Tesla Is Shooting For The Stars

Matt DeLorenzo — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:57:00 EST

Launching A Space Ship Is A Snap Compared To A Car

Is it easier to put a man in space or an electric vehicle in every garage? Ask Elon Musk, the iconoclastic entrepreneur who heads up both Tesla Motors and SpaceX, the first private space venture to launch a vehicle and successfully dock it with the International Space Station.

The passing of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, comes to mind when thinking about Musk's dual quest to remake the auto industry with electric vehicles and to privatize space travel. Back when Armstrong took that first small step, it was thought that if we could put a man on the moon, it was proof there was nothing mankind couldn't accomplish, including stamping out poverty and curing cancer.

If history is a guide, it turns out it's easier to do the moon shot than tackle a myriad of pressing social issues.

That is precisely what Musk may eventually discover - namely that it is far easier to build spaceships than it is to build an electrically powered family car that will appeal to the masses.

Matt DeLorenzo is the former editor-in-chief of Road & Track and has covered the auto industry for 35 years, including stints at Automotive News and AutoWeek. He has authored books including VW's New Beetle, Chrysler's Modern Concept Cars, and Corvette Dynasty.

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Tesla Is Shooting For The Stars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Elon Musk chats it up on The Colbert Report

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:26:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Celebrities, Humor, Tesla, Electric

Elon Musk on The Colbert Report - Click above to watch the video after the jump

Elon Musk apparently has a sense of humor. Proof of which can be found in the video after the break, where you'll see the co-founder of Paypal, Tesla Motors and Space X sit-down with Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.

As always, Colbert takes a lighthearted slant with the interview, making a few comic-relief jabs along the way. For instance, after detailing Musk's seemingly heroic take on the automotive and space exploration industries, Colbert point-blank asks Musk whether he's a super hero or a super villain. We'll let you figure that one out...

Our favorite quote, though, is this: "You have these electric cars that uses no fossil fuels, but then you've also got this rocket, this Space X that puts the rocket into space, using about as much fuel as 2,000,000 Hummers. So... are you just trying to break even as spectacularly as possible?"

There are plenty more gems in the video, and we don't want to spoil the whole thing for you. So just check out the video after the break.

[Source: The Colbert Report]

Continue reading Video: Elon Musk chats it up on The Colbert Report

Video: Elon Musk chats it up on The Colbert Report originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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