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Tesla: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Remade the Automotive and Energy Industries
In twelve years of existence, Tesla Motors has achieved many amazing feats. The most trusted sources in the auto industry have called its Model S the most advanced, safest and best-performing car ever built - and it doesn’t use a drop of gasoline. Tesla has changed the way the public perceives electric vehicles, and inspired the major automakers to revive their own dormant efforts to sell EVs.
However, even amidst the avalanche of media coverage that followed the triumph of the Model S, few have grasped the true significance of what is happening. Tesla has redefined the automobile, sparked a new wave of innovation comparable to the internet and mobile computing revolutions, and unleashed forces that will transform not just the auto industry, but every aspect of society.
The Tesla story is one part of an ongoing tide of change driven by the use of information technology to eliminate “friction” such as geographic distance, middlemen and outdated regulations. Tesla is simply applying the new order to the auto industry, but the automobile is such a pervasive influence in our lives that redefining how it is designed, built, driven and sold will have sweeping effects in unexpected areas.
Just as Tesla built the Model S as an electric vehicle “from the ground up,” it has taken an outsider’s approach to the way it markets its cars. Its direct sales model has drawn legal challenges from entrenched auto dealers, who fear that their outdated business model will be destroyed. Its systems approach to the software and electronics in its cars has highlighted how far behind the technological times the major automakers are.
It’s easy to see why readers find Tesla irresistible. CEO Elon Musk is a superstar entrepreneur, a “nauseatingly pro-US” immigrant and the leader of two other cutting-edge companies. Tesla dares to challenge the establishment behemoths and, so far at least, has handily beaten them at their own game.
In this history of the 21st century’s most exciting startup, Charles Morris begins with a brief history of EVs and a biography of Tesla’s driving force, Elon Musk. He then details the history of the company, told in the words of the Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who made it happen.
There are many fascinating stories here: Martin Eberhard’s realization that there were many like himself, who loved fast cars but wanted to help the environment and bring about the post-oil age; the freewheeling first days, reminiscent of the early internet era; the incredible ingenuity of the team who built the Roadster; Tesla’s near-death experience and miraculous resurrection; the spiteful split between the company’s larger-than-life leaders; the gloves-off battles with hostile media such as Top Gear and the New York Times; and the media’s ironic about-face when the magnificent Model S won the industry’s highest honors, and naysayers became cheerleaders overnight. And the story is just beginning: Tesla has breathtakingly ambitious plans for the future.
This book was updated May 1, 2015 to include the latest on the Gigafactory and the D package.
However, even amidst the avalanche of media coverage that followed the triumph of the Model S, few have grasped the true significance of what is happening. Tesla has redefined the automobile, sparked a new wave of innovation comparable to the internet and mobile computing revolutions, and unleashed forces that will transform not just the auto industry, but every aspect of society.
The Tesla story is one part of an ongoing tide of change driven by the use of information technology to eliminate “friction” such as geographic distance, middlemen and outdated regulations. Tesla is simply applying the new order to the auto industry, but the automobile is such a pervasive influence in our lives that redefining how it is designed, built, driven and sold will have sweeping effects in unexpected areas.
Just as Tesla built the Model S as an electric vehicle “from the ground up,” it has taken an outsider’s approach to the way it markets its cars. Its direct sales model has drawn legal challenges from entrenched auto dealers, who fear that their outdated business model will be destroyed. Its systems approach to the software and electronics in its cars has highlighted how far behind the technological times the major automakers are.
It’s easy to see why readers find Tesla irresistible. CEO Elon Musk is a superstar entrepreneur, a “nauseatingly pro-US” immigrant and the leader of two other cutting-edge companies. Tesla dares to challenge the establishment behemoths and, so far at least, has handily beaten them at their own game.
In this history of the 21st century’s most exciting startup, Charles Morris begins with a brief history of EVs and a biography of Tesla’s driving force, Elon Musk. He then details the history of the company, told in the words of the Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who made it happen.
