THAT MONEY FOR THAT THING

WHEN I CAN BUY GASOLINE AT $1.50 A GALLON?"

AND THIS IS KIND OF MY ROLE, BECAUSE I DON'T MIND

TAKING A LITTLE PERSONAL RISK IN COMMUNICATION,

AND GIVEN MY AGE, THIS IS ANOTHER GOOD THING.

SEE, GIVEN MY AGE,

IF I REALLY SAY SOMETHING THAT IS UNFORTUNATE

AND HAS THE POTENTIAL OF CAUSING THE COMPANY

SOME EMBARRASSMENT, THEY CAN ALWAYS SAY,

"WELL, THAT'S LUTZ. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

HE'S A GOOD GUY, BUT HE IS GETTING ON A BIT."

SO...

- I RECOGNIZE THAT TODAY'S NEWS CARRIES A PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE

BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ANY COMPANY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

IT'S GM.

IT'S A COMPANY THAT'S NOT ONLY BEEN A SOURCE OF INCOME

BUT A SOURCE OF PRIDE FOR GENERATIONS OF AMERICANS.

EARLIER TODAY, GM FILED FOR CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY

AND WILL MARK THE END OF AN OLD GM

AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEW GM.

THAT'S WHY OUR GOVERNMENT WILL BE MAKING

A SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL INVESTMEN OF ABOUT $30 BILLION IN GM.

BUT I WANT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.

BUILDING A LEANER GM WILL COME AT A COST.

MORE JOBS WILL BE LOST.

MORE PLANTS WILL CLOSE.

WE ARE ACTING AS RELUCTANT SHAREHOLDERS

BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO HELP GM SUCCEED.

BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING

IS MAKING A SACRIFICE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.

- IT'S BEEN EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING AND DISAPPOINTING.

SINCE WE MOVED IN,

WE JUST HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AT ALL.

- WE'VE LEARNED THAT THE BUILDING HAS--

WE KNEW IT HAD PIGEONS, BUT IT TURNS OU THE INFESTATION GOES BACK FOR YEARS,

SO THERE'S THIS AIRBORNE YEAST AND MITES,

WHICH HAS AFFECTED ME.

I'M NOT REALLY SUPPOSED TO BE HERE.

I CAN'T STAY FOR LONG. GOT TO WEAR A RESPIRATOR.

TURNS OUT THAT ALL THIS PAINT THAT'S PEELING

HAS GOT LEAD IN IT.

THE DUST ON THE FLOOR IS TONER BECAUSE THERE WAS A BUSINESS

THAT RECYCLED TONER CARTRIDGES HERE,

AND THEY ALSO DID MERCURY BULB AND BATTERY DISPOSAL HERE.

SO NONE OF THIS WAS DISCLOSED,

AND IT APPARENTLY, THAT'S THE DUST THAT'S ON THE FLOOR.

IT'S SORT OF A TOXIC WASTE IN HERE,

AND PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE INSIDE.

- THE WHOLE TIME THAT WE'VE BEEN HERE HAS BEEN HARD,

FEELING ANGRY, FRUSTRATED, AND JUST COMPLETELY AT A LOSS

AS TO WHAT TO DO AND WHERE TO GO AND HOW TO MOVE ON.

IT'S JUST TAKEN THE WIND OUT OF MY SAILS.

SO GADGET ABANDONS HIS HOME

AND STOPS WORK ON HIS ELECTRIC CAR.

LIKE BOB AND ELON,

HE'S DISCOVERED THAT REVOLUTIONS DON'T COME EASY.

WITH HIS COMPETITORS IN DISARRAY,

CARLOS DISPATCHES THE LEAF

ON A CROSS-COUNTRY U.S. CAMPAIGN.

WILL HIS VISION OF AN AFFORDABLE ELECTRIC CAR SURVIVE,

OR WILL IT PERISH

UNDER THE LONG SHADOW OF THE GASOLINE CAR?

- I THINK THIS DEFINITELY IS

ACT TWO OF THE ELECTRIC CAR SAGA.

- WHERE YOU DON'T KNOW IF THE HERO'S ALIVE OR DEAD.

YOU'RE NOT EVEN SURE WHO THE HERO IS ANYMORE.

- YEAH. - BUT YOU KNOW THAT--

- YOU SAW HIS CAR DRIVE OFF A CLIFF.

WAS HE IN IT? - RIGHT, IS HE ALIVE?

IS HE CLINGING TO THE CLIFF?

I GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO TUNE IN TO ACT THREE TO FIND OUT.

PRESIDENT OBAMA FIRES GM'S CEO RICK WAGONER,

AND BOB GOES INTO EXILE.

THE VOLT IS IN JEOPARDY,

ALONG WITH BOB'S LEGACY.

- WE HAVE TWO WHITE SWANS,

AND SHE'S BEEN SITTING ON EGGS FOR WEEKS AND WEEKS,

AND THE CYGNETS HATCHED.

AND THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY, THERE WERE FOUR.

LAST NIGHT, THERE WERE THREE.

