Tagline: Burn rubber, not petrol
An American high-tech company that manufactures sports electric vehicles. First car company Silicon Valley. Models produced Tesla Motors (since January 2017 - just Tesla), are in no way inferior to their gasoline analogues. That's just much easier to manage, less noisy and environmentally friendly.
The idea of creating an "electric supermobile" came up with the engineer Martin Eberhard (Martin Eberhard). One day he wished to have sport car, with not too high appetites for fuels and lubricants. He was well versed in batteries, but not in cars, otherwise he would not have set himself such a task. Fuel economy and high speeds- things are incompatible. Knowing that Automotive industry unable to satisfy his desire, Martin decided to develop a car himself, powered by another source - lithium-ion batteries.
The project required a lot of money. Engineer for a long time looking for sponsors. And those were found: Elon Musk from PayPal and famous couple Google— Sergey Brin (Sergey Brin) and Larry Page (Edward Page), known for their weakness for everything innovative and unusual. Thanks to their support, in 2003 the foundation of new company, named after the great Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla, who developed his own model of an electric car back in 1931*.
The company was co-founded by another engineer, Marc Tarpenning.
The first electric car was based on a serial petrol model Elise, companies Lotus Cars. It's just that the filling has been radically changed. For example, the place where the engine used to be, housed 6381 miniature batteries. Such a complex system required special system cooling. Founders Tesla, as you know, did not understand cars, and therefore began to lure specialists from the same Lotus Cars which nearly ended in scandal. In total, the company at that time employed about a hundred people.
The first model - - is capable of developing 100 km / h in 4 seconds, reaching a maximum speed of 210 km / h. The charge is enough for 400 km. run. You can “refuel” an electric car using an ordinary outlet. The car first went on sale in June 2006 for $100,000. Among the buyers is such a celebrity as Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The company's future plans are to establish mass production of models available to the average buyer. Tesla Motors is confident that electric vehicles are the future.
*) According to the legend, so unconfirmed by anyone, but not refuted, Nikola Tesla's electric car (it was a modernized Pierce Arrow) did without batteries. Instead, some mysterious box with two protruding rods was used, which, according to the inventor, drew energy "from the ether." Contemporaries did not believe the inventor, and he, offended, destroyed his creation. However, the inventor was a very extravagant person, and he could well fool people, while the power source was simply cunningly disguised. Although…
Over the past half century, many brands have appeared in the United States, whose activities are directly related to the production of cars. But Tesla Motors managed to make a real revolution, turning the perception of what should be car XXI century.
Today, a car is no longer perceived as a luxury available exclusively to wealthy citizens. Nevertheless, in the struggle for engine power, speed and attempts to turn a car into a comfortable four-door “mobile home”, not only the leading car manufacturers, but the entire world economy, have become tied to an exhaustible natural resource - oil. It is this oily substance, called "black gold", that has led to the dependence of human comfort on impressive monetary costs.
The technological breakthrough that the company made Tesla Motors- only the first steps of a person on the way to complete freedom and energy independence. Tesla is the first brick in the foundation of a house that will not care about the current price of a barrel of oil. But it all could have started 100 years ago.
Nikola Tesla - a man who wanted to change the world
It would be ignorance to talk about the American corporation Tesla Motors without remembering the person whose name it is named. It is the ideas put forward at the beginning of the last century by Serbian scientists Nikola Tesla, helped engineer and entrepreneur Elon Musk turn the automotive world around in just 12 years.
Nikola Tesla is rightly called the second Leonardo da Vinci. He is the "mysterious genius", the "master of lightning" and the "tamer of light". It is impossible to overestimate its influence on the life of a modern person. It was thanks to Tesla that the large-scale electrification of the entire planet began. He proposed the use of a transformer, he is credited with the invention of the first radio transmitter, the description of the first radio-controlled models, the laying of the principles of robotics, the invention of the counter, speedometer, fluorescent lamps, X-ray, electric clock. The number of inventions that belong to the greatest Serbian scientist reaches a thousand. Without knowing it, we continue to use them to this day.
Throughout his life, Nikola Tesla dreamed of enslaving such a natural phenomenon as lightning. He was always fascinated by electricity and, like a child, he rejoiced at his next discovery in this area. Almost all the developments with which he connected his experiments, Tesla had two main goals: getting cheap energy, which would be available to every inhabitant of the earth and the opportunity transmission of electricity without wires over any distance.
