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Andrew Gledhill
Professor Florian
English 114B
06 April 2014
A Step in the Right Direction
Utopia is a book written by Thomas More that talks about a vision of a better tomorrow.
Though out the book Thomas More shares ideas of a perfect society. In that community there
was no leaving, not because people wanted; but in addition they were barriers set in place in case
anyone felt the temptation to go outside the norm of things. In this perfect society there were
slaves that did the work so others didnt have to and you could do whatever you wanted. It was
an expressed idea of equality throughout the entire society. A common theme throughout
Thomas Mores Book Utopia is the idea of a self-automated system, simplifying tasks for
mankind.
Tesla Motors has an idea of this type of automated system that they want to integrate into
their vehicles. This is a car company that has recently exploded in popularity. The company is
worth 30 billion dollars and is an all-electric car that is sporty, luxurious, and futuristic. Tesla
motors only has three different models on the market today which include the model S, model X,
and the Roadster. Due to the high gas prices these cars have certainly turned a few heads.
Although these cars are expensive they are completely electric with a super charger so it
makes the recharging process on longer trips more realistic, thus resulting in a more practicality.
Not only do these cars solve the high gas problems everyday people face, they also fix the
emissions problem, these all-electric cars dont admit any emissions into the atmosphere
producing less waste.
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In addition to the zero admissions Teslas also have a five star crash safety rating in every
single safety category making it the safest electric car in America. The high end version, the
model S, can go 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds and top out at a maximum speed of 130 mph. Keep in
mind thats an without using combustion, purely motor powered. With that said it puts out a
maximum of 416 horsepower.
This car company is at the threshold of this technological advancement and they have to
tools in front of them to take the reins and run with this idea. Tesla claims they will have a 15
year march to utopia. They define a utopia as a car that drives by itself basically. It would be like
that movie iRobot with the automatic cars that can drive themselves around and the passenger
just tells it where to go. By 2015 they predict the driver can substitute in and out of an auto-pilot
mode. By 2018 Tesla motors believes there cars will be completely autonomous capability. Its a
ways away but I believe it isnt out of the picture. Something great in the car company is coming
in the next twenty years and I am excited to be around to see cars driving themselves.
In the book Utopia it describes a world of living with ease and not having to ever work,
in this case never having to drive. I find this company seeking their vision of a utopian
automobile company in which there is accident prevention and minimal driver interaction
resulting in an easier way to get around. Instead of paying attention to the road you can take that
time to fulfill other tasks such as work, sleep, or even eating a meal: its like teleporting in real
time. Moving from A to B without having to physically be doing the moving.
After this becomes reality, next comes planes and recreation vehicles in which the drivers
can lounge and watch TV or prepare dinner as if they werent moving at all. Im excited to see
where this company takes their products and I am looking forward to see the technology improve
in the next few decades.
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On the other hand Tesla motors has had a few setbacks with their new product line. The
media has asserted a negative stance towards the company due to a few incident reports. Several
people in America have seen the photos and videos of the teslas that caught fire. This sudden
shock stunned the public into developing rumors that the cars randomly burst into flames. The
actual story was caused by a piece of debris on the freeway that had fallen off the trailer of a
semi-truck (Musk). The debris was a curved piece of metal that laid in one of the lanes on the
freeway. The tesla ran over the metal and as it ran it over the bumper pushed the U-shaped metal
down propping up the other side piercing the under-carriage of the vehicle. The area that was
pierced is where the on-board batteries are stored. The Battery compartment is divided into 16
modules that are all divided with fire walls. Tesla motors stated that the metal skid plate
protecting the car is inch thick and was pierced creating a 3-inch diameter in this plate. Once
the battery module was pierced the Lithium battery supply burst into flames causing a fire in the
front of the car.
Through several corporate statements and interviews Tesla has stated that it was caused
by an outside source and was simply un-avoidable. They are making efforts to improve this
incident and are rebuilding their reputation and becoming more popular. Tom Gara a writer for
the Wall Street Journal stated that Tesla is taking a 15-year march to utopia (Gara). Claiming
in 10 years cars will potentially be able to operate without any physical interaction, thus resulting
in to driver. This could totally change the ways cars are designed. For instance you wouldnt
have a need to be facing the front of the car and you wouldnt need a steering wheel. All cars
could be set up to be more comfortable. They could have more comfort and accessibility, such
as; mini fridges, desks, TVs, and microwaves just to name a few. In addition, you could have
your car park itself and then at the touch of a button it could drive to the front of a restaurant to
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come pick you up. This would be great for solving the high rate of DUIs and other deadly
intoxicated accidents. Not only this, it would allow for safe passage with no responsibility as a
driver, so you wouldnt have to worry about being distracted and you could ride around eating
and texting or emailing. I find the automatous ideal so fascinating, the potential for this idea is so
beneficial to the entire public population.
One more common miss belief about electric vs. gasoline powered vehicles is the cost of
operation, basically the cost of a tank of gas vs. the full charge of a battery. Kristen Hall-Geisler
shared a model using the Mini E. The Mini E uses .22KWh per mile which is 22 kWh for every
100 miles traveled (Hall-Geisler). In Portland, Oregon electricity costs 6 cents per kilowatt-
hour. This basically makes it $1.32 to drive the mini E a 100 miles. Now on the other-hand
running the gas version of the mini cooper that gets 31 miles to the gallon. Converting to 49.9
kilometers per gallon. This makes it 3.2 gallons to go 100 miles. The price of gas costing around
$3.84 a gallon times 3.2 gallons equals to $12.29, saving you about 10 dollars for every 100
miles traveled. Basically stating it would be cheaper to drive an electric car.
However the only con of traveling in an electric vehicle is the range of one charge and
the time spend waiting for the car to recharge. Tesla has actually designed superchargers that
charged electric cars twice as fast as it typically would take plugged into the outlet in your
garage.
Tesla Motors is making the right movement towards all electric vehicles and have an edge on the
industry due to their sleek designs and overall public appearance and popularity. I think this
company has the ability to climb to the top over the years and be a dominant name in the
automotive industry, specifically to electric vehicles. With their autonomous march I see their
car company leading America into the modern Utopia of a new decade. Allowing Humans to use
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more machine for practical functions.


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Works Cited
Hall-Geisler, Kristen . "How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Car?." HowStuffWorks.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. <http://auto.howstuffworks.com/how-much-does-it-cost-
to-charge-an-electric-car.htm>.
Gara, Tom. "The Wall Street Journal." Corporate Intelligence RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar.
2014. <http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2014/02/25/morgan-stanley-outlines-
teslas-15-year-march-toward-utopia/>.
More, Thomas. Utopia. Raleigh, N.C.: Alex Catalogue, 199. Print.
Musk, Elon . "Blog." Model S Fire. N.p., 4 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-fire>.