AND THIS MORNING, D. SAYS HE CAN ONLY COUNT ONE.

AND IT'S UNCERTAIN

WHETHER IT'S THE LARGE CATFISH THAT WE HAVE IN THE POND

OR WHETHER IT'S THE SNAPPING TURTLES.

BUT IT'S...

IT'S A DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD OUT IN THAT POND.

I THINK YOU HAVE TO START SLOWING DOWN AT SOME POIN AND ENJOYING LIFE A LITTLE BIT MORE.

DENISE FREQUENTLY COMPLAINS THAT,

"YOU'RE ALWAYS GONE. YOU'RE NEVER AVAILABLE."

SO AT SOME POINT,

I AM GOING TO HAVE TO FORCE MYSELF TO STOP

AND LET TOTAL BOREDOM TAKE OVER.

TESLA GETS A $90 MILLION LIFELINE

FROM DAIMLER.

BUT THE D.O.E. LOAN HAS STILL NOT COME THROUGH,

SO ELON PLAYS HIS LAST CARD.

HE LAUNCHES THE MORE AFFORDABLE MODEL S,

HOPING TO WOW WASHINGTON

AND PULL IN FRESH MONEY TO KEEP TESLA AFLOAT.

BUT BEHIND THE SCENES,

THE MODEL S PROTOTYPE

ISN'T QUITE READY.

- HEY, CAN SOMEBODY KICK ME THAT FLASHLIGHT?

- I REALLY BELIEVE THAT THE SEDAN IS ABSOLUTE VAPORWARE.

THERE IS NO WAY THAT TESLA HAS THE CASH ON HAND

IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO TRULY DEVELOP THEIR OWN SEDAN.

- NEED TO GET A 1/2 INCH TORQUE WRENCH, PLEASE.

- THEY'VE GOT A PROTOTYPE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SHOW,

AND THEY'RE GOING TO START TAKING DEPOSITS,

WHICH I FIND JUST AN AMAZING ACT OF GALL.

- THE LAST FEW DAYS--

THE LAST FEW MONTHS--

JUST BEEN A VERY, VERY HIGH WORKLOAD.

AND THEN BETWEEN SPACEX, TESLA, AND KIDS,

THERE'S JUST REALLY NOT ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY,

SO NOT ENOUGH TIME TO SLEEP.

AM I LOOKING FORWARD--

YOU KNOW, THE HONEST ANSWER IS,

I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PARTY TONIGHT.

50-INCH TV AT THE SAME TIME.

ALL NIGHT LONG, I'LL BE SELLING CARS,

FOR FIVE HOURS,

AFTER SORT OF SELLING CARS FOR, YOU KNOW,

FIVE HOURS BEFORE THAT.

IT WON'T BE FUN FOR ME.

I HOPE IT'S FUN FOR OTHERS, THOUGH.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY PUT A 50-INCH TV, A SURFBOARD,

AND A MOUNTAIN BIKE AT THE SAME TIME.

EXTREMELY GOOD HANDLING.

YOU'D NEED A SPATULA TO TURN THIS THING OVER.

I HOPE YOU CONSIDER BUYING ONE.

- OKAY, YEAH, WELL, DEFINITELY.

- I THINK IT WOULD BE WELL SUITED, YOU KNOW

- DEFINITELY.

IN HIS FINAL YEARS, NIKOLA TESLA WAS RIDICULED

FOR MAKING OUTLANDISH CLAIMS.

IS ELON FACING THE SAME PROBLEM?

- OH, ELON'S GONNA LOSE HIS SHIRT.

YEAH, ELON'S GONNA GET CRUSHED.

- PEOPLE SAID HE'D NEVER GET THE ROCKET IN SPACE.

HE DID THAT.

PEOPLE SAID THE ROADSTER WOULD NEVER GET DELIVERED.

HE DID THAT.

PEOPLE SAID HE'D NEVER GET 100 OF THEM DONE.

HE'S GOT 200 DONE.

- I THINK IT'S RIDICULOUS TO CRITICIZE SOMEBODY

WHO'S ACTUALLY CREATING A CHANGE.

- AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, YOU CAN'T LISTEN TO THE NOISE.

AND YOU CERTAINLY CAN'T LISTEN TO LOSERS

WHO HAVE NEVER ACCOMPLISHED ANYTHING WITH THEIR LIFE

WHO ARE OBSESSING ABOUT YOU.

PLEASE.

- YEAH, I'D LOVE TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY

TO WALK AROUND THE EVENT AND SEE ALL THE CARS.

YOU KNOW, I DON'T ACTUALLY PAY CLOSE ATTENTION

TO WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING,

'CAUSE I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO

AT TESLA AND SPACEX.

- DID YOU SEE THAT ONE?

- THAT LOOKS LIKE A-- VERY MUCH A CONCEPT CAR.

UM...SORRY.

- THAT'S ALL RIGHT. JUST CHASE US AROUND.

- OH, HEY. HOW YOU DOING?

- HI, ELON, HOW ARE YOU DOING?

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