“What is electricity? I still ask myself this question. And I still can't answer it."
N. Tesla
No one can answer this question even today. The answer to the question “what is an electric car” was found more than 130 years ago, and its appearance was recorded in the first half of the last century. IN 1892 Nikola Tesla invents resonant transformer than actually marked the beginning of an era fuel-free energy. The Serbian scientist simply explained the receipt of energy, which at the output is many times greater than the input: "I take it from the ether, by gradual cooling."
Tesla will demonstrate the first working version in 40 years electric car. With the support of companies such as Pierce Arrow And General Electric , V 1932 Tesla removes the gasoline engine from the Pierce-Arrow, replacing it with an electric motor.
A miniature control unit was responsible for providing the car with the necessary electricity: a box measuring 60 x 30 x 15 cm, in which only a few parts were installed. Energy "from the ether" confirmed in practice. The car not only started off, but also developed a speed that at that time was inaccessible to any automaker.
Thinking about why the fuel-free energy source proposed by Tesla still remains the main contradiction of fundamental physics, and at the same time scientists from all over the world continue to look for options for obtaining cheap energy, can be infinitely long. Blame the world government, mention Bilderberg or the Committee of 300, complain about the policies pursued by oil exporting countries. IN 2003 year, the world begins to turn over in a favorable direction for the average inhabitant of the planet Earth.
History of Tesla Motors
The United States of America has been setting trends in the global automotive industry for more than a century. Detroit is the center of innovation and the main brain of the entire industry. He is known for such titans as: chrysler, General Motors And Ford. The power and design thought of outstanding engineers would seem to be an eternal source of prosperity for the era of gasoline cars. But scientific and technological progress, sooner or later, had to affect the obsolete principles of building an engine and the entire infrastructure of cars of the 20th century.
In the early 70s, several companies appeared on the territory of Silicon Valley, which, after 20 years, will turn the way people think about the world of personal computers. an era begins high technology. The pioneers, and at the same time the key players, are such companies as: Microsoft, Intel, IBM And Apple. The upheaval that began in the high-tech sector could not but affect the dependence of hundreds of countries on oil and exhaustible energy sources. At a time when the world is on the verge of a global economic crisis, a new star in the automotive industry will light up in Silicon Valley. IN 2003 year, the first brick will be laid in the creation of an automobile Tesla Motors- a company based on the principles of creating a "high-tech car". There was no question of a morally obsolete internal combustion engine.
Despite the generally accepted belief that the creator of Tesla is an American engineer, inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk, the author of the startup, which has resulted in one of the most authoritative brands of our time, are two comrades: Martin Eberhard And Mark Tarpennin. But without serious investment infusions, develop a competitive gasoline vehicles concern would be impossible.
IN 2004 a year by a startup, which at that time was in the embryonic stage and had nothing but an idea complete failure from the use of fuel in the car Elon Musk inquired.
Elon Musk's desire for permanent funding can be explained by his desire to create a new, unlike existing, automotive startup that would become a revolutionary product not only in the United States, but also within the global automotive industry. Behind successful businessman already had an electronic payment system PayPal, a manufacturer of space rockets - a company Space X. Among the first investors joined the founders of the search giant Google - Larry Page And Sergey Brin.
Investment in the amount $7.5 million from the "generous Elon" and he automatically becomes the head of the board of directors of Tesla (the share of the founders of Google is much smaller). Another year passes and the company requires another financial injection. Having invested more $13 million, Elon Musk solves existing problems, but the funds are only enough for two years.
At the same time, Tesla enters into an agreement with a well-known company lotus, and as a prototype for his debut car he chooses the model roadster. Like a vacuum cleaner, the company requires new investments and to start serial production Musk invests regular $40 million with the support of a venture capital fund Technology Partners.
Alas, the company is simply not ready for the release of the first production car. July 19, 2006 year, Tesla only demonstrates its offspring as part of a closed meeting. The official date of the presentation and at the same time the birthday of Tesla is considered to be July 17, 2007.
Tesla roadster
Tesla Roadster Specifications:
- Year of announcement: 2006;
Mass production: since 2008;
0 - 100 km/h: 4 seconds;
Max speed: 201.1 km/h;
300-350 km;
3.5 hours;
Basic version price: $109 000
The progenitor of the first Tesla Motors car was legendary model Lotus Elise, released by an English manufacturer back in 1996 and continuing to roll off the assembly line to this day.
