Kimbal Musk: Tesla Motors to Open Gallery in Boulder, Colorado

By Kimbal Musk, Huffington Post

Disclaimer: I am on the board of Tesla Motors, own a Tesla Roadster, and love my Tesla Roadster.

Five years ago I took my first ride in an early prototype of the Tesla Roadster. It had no dashboard, the seats were more like metal frames, and there was no roof. But it did have a steering wheel and foot-pedal (I guess you can't call it a gas pedal anymore). It didn't need anything else. The test drive blew me away. I still remember the first time my head was pushed against the back of the 'seat' as we launched from zero to 60 in less than 4 seconds. I was intoxicated with joy. I wasn't alone. Everyone who tried the prototype that day became a believer. Electric cars were the future. And now that future is coming to Colorado.

Nikola Tesla, one of Colorado's famous residents, always believed that the gasoline engine made no sense. Tesla Motor's original business plan had a copy of a letter from Nikola Tesla from the late 19th Century talking about the challenges inherent in gasoline engines, and the promise of the electric engine. But for a few twists of fate the gasoline engine we know today might have just been a small footnote in history.

Nikola Tesla spent one of his most productive years in Colorado Springs. While in Colorado, Tesla proved that earth was a conductor of electricity, he produced artificial lightning with discharges consisting of millions of volts, and up to 135 feet long (based on his famous Tesla Coil), and performed...

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