There are many fascinating stories here: Martin Eberhard’s realization that there were many like himself, who loved fast cars but wanted to help the environment and bring about the post-oil age; the freewheeling first days, reminiscent of the early internet era; the incredible ingenuity of the team who built the Roadster; Tesla’s near-death experience and miraculous resurrection; the spiteful split between the company’s larger-than-life leaders; the gloves-off battles with hostile media such as Top Gear and the New York Times; and the media’s ironic about-face when the magnificent Model S won the industry’s highest honors, and naysayers became cheerleaders overnight. And the story is just beginning: Tesla has breathtakingly ambitious plans for the future.
This book was updated May 1, 2015 to include the latest on the Gigafactory and the D package.
513 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 13, 2014
117 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Charles Morris
999 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 5, 2021
Comprehensive account of Tesla history but not a good book.
If you want something interesting or exciting, stay away. If you want to learn about Tesla's history in details - it's a must read.
This book is a great collection of facts and knowledge about the early history of Tesla. It includes over 500 footnotes with sources and is based on personal interviews with Tesla founders. There's a lot to be learned for anyone interested in such details. For that: 5/5 stars.
However, it also contains some sloppy factual errors, jumps all over the place with historical timeline, randomly discusses things that were not yet explained, and the first few chapters are a complete mess. For that: 2/5 stars.
I suspect the book may be completely indigestible for a person not already intimately familiar with the Tesla world. If you just want to read an interesting story about an innovative company, in my opinion it offers nothing for you.
In the end, for me, it is a 4/5 because of the massive amount of detailed information it provided.
If you want something interesting or exciting, stay away. If you want to learn about Tesla's history in details - it's a must read.
This book is a great collection of facts and knowledge about the early history of Tesla. It includes over 500 footnotes with sources and is based on personal interviews with Tesla founders. There's a lot to be learned for anyone interested in such details. For that: 5/5 stars.
However, it also contains some sloppy factual errors, jumps all over the place with historical timeline, randomly discusses things that were not yet explained, and the first few chapters are a complete mess. For that: 2/5 stars.
I suspect the book may be completely indigestible for a person not already intimately familiar with the Tesla world. If you just want to read an interesting story about an innovative company, in my opinion it offers nothing for you.
In the end, for me, it is a 4/5 because of the massive amount of detailed information it provided.
January 3, 2015
Very nice overview about the history of Tesla. Very well researched with a lot of footnotes. After reading it´s clear for me that Tesla is so much more than just an electric vehicle manufacturer. Elon Musk and JB Straubel have a vision that goes beyond cars. The next technical revolution indeed. If Musk succeeds his impact on our society will be much much bigger than that of Steve Jobs.
June 14, 2021
Good history of Tesla up to about 2020. This is a highly detailed journalist notes account - exactly what I wanted. But just note: this piece is not so much great story-telling, as it is comprehensive inside baseball. He does some heavy lifting to put Elon Musk’s recent unfortunate media comments and tweets into the larger context of his accomplishments, which unfortunately will not help many who will never read this or any other detailed account of Musk.
January 24, 2022
This was a great book. I learned a lot of things about how the Tesla company started. It made me realized that it's not just Elon Musk who made Tesla the way it is now, but also Martin, Marc and every employee who worked as a team to fight for Tesla's spot in the industry. This inspired me so much. It teaches you that to get to the top, know that challenges are inevitable, but as long as your intentions and your product is worth fighting for, you'll definitely succeed.
October 10, 2022
Pleasantly surprised about this book, not as promoted as "Power Play", but a great insight into the company early history that considers the testimony of the early founders along with other involved people. This book takes you through a journey that presents how the company has been perceived and documented by the media at each and every achievement and stage of its history. It's remarkable the fact that the author is somebody that has been in touch with the car industry for years and clearly puts the impact of many of the events in the book in context of how Tesla has been disrupting and reinventing the industry in front of behemoth companies that at the beginning did not react and now are starting to suffer the inertial carryover of years by suffering the innovators dilemma.