In essence, the Tesla Roadster was a "build it with a few new parts" kit. The kits supplied by Lotus (cars without transmission) were assembled into the first electric car. An electric motor was installed as an engine, and a battery consisting of 6,381 miniature elements connected in a secret way. IN 2010 Tesla sold the anniversary 1000th model Roadster. A year later, the contract, and with it the collaboration with Lotus, came to an end. At that time, Tesla Motors was already fully equipped - having its own factory and dozens of new ideas. Alas, the bright future was still too gloomy.
First production car companies predicted unprecedented success and a real revolution in the industry. But in nature everything is natural and the first steps are not always successful. The Tesla Roadster model entered the mass production rails and was immediately met by predatory sharks - automotive experts who managed to significantly undermine the company's reputation.
For four years of production (2008-2012), the company managed to realize 2,250 Tesla Roadsters. Incident with a popular TV project top gear(season 12, episode 7) resulted in a court case. Then Jeremy Clarkson publicly stated that instead of the declared 300 km, the Tesla Roadster is only capable of driving 55. Tesla loses the lawsuit.
IN December 2007 of the year, Elon Musk is forced to cede the leadership chair to a successful entrepreneur Zeev Drori. It was during this period that Tesla Motors was on the verge of bankruptcy. For the period from 2007 to 2008 Elon Musk is investing more $70 million trying to improve the well-being of his offspring.
Drory immediately decides to reduce the staff by 10% and turns the company from unprofitable to profitable. Realizing that the brand is starting to rise from its knees, Musk offers Drory a "business castling": Elon takes over CEO, and Zeev becomes vice president. After less than a year at Tesla, Zeev Drori leaves the company. Tesla Motors is in need of a new car that can improve the current deplorable situation. And it becomes a concept demonstrated in 2009 - a car Tesla Model S.
Tesla Model S
Tesla Model S Specifications:
- Year of announcement: 2009;
Mass production: since 2012;
0 - 100 km/h: 3.2 - 4.4 seconds (depending on model);
Max Speed: 201-250 km/h (depending on model);
Maximum distance (1 battery charge): 480 km;
Battery full charge time: 35 minutes (via SuperCharger);
Basic version price:$62 400
Having managed to establish its own production, Tesla has significantly reduced the base cost model range Model S from $100,000 to $62.4 thousand. But the release of the "car of the future" and the full production cycle within its own plant required additional investment. May 19, 2009 Tesla concludes strategic partnership with a carmaker Daimler AG. The share of shares of 10% was valued at $50 million, but this was not enough. Tesla Motors management sits down at the negotiating table with the US government in June of that year. Having achieved approval, Elon Musk receives $465 million loan, which is obligated to be repaid by 2018.
The launch of the Tesla Model S was a turning point in the life of the entire company. His successful sales(as of December 2014 implemented over 55 thousand cars; delivered to the territory of Russia by "gray import" more than 200 cars) allowed the company to gain complete financial independence. Entering the international stock exchange June 29, 2010 further strengthened the company's affairs: in just 4 years, the value of Tesla Motors shares will increase by 1229% . The massive US government loan was repaid in 2013, nine years ahead of schedule.
Tesla sells about 400-500 Tesla Model S cars weekly. Several car modifications appear on the market: with different capacities batteries (40, 65, 75 and 85 kWh), improved novelty Tesla D with two electric motors and a "zero start" in 3.2 seconds to a speed of 100 km / h, as well as a mode incomplete autopilot.
IN February 2012 the company announced a new product - the Tesla Model X, which will appear on the market this year, and in mid-2014 announced the preparation for the release budget version– Tesla Model 3 car, basic version which will cost $35,000.
What's next?
Today, the capitalization of Tesla is about $21 billion which such famous brands, How Mitsubishi, Isuzu And Suzuki over a longer history of development. Tesla cars are designed in such a way that practically does not require any service intervention, and the parts that still have to be changed periodically can only be attributed to: wheels, wipers and a battery, the trouble-free operation of which is designed for 7 years, after which the manufacturer guarantees its free replacement.
