Nikola Tesla = Tesla Motors

Where did the name Tesla Motors come from?  It sounds cool, but many people might not be aware that the name has a strong scientific and innovative legacy.  This post is a little bit of pre-weekend history and trivia, as well as alignment between some of the core values between innovation and the Tesla namesakes.

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” -Nikola Tesla

Tesla Motors was incorporated in 2003 by founders Martin Eberhart and Marc Tarpenning, two Silicon Valley engineers who wanted to demonstrate that electric cars could outperform and be more efficient than internal combustion engine cars.  Elon Musk joined in 2004 as Chairman, and after a number of CEO and management changes, became CEO himself in 2008.  But, we're not here to talk about that, although Tesla Motors' mission of accelerating the world's transition to sustainable transport has remained unchanged.

According to teslamotors.com, "Tesla’s engineers first designed a powertrain for a sports car built around an AC induction motor, patented in 1888 by Nikola Tesla."  So who was Nikola Tesla and how is his namesake responsible for the resulting Tesla Roadster, and subsequent Model S and Model X?

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) was a the Serbian-American inventor and engineer who created the induction motor and alternating-current (AC) power transmission.  Among the inventions and discoveries for which we have Mr. Tesla to thank are the lightbulb, X-rays, radio, remote control, robotics, lasers, wireless technology, hydroelectric power, and of course, electric motors.  For a fantastic educational, entertaining and witty visual history of Nikola Tesla's many accomplishments, check out The Oatmeal, in which Matthew Inman is pained to highlight how little credit Tesla has received for his revolutionary inventions.

Nikola Tesla and Tesla Motors are linked in legacy, innovation, invention, and accelerating humankind.  Tesla Motors' Model S and Model X have disrupted and advanced the 100-year-old stagnant automobile industry in terms of product, service, solutions, features and benefits; Nikola Tesla's 300-plus patents helped usher the world into a second industrial revolution.  Both namesakes embody the following cultural and personal values for which we can strive as individuals and corporate cultures.

Move Fast

From Tesla Motors' open strategy of "entering at the high end of the (Electric Vehicle) market, where customers are prepared to pay a premium, and then driving down market as fast as possible to higher unit volume and lower prices with each successive model," to Nikola Tesla's relentless search to maximise his productivity and efficiency through limited sleep, solitude and exercise, being quick (and effective) is important in generating and maintaining momentum, and in driving an innovative mindset and culture.

Do the Impossible

Nikola Tesla's genius gave us electric power and light, despite established business leaders and inventors (i.e. Thomas Edison) dismissing many of his ideas and not believing in him.  Electric Vehicle naysayers are everywhere; "range anxiety," "inefficient batteries," "ugly design," "impractical," and "hype" are common arguments against them.  Elon Musk and Tesla Motors have created an electric car people actually want to drive, and that performs.  Believing in your vision and dream, and not giving up, is so important in getting results.

"Our virtues and our failings are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, man is no more." -Nikola Tesla

Constantly Innovate

Nikola Tesla's 300-plus patents are testament to his ability to make changes and improve on the established.  While Tesla did not always successfully commercialise his inventions, which is a key element to sustainable innovation, his problem-solving abilities were exceptional.  Tesla Motors recognise that Electric Vehicles largest barriers to success are high costs and suboptimal batteries.  As such, Tesla Motors' Gigafactory will improve supply chain efficiencies and optimise battery technologies.  Additionally, the Tesla Motors Supercharger network is an example of innovation that addresses concerns and problems facing Electric Vehicle charging and support infrastructure: constant innovation.

"Constantly think about how you could be doing things better and keep questioning yourself." -Elon Musk

Reason from "First Principles"

Drake Baer explains First Principles thinking as a "mode of inquiry that relentlessly pursues the foundations of a problem."  Questioning and breaking down problems to their fundamental truths, and then building solutions, is the crux of this mode of thinking, and it is standard operating procedure for Elon Musk and his teams at SpaceX and Tesla Motors.  While more challenging from a mental perspective, it results in better decision making as problem-solving and innovation originates from base facts and data.  Nikola Tesla's electrical and mechanical engineering training were instrumental in allowing him to explore creative and imaginative problem-solving methods, as they established a strong foundation on basic known truths.  

"(Physics is) a good framework for thinking.  Boil things down to their fundamental truths and reason up from there." -Elon Musk

Think Like Owners

With the Volkswagen diesel scandal unravelling, Tesla Motors offers a rare insight into a genuine socially responsible corporation.  Where the company's culture highlights that employees should "Think Like Owners," Tesla Motors has been forthright in taking ownership and holding itself accountable for any and all issues, real or imagined, that it has faced.  From frequent wireless product improvements to addressing infinitesimally minor safety concerns, and designing the Model X to a higher-than-measurable safety rating, thinking ahead of potential owners' needs, and addressing real and perceived problems, is true customer thinking.

"Any product that needs a manual to work is broken." -Elon Musk

We are All In

Tesla Motors espouses and enacts "Teamwork" at every level: individual contributors, business units, companies and whole industries.  Elon Musk has linked SpaceX's and Tesla Motors' achievements to the cross-pollination of ideas from different industries.  "People get siloed," and when those divisions are dissolved, innovation can occur.  As Michael Endler notes,  "it's fairly obvious if you're coming from aerospace that an aluminum chassis, such as the ones used in Tesla's vehicles, can provide benefits in terms of weight, aerodynamic drag, handling, speed, and energy efficiency.  You don't see a lot of airplanes made out of steel, so it was an obvious thing to make a car out of aluminum, but the Model S is the only car made out of aluminum in North America."  

Tesla Motors employees are expected to act like they are in a start-up environment, and rapidly connect with Design Engineers, Sales, Marketing, Programmers and Service Technicians with ideas, problems or questions rather than follow a formal change of command.  Tesla Motors also openly invites collaboration with competitors and other industries, such as BMW and Panasonic, in order to benefit from economic specialisations.  

So, next time you read about Tesla Motors, such as today's announcement about Tesla Autopilot, spare a thought for the innovator behind the innovative namesake, who died penniless and unloved, but who we as a civilisation have so much to thank for.

“Invention is the most important product of man’s creative brain.  The ultimate purpose is the complete mastery of mind over the material world, the harnessing of human nature to human needs.” -Nikola Tesla