November 2, 2020
It reads like a fun history book and not so pedantic about the history of EV (electric) vehicles from day 1.
Elon Musk is at the center of their evolution with financial and design skills. Not just with his bountiful $$ . If you wonder how Elon can accomplish so much with cars, trucks, Space X , boring tunnels and even advise on catastrophic events ie people trapped in caves, it’s a fun read. No spoilers yet. He’s truly akin to Einstein and Bucky Fuller or Von Braun in his genius.
Elon Musk is at the center of their evolution with financial and design skills. Not just with his bountiful $$ . If you wonder how Elon can accomplish so much with cars, trucks, Space X , boring tunnels and even advise on catastrophic events ie people trapped in caves, it’s a fun read. No spoilers yet. He’s truly akin to Einstein and Bucky Fuller or Von Braun in his genius.
November 6, 2018
Excellent overview of the disruptive changes in our mist. EVs and their ecosystem are here to stay!
March 11, 2015
I read this to gain some insight into Elon Musk's approach, and to better understand the dynamics of the nascent electric vehicle -- and automotive electric battery -- industry.
Almost eerily, the book discusses quite a bit about battery manufacturing, the work by major carmakers on electric vehicles, but does not at all explore the largest contender in the space, BYD.
A couple of particularly interesting observations form the book: over the air software updates for the cars, as well as mostly buttonless UI allow for faster iteration.
Second, Musk insisted on top-notch user experience and aesthetic, even when that meant greater expense and delays. Any more timid (I was tempted to say, "rational") manager would have likely compromised on these features, reducing schedule and hence financial risk. But, sticking to extremely high standards has resulted in outstanding cars which have given much more traction than a "safer" strategy would have.
The similarity to Apple's / Steve Jobs' approach are quite apparent, down to emphasis on first interaction with the product (door handles on Tesla, packaging at Apple) -- and also in sometimes contentious interactions with subordinates. Although the vision and the goals pursued by Musk at Tesla and SpaceX are dramatically more ambitious and impactful than even those of Apple.
One more takeaway for me from the book was the importance of a tangible demo in key sales and recruiting pitches.
Tzero, an early high performance electric car, and then the heroic retrofit of the Smart car for Daimler both illustrate that point.
Another observation was the emphasis on customer peace of mind, and on superior service. What's remarkable about that is that Musk is (also) an engineer, and some of the salesmanship of unveiling eg the battery swap, and customer service excellence are presumably of little help to him in also navigating SpaceX to success -- that is, as a true unicorn, he's exhibiting strengths in qualities which are usually inversely correlated (salesmanship, engineering, and long-term vision).
It will be exciting to watch further developments at Tesla in the coming years.
Rating the book relatively weak three stars since, while interesting reading, I was left with the impression that a comparable amount could be learned from trade press about Tesla, and I was left wishing for deeper insights in what in particular made the company or its leader tick so well.
Almost eerily, the book discusses quite a bit about battery manufacturing, the work by major carmakers on electric vehicles, but does not at all explore the largest contender in the space, BYD.
A couple of particularly interesting observations form the book: over the air software updates for the cars, as well as mostly buttonless UI allow for faster iteration.
Second, Musk insisted on top-notch user experience and aesthetic, even when that meant greater expense and delays. Any more timid (I was tempted to say, "rational") manager would have likely compromised on these features, reducing schedule and hence financial risk. But, sticking to extremely high standards has resulted in outstanding cars which have given much more traction than a "safer" strategy would have.
The similarity to Apple's / Steve Jobs' approach are quite apparent, down to emphasis on first interaction with the product (door handles on Tesla, packaging at Apple) -- and also in sometimes contentious interactions with subordinates. Although the vision and the goals pursued by Musk at Tesla and SpaceX are dramatically more ambitious and impactful than even those of Apple.
One more takeaway for me from the book was the importance of a tangible demo in key sales and recruiting pitches.
