Electric Future - Design & Development of the Original TESLA Sports Car

April 3, 2013
ME Auditorium
1200

Martin Eberhard

Founder & First CEO
Tesla Motors

Abstract

This presentation addresses several interesting questions regarding electric cars, especially when considering them as replacements for gasoline-powered vehicles and when comparing them to other alternatives. Rather than presenting a survey of the numerous subjects within this framework, this talk will focus on a few of the more interesting subjects, drilling deeply enough to illustrate that the simple and apparently obvious answer is not necessarily the correct answer. In particular, this talk will focus on the actual (well-to-wheel) energy consumption of the various fuel choices, a comparison of other proposed alternatives such as hydrogen fuel cells, and a look at the tradeoffs when designing a battery system for different electric car types.

Biography

Martin Eberhard is a lifelong engineer and entrepreneur. He was an early employee of five startup companies, three of which he was a founder, and two of which he was the founding CEO. As CEO of NuvoMedia, Eberhard created the Rocket eBook, the first eBook with Internet delivery and bestseller titles, paving the way for the Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle. His most recent startup, Tesla Motors, is credited with jump-starting consumer demand for electric cars and persuading every car company worldwide to develop and offer electric cars. Most recently, Eberhard worked on electric vehicle programs at Volkswagen Group. He recently left Volkswagen Group, again pursuing his entrepreneurial interests. Eberhard has a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. He is a named inventor on more than 14 patents.

POC

Dr. Daniel A. Nussbaum
Naval Postgraduate School 
Principal, Energy Academic Group
Monterey CA 93943
Phone: 831-656-2387
Mobile: 831-324-3228
Email: dnussbaum@nps.edu