In 2013, the incident with three Tesla Model S cars that caught fire as a result of the accident, led to a temporary drop in the company's shares. The prompt intervention of Elon Musk and the concern's leading engineers inspired consumers with confidence that from now on the entire mobile range of electric cars is completely safe (thanks to the installed titanium protection battery pack). Shares soared up again.
Tesla cars are becoming more desirable every day. With record speed, the company is developing an independent infrastructure of gas stations around the world (refueling is completely free in the United States). Sales of the legendary sedan continue to grow, and the world held its breath before the release of the crossover Model X and budgetary Model 3. But let's go back to 1931.
A brilliant scientist who was 150 years ahead of his time, Nikola Tesla received energy from the ether, making possible creation fully autonomous vehicle, which was lost in time single copy car Pierce-Arrow. In the next 5-6 years, Elon Musk promised to create a completely non-volatile car (No votes)
The first electric car appeared almost half a century earlier than its analogue with an internal combustion engine. But it was possible to create a competitive model of an electric car only in the 21st century. And this is the merit of Tesla Motors.
In July this year. 10 years have passed since the presentation of the company's first car, the Tesla Roadster. It's a sin not to mark the anniversary with a note about the company and the people who created it!
THEY WERE THE FIRST...
It just so happened: in order for a breakthrough project to succeed, a person obsessed with the idea must stand at its base. In the case of Tesla Motors, there were even two of them: engineers Martin Eberhard and Mark Tarpenning.
Martin Eberhard - CEO - Tesla Motors
Martin Eberhard really wanted to have a sports car. Definitely electric. In 2004, he manually assembled one and showed it to everyone, along with a business plan for an enterprise for the production of electric vehicles.
Mark Tarpenning was concerned about the state of the environment, global warming and the depletion of natural resources. And I saw a way out in transplanting humanity to electric vehicles.
In short, the engineers had ideas. But there was no money.
The situation changed when Elon Musk, a billionaire originally from South Africa, met on their way. Before the fateful meeting, he created the electronic payment company Pay Pal, launched the SpaceX launch vehicle business, and launched the Solar City project to use solar energy for domestic purposes. After all this, starting the electric vehicle production line looked like a trifle.
The co-investors were Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, as well as eBay founder Jeffrey Skoll. It is no coincidence that the breakthrough electric car is called the “brainchild of Silicon Valley”. But the auto giants, Daimler and Toyota, also invested.
The company was named Tesla Motors - in honor of the outstanding American inventor Serbian-born electrical engineer Nikola Tesla.
In 2010, the company's shares were listed on the US stock market.
Schwarzenegger chooses Tesla
In parallel with the production of cars, Tesla Motors began to create charging stations Supercharger, on which the battery of an electric car could be charged in a maximum of half an hour. There are already 370 such stations in the United States, and their density allows you to cross the country from east to west and vice versa, charging the batteries of electric vehicles only at them.
A similar network of stations is being created in Western Europe, Japan, Australia, and Southeast China. In Russia, the appearance of the first Supercharger stations is scheduled for 2016.
TESLA CARS
On July 19, 2006, in Santa Monica (California), the presentation of the first-born Tesla Motors, the Tesla Roadster electric car, took place. Based on the British sports car Lotus Elise S2. At a price of $ 100 thousand, the car is equipped with a motor with a capacity of about 250 hp. and develops speed up to 210 km / h. Mileage on one charge - 300 km. Up to 100 km / h accelerates in 3.9 seconds. It looked quite competitive against the background of its antipodes with internal combustion engines.
Cameron Diaz chooses Tesla Model S
But the real hit was the 5-door Tesla Model S premium liftback. The first presentation was held in Frankfurt at the 2009 exhibition. Since 2012, the electric car has entered the US market. In 2015 alone, over 50,000 Model S units were sold.
Tesla Model S is a really worthy car in all respects. Run on one charge up to 500 km. The maximum speed is over 200 km/h. Acceleration to 100 km / h in 4.4 seconds. (with a power of 416 hp).
In many ways, outstanding performance is achieved due to the uniquely low coefficient aerodynamic drag electric car body - only 0.24. The appearance of this car did not go unnoticed. In November 2012, the Tesla Model S was named "Car of the Year" by the influential Motor Trend magazine.
