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.

Tesla, Slot Cars And The Atari Culture: What Does Slot Car Racing Have To Do With Our Daily Transport?

We don't usually talk about beer and muscle cars on a forum that has to do with Tesla Motors. Actually, we do the opposite: we speak formally about the intuitive vehicles that will change our lives in the near future. We don't talk about "girls" and KISS concerts either; usually when we talk Tesla, we're talking straight business, as ours is not a concern with sex and glamour, but with transport and practicality.

But in the case of Tesla Motors, automation of vehicles, the literal integration between hardware and soft, is of key importance to the business itself. We're business people, so naturally, we don't want to get too silly, too "KISS-concertish" with this very idea of building automated vehicles. In other words, we're not trying to build loops-and-corkscrews for some big-ass, toy car to run around on.

And that's ironic to even say something like that, because back in the early-'90s when we were kids, we had Tyco and other slot car tracks long before we ever messed with "Crash Bandicoot." And let's face it: the beginnings of the video game era signified the end of Tonka trucks and mud pies.

Bitchin' technology? Yeah, it was and still is, but...we have to pay a little deeper attention to this whole idea of being "whimsical." What does that mean? Slot car racing could be considered "whimsical," but then look at the technology behind it.

I mean, it's easy for us as thinkers to take apart nearly any piece of technology and dissect its very running gear, but here's the point: slot cars only leave their lanes if they're driven too fast within too short of a timeframe, and when they are timed incorrectly.

But do they stay on track? Absolutely! Why, because they're on a track, which means that each vehicle is guided. But here's the other thing...slot car tracks use electromagnetic rails to drive/power their vehicles. This means that the tracks themselves are used to propel-and-guide the vehicle in question.

Can this same language be applied to our everyday mode of transit? Who knows; we've lived under the umbrella of bureaucracy for so long that we don't know any other way to do things!

Now...let's look at that same picture or vision, if you prefer, from a Socialist standpoint. First, Tesla platforms are intuitive, which means that it would not be too hard for the company to integrate their services into the overall grid, providing a whole new system of interstate travel. It would be one that consists of intuitive highways and freeway lanes, saving the grid money that would prove substantial in the long run.

So have we been "Socialist" in our approaches so far? We're still burning gas, still eating-up oil while the globe continues to rise in temperature...I think we need a new way!

Again, this does not mean take away business from the mainstream. Instead, why not use technology, our wealth and material resources, to integrate that very vision of intuitive, electromagnetic transport into the very heart of public transportation? The solution, you will find, is a simple one: build intuitive vehicles, something Tesla already has down, but then build intuitive corridors, giant "slot car tracks" for those vehicles/platforms to drive upon.

Bottom line: intuitive vehicles need smarter ways of getting around. If that means getting a little silly, then so be it!

This platform sketch gives a rough illustration of how "Smart" transit would/could work.

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...

 

The "P85-R," Tesla Motors' Very First Muscle Sedan

Abstract:

To most turbo Regal enthusiasts, it's clear that Buick's "Grand National" was not really a performance upgrade as much as it was a trim package. It was the "T-Type" option that added to the G-Body Regal a Garrett turbocharger and other performance goodies. Where Grand National became the supreme trim upgrade for Buick's Regal, so the Model S-based, P85-R seeks to become the "Grand National" of Tesla.

Package Details:

Black-anodized side vents in place of the Model S' standard side markers

Rounded hood scoop

Exclusive "P85-R" badging

Performance:

Horsepower: 416bhp

Transmission: Direct-output

0-60: 4.2 seconds

1/4 mile: 12.42 @ 107.3mph

Top Speed: 130mph (Est.)