Tesla is doing something extremely cool. Tesla is that brand of extremely cool autos that run on extremely cool, clean electricity and figured out how to go miles (literally) beyond other electric automakers when it comes to how far they travel on a single charge-- double or triple the driving range of other electric cars, to be exact. Their groundbreaking ways continue.
For example, Tesla sells their cars directly to consumers out of their own showrooms. They've gotten some blowback for that (hence the image at the bottom of this post).
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Tesla is offering something else extremely cool, something very surprising:
The Tesla Model S just became the world's first open-source car.
Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla Motors Inc., said Thursday that he was opening up the electric car company's patents to all comers. "Technology leadership is not defined by patents, which history has repeatedly shown to be small protection indeed against a determined competitor," Musk said, "but rather by the ability of a company to attract and motivate the world's most talented engineers."
And if that's not impressive enough, Musk wants to encourage the use of electric cars for all the right reasons:
Opening up Tesla's technology could increase sales of electric cars and move the world away from oil-burning vehicles that contribute to global warming.
Plus, his strategy won't hurt business in the least. But it will help our environment and kick car manufacturers in their polluting trunks to keep up with the times.
"We think the market is plenty big enough for everyone," Musk said. "If we can do things that don't hurt us and help the U.S. industry, we should do that."
He's channeling Henny Youngman in the best way ever.
Take my patents, please!
Then again, he can afford it:
"Even if other competitors copy Tesla's design, Tesla still gets to sell them batteries, and that's pretty awesome. Tesla's decision isn't entirely altruistic," said Jacob Sherkow, patent law expert at the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford Law School.
"I don't think people quite appreciate the gravity of what is going on," Musk said. "We need to do something. We would be shortsighted at Tesla if we kept these things close to our vest."
Tesla benefits, other car makers benefit, we benefit, the environment benefits, and everyone works together as one, big happy, healthy family. That, by the way, is The American Way.