Tzero, an early high performance electric car, and then the heroic retrofit of the Smart car for Daimler both illustrate that point.
Another observation was the emphasis on customer peace of mind, and on superior service. What's remarkable about that is that Musk is (also) an engineer, and some of the salesmanship of unveiling eg the battery swap, and customer service excellence are presumably of little help to him in also navigating SpaceX to success -- that is, as a true unicorn, he's exhibiting strengths in qualities which are usually inversely correlated (salesmanship, engineering, and long-term vision).
It will be exciting to watch further developments at Tesla in the coming years.
Rating the book relatively weak three stars since, while interesting reading, I was left with the impression that a comparable amount could be learned from trade press about Tesla, and I was left wishing for deeper insights in what in particular made the company or its leader tick so well.
May 11, 2022
Although I’ve followed Tesla since 2015, reserved a Model 3 on reveal day (March 31st 2016), and have driven a Tesla for the past four years, there was a marvelous amount of information and stories that Charles Morris imparts in this book that was news to me.
It is a very well written book with a nice balance between facts and anecdotes that keep one’s interest. It is essential reading for those who want to really appreciate Tesla’s history, mission and potential, and to understand the enigmatic Elon Musk—the brains behind this automotive and renewable energy powerhouse!
It is a very well written book with a nice balance between facts and anecdotes that keep one’s interest. It is essential reading for those who want to really appreciate Tesla’s history, mission and potential, and to understand the enigmatic Elon Musk—the brains behind this automotive and renewable energy powerhouse!
September 6, 2014
What a fascinating insight on challenging the status quo in the 21st century. While the narrative style leaves a lot to be desired & there are some abrupt 'copy paste' of quotes/articles, it is an amazing single piece of work that reveals the grit, innovative thinking and enormous efforts that have gone into producing a commercially viable EV. Inspirational read : 'We have to think beyond just solving problems of the world'
March 18, 2015
OK I learned some interesting things so it wasn't a waste of time. But the writing here is poor and the text is like a collage of surface level newspaper articles rather than a deeper, insightful book. Great topic, poorly covered. I was struck by the many chasm's and near disasters Tesla endured to get to where it is - a reminder of the fragility of even the most important and revolutionary companies in the start-up phases.
April 9, 2022
Good and well balanced
Easy reading, overall a well balanced treatise on Elon, his successes and stumbles, his self generated hoof in mouth comments and controversy that have been a plague and a joy to many. Author is a fanboy but does point out even uncomfortable foyables and accomplishments. It is fun to follow Elon Musk as he travels through life.
Easy reading, overall a well balanced treatise on Elon, his successes and stumbles, his self generated hoof in mouth comments and controversy that have been a plague and a joy to many. Author is a fanboy but does point out even uncomfortable foyables and accomplishments. It is fun to follow Elon Musk as he travels through life.
June 22, 2021
Understand how your Tesla became GREAT
Read this book to understand the origins of the Tesla and how the building of the corporation was intertwined with Musk’s other corporations, especially SpaceX.
Read this book to understand the origins of the Tesla and how the building of the corporation was intertwined with Musk’s other corporations, especially SpaceX.
May 11, 2015
Great insight on challenging the status quo in the 21st century. Lots of copy/paste of articles but overall a pretty interesting read
March 14, 2016
i want to buy a Tesla, amazing man.
December 22, 2020
Fascinating History of Tesla.
Fascinating. Definitely a page turner. Mind boggling how much Tesla has innovated. glad I know the true history now. Great read.
Fascinating. Definitely a page turner. Mind boggling how much Tesla has innovated. glad I know the true history now. Great read.
September 13, 2021
Well written and balanced
I was a natural fan of Ev's. This book reinforced my convictions.
Beautifully written, with a flow that keeps reading.
Kudos
I was a natural fan of Ev's. This book reinforced my convictions.
Beautifully written, with a flow that keeps reading.
Kudos
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews