Tesla Motors, and its CEO Elon Musk, have created more than just a company that sells electric vehicles. It can now be argued that they (he and it, collectively), have constructed a cultural phenomena. We have proof. Some of it quite hilarious (and some quite NSFW), but proof nonetheless.
For instance, the California automaker just put up a blog post about how they scientifically tested the HEPA Filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode found originally in the Model X, which has also made its way to the freshly facelifted Model S. Cool stuff, but we already knew how well it worked because Alejandro Salomon, A.K.A. Salomondrin, has demonstrated the system's abilities in a less scientific, but more entertaining way: hotboxing his Model X.
In the video below (Warning - NSFW, copious amounts of swearing, drug use), Salomon and a couple of friends break in his new electric SUV by creating a dense cloud of cannabis smoke within the cabin before engaging the advanced air cleaning system. (Note: The vehicle is parked in a driveway at the time of the experiment. We do not condone smoking marijuana without a doctor's recommendation, and condemn driving under its influence. Obviously.)
If we are to take their (quite possibly impaired) judgement to heart, the huge filter does a quick and thorough job of sucking in the smoke, removing it and its telltale smell, from the interior in car. The giggling guinea pigs gush about the return of the new-car leather smell after it had been thought to have been permanently banished. For their part, Tesla soberly tells us its own tests demonstrated the filtration system lowered pollutants from a dangerous level of 1,000 µg/m3 to undetectable levels in under two minutes.
Pop culture has a way of borrowing from itself, and our final exhibit is a perfect example of that. It recycles an edited visual version of the video above, but pairs it with a new song about Elon Musk. Raptor Command – a (possibly spoof) metal band whose mission is to "raise awareness of and promote Elon Musk's futurist ideas and visions for the future of humanity through the medium of heavy metal music and subculture" – ferociously (and humorously, we think) pounds out its tribute to Musk with its first (and possibly last) single appropriately entitled, Elon: Champion for Humanity. It is indeed as glorious as it sounds.
You can listen to the original Elon Musk Song by clicking on the video above. The Model X hotboxing footage is below (again, NSFW), while the (awesome) speed metal tribute to Musk can be found below that.
For instance, the California automaker just put up a blog post about how they scientifically tested the HEPA Filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode found originally in the Model X, which has also made its way to the freshly facelifted Model S. Cool stuff, but we already knew how well it worked because Alejandro Salomon, A.K.A. Salomondrin, has demonstrated the system's abilities in a less scientific, but more entertaining way: hotboxing his Model X.
In the video below (Warning - NSFW, copious amounts of swearing, drug use), Salomon and a couple of friends break in his new electric SUV by creating a dense cloud of cannabis smoke within the cabin before engaging the advanced air cleaning system. (Note: The vehicle is parked in a driveway at the time of the experiment. We do not condone smoking marijuana without a doctor's recommendation, and condemn driving under its influence. Obviously.)
If we are to take their (quite possibly impaired) judgement to heart, the huge filter does a quick and thorough job of sucking in the smoke, removing it and its telltale smell, from the interior in car. The giggling guinea pigs gush about the return of the new-car leather smell after it had been thought to have been permanently banished. For their part, Tesla soberly tells us its own tests demonstrated the filtration system lowered pollutants from a dangerous level of 1,000 µg/m3 to undetectable levels in under two minutes.
Besides the cannabis connection, Tesla and Musk have also begun to permeate popular culture in a more traditional way: music. Yes, odes have been written. For example, a couple months back, the twisted geniuses at FXX's Animation Domination High-Def on YouTube published a tune with accompanying video that tells how Mr. Musk was born in 1971, got beat up in school, got rich with Zip2, PayPal, SpaceX, and Tesla Motors before going on to (*spoiler alert) destroy the world. It's a nice, simple ditty that leans on only a ukulele, a single voice, and a narrative lyric to tell its redemptive story.Tesla and Musk also permeate pop culture in a more traditional way: music.
Pop culture has a way of borrowing from itself, and our final exhibit is a perfect example of that. It recycles an edited visual version of the video above, but pairs it with a new song about Elon Musk. Raptor Command – a (possibly spoof) metal band whose mission is to "raise awareness of and promote Elon Musk's futurist ideas and visions for the future of humanity through the medium of heavy metal music and subculture" – ferociously (and humorously, we think) pounds out its tribute to Musk with its first (and possibly last) single appropriately entitled, Elon: Champion for Humanity. It is indeed as glorious as it sounds.
You can listen to the original Elon Musk Song by clicking on the video above. The Model X hotboxing footage is below (again, NSFW), while the (awesome) speed metal tribute to Musk can be found below that.
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue