Tesla Motors: The Future Of Automotive...And How I Hope To Be A Part Of It

Truthfully, I've been a Tesla Motors fan since 2013. But as far as electric cars, that idea would've made sense, to me, as a kid.

You may recall, if you've followed me long enough online, that I got to ride in a Model S. That was via an invite, by Mitch Melassanos from the LA Fashion magazine. That was, for me, a glimpse into the future. But it also made me realize that Tesla is still in need of one more marketing angle: sports cars.

For example, a special edition of the Model 3, with a running gear out of a P90D Model S, would be the Tesla equivalent of a Mercedes sedan with an AMG conversion. Go back to muscle cars: Chevy COPO built 427 Camaros and Chevelles, Mopar does performance accessories for Dodge and Chrysler. The "Special Vehicle Team," or SVT, for the Ford Motor Company.

What should make Tesla any different? Within the walls of that company, there should be a department, or division that specializes in race-and-performance. Again, an "AMG" equivalent for the Tesla make. As a vice president or CEO, that would be the next step-up, in my car company, that I would look into investing in.

But another thing as well, and that's on the subject of sustainability. I am physically-challenged, and yeah...it's obvious that I like cars! But facts are facts: our community, like the rest, needs conveniences like voice activation, auto pilot driving and parking. 

That technology would make it possible for the physically-challenged community to drive, but it also happens to be spilling-out to the mainstream. For my community, I need to be able to make Tesla technology available, and besides racing and performance, accessibility is far more important. All of these things, I feel, are the core ideas that I am able to bring to Tesla Motors.

The "Binaural Motor Theory," And How That Theory Applies To Paratransit

To create any kind of transport system or hub, based on this whole notion of DC motor automation and web-connectivity, seems too fantastic to even be physically-possible. But in the world of 2015, where technology is becoming so mobile at such a fast rate, vehicle automation is seriously becoming an element, a "thing" that we all need to start thinking about.

It's not just kinesiology or overall theory, and if you take that notion and translate it to the physically-challenged community, what you get is a solid formula for the most sustainable transport system possible. The formula is one that establishes a direct correlation between workload and running speed, and this is how it breaks-down: Automated vehicle + accessibility=SmartVan.

But even a formula as tacky as that has fibers that make-up its very construction, and those fibers were ones that had to be collected out in the field, using the power chair itself as a test vehicle. What a series of test runs at the San Fernando Valley's Balboa Lake revealed is that whether going uphill or down, most electric-powered wheelchairs, in order to be sustainable and perform, must be able to calibrate all vehicle variables in relation to terrain.

This is true of an all-electric platform like a power chair or even a Tesla Model S, so why wouldn't it be true for a more passenger and cargo-oriented platform, such as the "Unicab?" It does, in fact become evident that the vehicle is irrelevant; it's the intuitive platform that becomes the kernel of our many science experiments.

In the '80s, it was at least somewhat true for the world of GM muscle, that the G-Bodied Buick Regal also served as a testing ground for more progressive ways of building sustainable performance. That language, in and of itself, could care less whether or not that turbocharged Regal appears in the guise of a Grand National or an even less-rated T-Type; the point is the turbo V-6 concept.

So over time, what a lot of us start to understand is that it's kind of hard to differentiate between vehicle and platform, but once we start to understand what's going on, we can take the language of the formula and translate it.

In an environment where the variable, "WL" represents workload, or watts, the amount of workload must be directly proportional to the amount of running speed produced by a platform's running gear, or RPM. So when you take that principle or molecule and apply it to a powered wheelchair, it fits geometrically. The reason that it does is because under the confines of that very formula, nearly any power chair platform can run optimally on top of nearly any terrain type. So by using that analogy, the "binaural-motor" or sustainable transport theory actually boils-down as follows: Min RPM/Max WL=Tr, or "transport." This very formula, when translated to the automotive sector, also fits geometrically.

Amusement Parks Are SOOO Cool: Tesla's "Electric Avenue" Theme Park And Resort

Abstract:

When Walt Disney created Disneyland during the 1950s, there were several styling cues and techniques used to create what would essentially serve as a model. That "model" was to be one of what Disney envisioned as the "perfect city."

