August 16, 2016 | By RGR Marketing Blog

Man Behind World’s Coolest Electric Car Talks Future

Elon Musk may be a controversial figure in some circles, but there’s no doubt that the man has a vision for the future.

The Tesla CEO and majority shareholder in SolarCity has certainly had his hands full over the past ten years, creating a coveted line of electric vehicles, laying the groundwork for the second-largest solar provider in the United States, and experimenting with high-speed mass transit, artificial intelligence, and space tourism.

According to Musk, just about everything went according to his extant ten-year plan, which included creating an expensive, low-volume electric car (check!) to finance the development of a more affordable, medium-volume car (Tesla Model 3 rolls out in 2017), and to provide solar power (uh, SolarCity).

With those boxes checked off the list, Musk recently laid out his plans for the next decade. As you’d expect, his ideas are quite ambitious, but if anyone can get them done, Elon Musk seems like the man for the job.

Tesla / SolarCity to Merge

SolarCity has made serious inroads into the U.S. solar market, eclipsing a 35% market share back in Q3 2015. And the Tesla company, perhaps better known for its cars than the batteries that power them, has been making waves in the renewable sector as well, touting its recently released Powerwall battery backup system as the next big thing in off-grid living.

Now, Musk aims to “[c]reate a smoothly integrated and beautiful solar-roof-with-battery product that just works, empowering the individual as their own utility, and then scale that throughout the world. One ordering experience, one installation, one service contact, one phone app.”

And what better way to make that a reality than to combine SolarCity and Tesla into one company? “…The time has come to bring them together,” Musk said.

All Your Vehicle Are Belong to Tesla (typo intended; video game reference!)

So far, Tesla’s cars have been out of reach for the rank and file. The bar for entry has been lowered with the Model 3, which will retail for a more attainable $35k. But rather than parlay the Model 3’s profits into an even more affordable consumer vehicle, Tesla’s engineers are now focusing on turning the machines that make their vehicles into products. No word on how those systems will be deployed, but Mr. Musk speculates that version 1.0 will be ready for release in 2018.

Plans are also in the works to foray into the heavy-duty truck and public transit market. Musk envisions a future in which electric semis will transport goods cross-country; and small, autonomous electric buses as nimble as cars will, with the touch of a mobile app, spirit passengers directly to their destinations.

Autonomous Driving (and Sharing)

Tesla’s autopilot isn’t perfect. Yet. That’s why the company still refers to it as a “beta” version. But Tesla’s autopilot is already significantly safer than driving the old-fashioned way. As the system learns and improves, it’s only a matter of time before regulators green-light autonomous driving everywhere.

When that happens, you’ll be able to call your vehicle to pick you up just about anywhere. That’s great news for those who’d rather read a book or watch a movie in traffic.

It’s also an exciting prospect for people who’ve always wished they could clone themselves to have more free time. At some point in the not-too-distant future, Musk claims the average Tesla owner will be able to send his or her car out into the world to earn spare cash during its downtime, reducing the cost of ownership quite significantly.

Welcome to the Future

You’re in the solar industry, which is a pretty futuristic way to make a living. But if you ever find yourself feeling a bit disappointed that you don’t own a jetpack or a robot butler, just be patient. If Elon Musk gets his way, there are plenty of technological wonders in store for everyone.

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