Tuned Tesla for Sergey Brin
After the triumph of the "Model S" Tesla Motors began to master the market
SUVs, and in the fourth quarter of 2015, the Tesla Model X was launched on the market: a crossover with two motors with a capacity of 259 hp. (base model) and mileage on one charge over 400 km. But at the same time, the P90 D modification is equipped with 762 hp engines. and up to 100 km/h. accelerates in just 3.8 seconds!
Tesla Motors did not bypass the attention of the segment of the car market "for the common man." March 31, 2016 was presented - an electric car worth only $ 35 thousand, which is 2 once again below the starting cost of the Model S. Already in the first week after the presentation, 325 thousand copies of the Model III were ordered. Which exceeds the total number of electric vehicles sold by Tesla Motors throughout its existence.
The new electric car is shorter than the "Model S" and has the same dimensions as the well-known Russian motorists models or . mileage of the "Third Model" with one charge 346 km; acceleration up to 100 km/h. - for 6 sec. According to the creators, it has an even lower drag coefficient - only 0.21.
TESLA CHOOSE…
From the first moment of its appearance on the market, Tesla electric vehicles have been in demand by an elite buyer. In addition to the iconic figures of the IT industry (Sergey Brin, Larry Page, Elon Musk, etc.), whom God himself ordered to go to the "brainchild of Silicon Valley"), Tesla Motors products are popular among Hollywood bohemia. One of the first Tesla Roadster models was purchased personally by A. Schwarzenegger. The other owner of the Roadster is none other than Leonardo DiCaprio. And George Clooney himself!
But if the Roadster was bought by a few, then Hollywood stars pounced on the Model S like hot cakes on a market day. Among the owners of cars of this brand are Cameron Diaz, Alyson Hannigan ("American Pie" remember?), Ben Affleck, etc.
But it's not just Hollywood garages that grace the Model S. The electric car of this brand was chosen by, for example, rapper Pharrell Williams and socialite, king of poker, member of the pro team of the leading gaming room, Canadian citizen Daniel Negreanu.
Little is known about the first owners of the Tesla Model X, but it is assumed that among them is Steve Wozniak, an associate of Steve Jobs who founded Apple.
Steve Wozniak in front of Tesla Model X prototype
As for Russia, then, according to experts, about 180 Tesla Model S vehicles drive across the expanses of our fatherland, 80 of them are in the Mother See. The main obstacle in the introduction of new products in the electric car industry is the lack of a developed network for recharging batteries.
What Russian does not like fast driving? If only there was somewhere to charge the battery at the end of the run!
Tesla Motors Inc.
Company Tesla
Motors Inc. http://www.teslamotors.com/ ) (NASDAQ:TSLA) is engaged in the development, design and production of next-generation electric vehicles, as well as the production of various components (batteries, electric motors, gearboxes, transmissions, etc.).
Foundation of the company
Tesla, named after the eminent scientist Nikola Tesla, was founded in 2003 by Canadian-American engineer billionaire Elon Musk. Elon is a very talented person, he excelled in rocket science, and in the automotive industry, and in information technology. It was Ilan who founded the world famous PayPal payment system and sold it in 2002 for $1.5 billion. Tesla Motors is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA.
Activity of the company
The company operates a network of 80 stores in North America, Europe and Asia. The pride of the company is three developed models cars: Tesla Roadster, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X. The company's debut project is the Tesla Roadster sports car, which was presented by the company on July 19, 2006. The price of the electric car was $100,000. In 2011, the Tesla Roadster was discontinued with only 2,500 copies made. The next development of the company was the Tesla Model S electric car, presented on March 26, 2009. The company planned to produce 25,000 units of the model's sedans, priced at $57,400 each. The latest project of the company is a crossover Tesla models Model X, introduced February 9, 2012. The company plans to deliver the new model in the second quarter of 2015. For its electric vehicles, Tesla Motors has developed "gas stations", which are charging stations for electric vehicles. The company plans to create a network of “gas stations” throughout the United States, and in the future in Europe and Asia, which will remove spatial restrictions on the movement of Tesla cars. According to the company, charging the battery by half in 20 minutes will be free.
Financial position
Since the beginning of 2013, Tesla's capitalization has increased 8 times, its first major investors, including the founders of Google Inc, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the creator of the ebay online store Daimler, and others, made the right decision by investing in this company.
The public offering of the company's shares on the American stock exchange NASDAQ took place in June 2010 under the ticker “TSLA”. On the first day, the company's shares rose by 41%, which increased the company's capitalization by $226 million. Since the IPO, the capitalization of Tesla Motors has grown 56 times, and currently stands at about $31 billion. Tesla's share price on November 26, 2014 is $247.5.
IN Tesla electric vehicles there is nothing unique, and the environmental damage they cause is higher than from gasoline cars
By the end of 2015, 107,228 Tesla Model S cars were sold. These cars are not in garages, they are actively driving on the roads - already in mid-2015, the total mileage of Tesla Model S exceeded 1.6 billion km. The car is not cheap maximum configuration its price exceeds €125 thousand. But in this category, it was able to get ahead in Western countries European Mercedes S-class by the number of cars sold in 2015. This was Elon Musk's main breakthrough in solving the problem of transferring earthlings to environmentally friendly transport - the fact that electric cars became super popular for the first time. An analysis of materials about Tesla Motors allows us to identify five groups of unique technological solutions: 1) constantly updated, fully software and integrated control of the engine, suspension and all vehicle systems; 2) an autopilot that allows the driver not to participate in driving for most of the route; 3) a battery pack ignition prevention system that combines program code, thermal management and chemicals; 4) the Model S "trolley", which integrates the battery pack, thereby providing excellent vehicle stability; 5) rear doors car model X, which are a sophisticated version of the "dovewing" - a design that, due to its complexity, is not used in any of the mass-produced cars now.
The "environmental damage" caused by electric vehicles environment, Musk's critics estimate as follows: a) suppose that the electricity used to charge the Tesla is obtained from a coal-fired thermal power plant; b) compare the emissions of this thermal power plant with the exhaust of the best, most environmentally friendly hybrid cars, such as Toyota Prius, and we get an amazing result: the Prius is “cleaner” than the Tesla. Of course, this is nonsense. Coal-fired stations have long ceased to be the only source of electricity. In Germany, for example, up to 70% of electricity comes from non-carbon sources. Yes, and Toyota Prius is difficult to consider as a full-fledged Tesla analog Model S 90D. Here it is necessary, rather, to compare with the Porsche Panamera TurboS, and this car has a very high level of CO 2 in the exhaust, to put it mildly.
Tesla Motors is a chronically unprofitable "investor's nightmare", "budget parasite"
And this statement is wrong. Tesla Motors is a public company, so its financial statements are publicly available. The company's operating income (revenue minus expenses that had to be incurred to generate this revenue) amounted to $456 million in 2013, $881 million in 2014 and $923 million in 2015. Of course, the company maintains a large volume research work(by $232 million in 2013, $495 million in 2014 and $776 million in 2015), incurs other expenses, but the company's EBITDA in 2013-2014 was still positive: $44 million and $11 million, respectively. However, Musk's plans to build the Gigafactory, a uniquely sized battery plant, require large capital expenditures. We see them in 2015 - for a total of $1.6 billion. And the company's EBITDA in 2015 really amounted to a large negative value.
But the company's investors are happy: Today, Tesla Motors shares are worth $220, which is 11 times more than at the IPO ($20). Getting Tesla Motors government support is not surprising, because subsidies and tax breaks are a typical tool for government incentives for projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions and switching to renewable energy sources. Tesla Motors is among the recipients of both subsidies and benefits. The subsidy was provided in 2009 in the form of a soft loan for $465 million, and the company received tax benefits in both 2014 and 2015. However, it is important to know that the company fully repaid the loan received in 2009 already in 2013, and the amount of tax benefits received for two years, although large in absolute terms - $ 93 million, is insignificant relative to the company's turnover (total turnover for 2014-2015 years amounted to $ 7 billion).
PowerWall - cheating customers, a useless thing
official information about home battery PowerWall in Russian is not (Tesla Motors does not work on Russian market). This is probably why you can come up with “fraudulent promises to users” yourself, and then convincingly and with pleasure refute them. So what is actually promised to PowerWall users? Three simple things: 1) if your house is equipped with solar panels, then you can store the solar energy produced during the day for consumption at night; 2) if you live in remote areas without a stable electricity connection, you can save electricity; 3) you can store electricity at low night rates and use it during the day instead of buying at high day rates. And PowerWall implements all three promises 100%. And the fact that generating and storing solar energy so far costs almost twice as much as buying energy generated by the traditional method cannot be attributed to the malicious Musk. Moreover, the ratio of the price of a “solar” kilowatt and the price of a “hydrocarbon” kilowatt in some countries is not so dramatic: in Hawaii, Australia and Germany, it is already more profitable today to provide for oneself solar energy than buying electricity online.