Among these "perfect city" cues were the now-famous monorail, which Disney had allegedly proposed to be a public transit possibility for the future. Goodyear Tires' "People Mover" attraction, once up-and-alive in the former "Tomorrowland," also presented a model of what could soon be in the realm of mass transit. Amusement parks are more than places of fun and entertainment; they inspire us, either through steel rollercoasters or audio animatronics.

In that spirit, we present to Elon Musk and Tesla Motors a new and refreshing approach to the whole "theme park" motif. And it's one that uses what I, myself often like to refer to as the "Tesla Touch."

General idea:

Most roller coasters and water rides use traditional wood, steel and tire-based pulley systems to drive what is essentially an archaic system of motor torque and chain drive. The difference with Tesla's "Electric Avenue" theme park and resort is that all attractions, from roller coasters to restaurants, use the same DC and solar technology that has already put Elon Musk, Solar City and Tesla Motors on the map.

Solar Power Brings A New Approach To Dining And Lodging:

Solar power and linear motor technology is not exclusively for Viper and Free Fall; at Electric Avenue, we offer the best in wining and dining, while cooking your food and preparing your drinks in the best kangen water the wellness industry has to offer.

It's the same filtration system that we use to produce alkaline water throughout Electric Avenue's park-wide plumbing network, which means that when you use the restroom at Electric Avenue, the water that comes out of the sinks, as well as toilet and urinal water, is alkaline water that has been processed through a system of electrolysis. That system guarantees that all of the park and resort's water is purified and stays that way.

Solar-Powered Rides And Attractions:

Why use conventional pulleys and chain drives, when flat, DC motors and solar panels do the exact same thing...but better?! The vision behind the Electric Avenue resort is that we build roller coasters with loops, corkscrews and all the other "good stuff," save for the steel that normally beats you up at a Six Flags venue.

Here's how we do it: imagine the most radical steel coaster at Magic Mountain, but constructed using carbon fiber, which is an advanced plastic proven by the automotive industry to be lighter and stronger than steel. In the past, Ferrari and Lamborghini dealers have claimed carbon fiber to be "sketchy" in the sense that it could do anything after long-term exposure to the sun and atmosphere. Part of the vision is to then anodize or blanket roller coaster and water ride tracks with a naturally-based solution that would offer weather protection to the carbon-based tracks.

But why solar and why flat, DC motors? Because Elon Musk has made it clear that flat motors are the ones that will power the capsules inside the Hyperloop, and seriously, have you ever been on Superman?!

DC motors replace traditional drive systems; they're faster and far more efficient. Here, we use electromagnetic poles or markers to drive attraction vehicles, which would also be carbon-based for minimal weight and maximum construction. It's the same technology, save for the flat motor format, that we use in the Model S and other Tesla vehicles. Solar panels are, of course, used to regenerate those motors, driven by the same lithium batteries used by Tesla.

In this spirit, there really is only one question left: Will Tesla's "Electric Avenue" be able to stamp-out the "happiest place on earth" or America's "thrill ride capital?!" Using DC and solar to power not only rides, but animatronics and other attractions, we shall all find out...

 

Elon Musk's "Hyperloop": The Cure For The Common Light Rail

It was only in 2003--just a few years back--that I felt like a white kid with a mullet upon a visit to Long Beach. In fact, many of my disabled friends from LA and myself would often go to King Taco on the corner of Long Beach and PCH, but there was something that that part of the city had that ours didn't at the time.

That "extra feature" was an electric train, something that Italian rednecks like myself had never before seen in the San Fernando Valley. Hell, come to think of it, there were a lot of things that we never got to see in the Valley, some of which included crossing gates.

This was a system that Long Beach's cable-fed "Blue Line" used, but then I was driven to ask a friend from South LA why our Valley suburb didn't have a rail system like that, but he assured me that it was undoubtedly in the Valley's future.

Well...some "future" our beloved San Fernando Valley had to look forward to: a half-assed "light rail" that was really just a two-lane roadway that had been retrofitted from a railroad track, one that ran along Victory during the War era. Back then it probably wasn't called, "Victory," but then the Valley has always been a tossed salad of industrial inconsistencies anyway, so who cares?!

The point that we care about for the sake of this discussion is America's "grid," the "infrastructure." With all sincerity intended, that "grid" is one that's simply silly. It's nonsensical to blow tax dollars on a hydrogen Hummer for Schwarzenegger, while gas continues to soar toward the 5-dollar-per-gallon mark.

It's nonsensical for In-Home Supportive Services to shell-out minimum wage toward a menial workforce, when clearly it's more cost-effective to make all efforts toward getting the developmentally-challenged up and working, and this is where the "Tesla touch" comes in to help bring public transit to a brand new plane of existence.

Elon Musk has just leaked a ground-breaking, mass transit model that will inevitably make super sonic travel into a near reality. It uses a strange breed of "space tech" like none that has ever been used in public transportation.

Now you'd say, "Sweet! But isn't that "kind of thing" only for the rich and eccentric? Yes, such is usually the case with such high-and-mighty forms of transport. The Musk vision, however, is one that sees a world where electromagnetic transport is something accessible to nearly anyone who wants it.

That seems to be the key to unlocking the door to Elon Musk and his electromagnetic know-how, and his DC motor technology is the kind that's going to benefit all of us.

Why? Because it would cost a tad over $6 billion dollars to build the "Hyperloop," a refreshing concept from Elon Musk that proposes to bring a new kind of high-speed rail to the West Coast. This, however, is not nearly as substantial as the proposed $69-70 billion that would be needed to build the Bay to LA train that the "Administration" wants to construct, one that would also eat up steel and other crude resources.

With the Hyperloop, on the other hand, the form of transit comes in the form of what Musk himself describes as a sort of "air hockey table," a reverse bear trap of magnetic poles and giant turbines. The turbines are the most important part of the Hyperloop, because they push and pull, while dropping the tunnel's overall air pressure. This, combined with magnetized mile marks for torque, make for an in-tunnel "flight" that's reminiscent of Star Tours.

What this boils-down to is that the Hyperloop is a transit system that uses simple technology that's more complicated then it sounds. What's not "simple" about using magnets and air pressure to propel a passenger craft?!

Elon Musk apparently agrees, and with the invention of Hyperloop transit, the electronics guru has strove to invent a new dimension of public transit. That's got to make you wonder then...

...Have we been doing things wrong this whole time? Aren't gas and oil the best solutions for essentially any type of vehicle? Nope! And whoever told you that "gas is good" probably spilled a little too much nail polish in their chocolate milk, because honestly, gas is booty!

Gas is a bunch of explosive crud that we dump into our cars to make them run, but let's face it: even if we hurt the natural realm a bit by making batteries, that process can not be as toxic as burning fossil fuels.

And I mean for real, how the frick do you expect someone on a fixed income to buy Amtrak tickets for $60-120 per head, if that's even what it costs now? It's cool, except that it's a diesel-generated passenger train that books 65-70 miles per hour, where Musk is proposing a capsule that books nearly the speed of sound. And this is with nothing but magnets and airflow, which makes me really feel stupid about the kind of transit we're accustomed to.

Some of Elon Musk's most recent concepts and endeavors have actually made me feel stupid about a lot of things, like using steam, diesel motors and other abracadabras of the motoring realm to get from LA to San Diego.

Why couldn't we have figured this all out years ago?! It's so easy to combine air force with electromagnets to create a sort of "wind tunnel," one that moves a vehicle along with minimal drag.

That's good news for all of the speed junkies in the world, but what really makes the deal is that Musk's proposed Hyperloop would offer a one-way rate of about $20. The idea in itself is wild, to say the very least, but again it's possible with a $6-7 billion construction cost.

Also, the fact that the system would consist of an above-ground tunnel that's pressure-controlled would make the project a far more organic build than California's proposed light rail, one that's been said to top out at less than 120 miles per hour, this being done in the same distance as Musk's proposed Hyperloop.

Will Hyperloop prove to be a system that actually works? Tell you what: try riding MTA from Warner Center to Northridge, even on a weekday schedule, and tell me if that works.

The truth of the matter is that it now costs $80 for a Metro monthly pass, where in 2004 it was about $50. It takes approximately 45-60 minutes to travel from Woodland Hills to the borderline that separates Northridge from Reseda, and anyone who knows the area well enough knows that this is really not that much of a stretch.

So do we want Hyperloop transportation to become part of our daily landscape? Right about now, it sure is looking a lot nicer than conventional railroad, for sure!