Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Ethanol, EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors
Martin Eberhard of Tesla Motors skeptical of ethanol economy
Michigan business writer Howard Lovy caught up with Martin Eberhard and asked him about ethanol. We all know where Eberhard's fuel-saving interests are focused, but he remains an informed and perceptive observer of the automotive energy situation in this country."I'm highly skeptical of the 'ethanol economy. I'm highly skeptical of the motivation of the large car companies regarding ethanol," said Eberhard.
Regardless, Detroit and Washington are pushing ethanol. Lovy also took a look at the issue from a venture capitalist's point of view. Vinod Khosia is a fan of ethanol.
"It's because, as all smart VCs who learned their lessons from the 1990s know, you change the world by working within it." wrote Lovy.
Following a short debate between the two viewpoints, Lovy says he'll side with Eberhard, and even made a comparison to the ultimate demise of computer as we know it.
"Tesla might not become the "Next GM," wrote Lovy. "But I do know Eberhard is on the right side of the dividing line between the old world and the new."
[Source: Howard Lovy / Michigan Business Review]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike Z 12:14PM (3/04/2007)
Yes, but I'm skeptical about world Lithium supplies being adequate for the replacement of hundreds of millions of ICE cars with EVs.
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Joseph 12:47PM (3/04/2007)
I'm totally off topic, but I need to know. Is teh Prius in Japan capable of pluging in? According to msn it is: http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4024615
"Note that Toyota sells Priuses in Japan that can be plugged in and charged."
I thought the Prius in Jappan only had the EV button.
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TDIMeister 6:59PM (3/04/2007)
"Martin Eberhard of Tesla Motors skeptical of ethanol economy"
The merits of the arguments aside, it should come as no surprise to anybody. Of course he would be. He is a stakeholder for the success of his EV company, and would plug EVs at the expense of other solutions. This is no different than a petroleum producer would plug petroleum; an ethanol producer plugging ethanol, a Biodiesel producer Biodiesel, and so on.
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ali 6:05AM (3/05/2007)
the perfect hybrid was that experiment on tree hugger with the mini cooper. it had 4 electric engines on each wheel had 600hp. a tiny combustion engine for infinite range. and the engine can be powered by small amount of bio diesel.. all this ethanol stuff really sucks.
i prefer the much cheaper electric charge of the tesla. and ethanol would cost about the same as gas right? the only good point is that it saves the enviroment.. or am i wrong here..
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Jimmy 8:47AM (3/05/2007)
This is a classic revolutionary vs evolutionary debate. It is abit unfair to Mr. Eberhard, as Lovy seems to be pushing his own opinion more than interviewing Mr. Eberhard. Lovy is clearly preaching a revolutionary doctrine, including ridiculous statements like calling the Chevy Volt "lipstick on a pig". Of course, revolutionaries often make extreme comments and exaggerated claims.
Personally, I think Mr. Khosla's evolutionary approach is superior.
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Howard Lovy 12:14AM (3/06/2007)
Thank you, Mike, for your accurate summary of my commentary and for continuing the debate on AutoblogGreen. And, Jimmy, this was my commentary, which almost by definition pushes my own opinion. But don't worry. Eberhard's own opinions, in his own words, will come through loud and clear once my paper runs the Q&A interview. I'll let AutoblogGreen know when it's posted online.
I wish he went into the ethanol issue a little more, though. But it wasn't really the primary focus of our interview. I grabbed a few of his statements and built a commentary around it, and others. I'll have to do a follow-up with Mr. Eberhard and get him to elaborate.
Anyway, thanks for the informative blog!
Howard Lovy
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