SpaceX reusable flights are fiction and nobody needs them
It's ridiculous to credit Musk with the idea of reusable space rockets. The American "shuttle" began to be developed in the late 1960s and made 135 flights. However, there is still no effective, economical solution to the problem of reusable flights into space. Each flight of the shuttle cost $1 billion, and the task of restoring it for the next launch required the work of 10,000 people for nine months. The task of adapting the main SpaceX rocket - Falcon 9 - for reusable use was set by Musk from the very beginning. The purpose of this solution is to radically reduce the cost of launching cargo into low Earth orbit.
The space launch market is opaque and non-public, but widely discussed by professionals and fans. It is known from these discussions that a typical launch of a “regular” Falcon 9 costs $70 million, a Long March 3B launch costs $85 million, a Proton takes off for $100 million, Delta 4 from United Launch Alliance (a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin) - $ 120 million, Ariane 5 from Arianespace - € 180 million. Elon Musk aims to reduce the cost of launches by an order of magnitude, up to $ 7-8 million per Falcon 9 Reusable flight. Neither Musk nor his engineering team declares this problem solved and even achievable in the most soon. It is extremely difficult to find a balance between the effectiveness of a rocket and the speed / cost of its recovery after returning to Earth.
The sole reason for the existence and success of the space company SpaceX is its opaque connection and "non-random" support from NASA and DARPA.
Private space companies have existed in the US long before SpaceX. Plus, SpaceX is far from the only private space company with a celebrity investor. Even a “club” of companies has been formed, where famous billionaires have invested: Stratolaunch Systems (Paul Allen), Planetary Resources (Larry Page, Eric Schmidt), Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos), Virgin Galactic (Richard Branson), SpaceX and Bigelow Aerospace (Robert Bigelow ).
Against the backdrop of the overall US space budget, the amounts that SpaceX receives by participating in launches for NASA do not look so huge. But these amounts never go to a single company. In 2008, a $3.6 billion transport contract for the delivery of cargo to the ISS was divided by NASA between two companies: SpaceX and Orbital ATK Inc. The transport contract was signed for seven years, and at the end of 2015, NASA began selecting candidates for a new seven-year contract, again for $ 3.6 billion. Four companies were on the list of applicants for the contract: Boeing, Orbital ATK Inc., Sierra Nevada Corp. . and SpaceX. The contract was eventually signed with the last three, between which launches will be distributed (six launches in total, two for each of the companies).
In the absence of serious solvent demand for space launches from the business side, the only "buyer" from SpaceX is the government. All private space companies are in the same situation. At the same time, SpaceX has perhaps the largest research budget in the industry, which again is not surprising, given the number of tasks being solved in parallel: commissioning a returnable rocket and a super-heavy rocket, finalizing the passenger module. In 2013, Musk estimated SpaceX's annual spending budget at $800-900 million a year. Against the backdrop of figures of this magnitude and with the company's categorical unwillingness to raise funding on the stock market, the strategy of actively involving NASA in projects looks like the only possible one.
The Hyperloop rapid transit project does not contain new ideas and will enrich Musk without benefiting people
Like many, Elon Musk works two jobs at the same time. And the offices of the companies in which he works are far from each other. This situation is uncomfortable even when the offices are at opposite ends of the same subway line, and it is completely unbearable when one office (Tesla Motors) is in Palo Alto, and the second (SpaceX) is in Los Angeles and separates them by an hour of flight or eight hours by car. Flying a plane is not cheap, driving is not fast, which is why Musk is extremely interested in having Los Angeles and San Francisco connected by a high-speed transport line. The California State Government is also interested in this and has prepared a project to build a high-speed train California High-Speed Rail (codenamed Bullet Train) for $68 billion and 15 years. Musk thought that the problem could be solved much faster and cheaper, and instructed his engineers to prepare the concept of an ultra-fast maglev train moving in a vacuum. Engineers completed this task, and in August 2013, a concept was born that immediately became public. Neither Elon Musk nor any of his companies are involved in the implementation of the concept.
