Aug 9, 2013 | Electric Vehicles
Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues
This is part of the story, Boldly Going. A Tesla Family Road Trip, From Silicon Valley to LA
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Part One: Escape From LA: We went for a fast charge and got much more than we bargained for…
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Los Angeles, August 2nd, 2013: It was 2.30pm and the clock was ticking. We were in a race to escape the hellish Friday afternoon exodus from LA, but with 87 miles of charge, we couldn’t make it from Long Beach to Santa Barbara without a top up. So when we pulled off Crenshaw Boulevard, looking for LA’s
only Tesla Supercharger, I felt sure we’d made a grave mistake. The building said SpaceX, there were no chargers in sight, and the security guard looked stern.
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We were directed around the building, past SpaceX workers wielding heavy equipment, to the
Tesla Design Studio where a sleek row of four Superchargers awaited us, only one in use. After a 20 minute pit stop that was more eventful than we expected (more on that below), we were charged and back on the road. Despite traffic building up on the notorious 405 and roadworks in Santa Monica, it was a smooth ride north via Malibu and we made it to Santa Barbara in time for afternoon tea.
Total journey: 124 miles. Total time: 2 hours 50 minutes. Total cost: Free (Tesla Superchargers are currently free).
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Now back to that remarkable pit stop.
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Feeling scruffy and dusty from camping on Catalina Island, it was awkward asking a passing Tesla employee where we could find coffee. Needn’t have worried. When you’re driving a Tesla, and you’re in Elon Musk’s back yard, it doesn’t matter if your clothes are crumpled, your hair needs washed and you smell faintly of firewood. We were soon ensconced in the foyer of the Tesla Design Studio (which doubles as a classy rest stop for drivers), kids devouring iced water, husband sipping fresh brewed espresso. And me? Ogling my first Model X.
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The design is innovative. At first glance, it looks like a Model S, sleek and elegant. Upon further inspection, it’s taller and bulkier, but certainly not the wardrobe on wheels that many SUVs resemble.
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Here are the highlights:
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On the Model X
Yes indeed, Franz is spending most of his time on the Model X design. It’s due
to be released late 2014. He was vague about progress on the
Third Generation Tesla which is planned to retail for around $35,000 and have mass market appeal.
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On replacing the wing mirrors with video camerasFranz confirmed that they’re still in talks with authorities to get the necessary permissions for this innovative change which will make the car sleeker and more aerodynamic (not to mention, presumably free of blind spots). Tesla is at the front of the movement to release this feature, further increasing the range of their vehicles. Side-view mirrors are the elephant in the living room for vehicle drag, typically 3-6% of total vehicle drag. Note that VW’s XL1 turbodiesel, with a similar release schedule to the Model X, uses the same trick.
Photo caption: Tesla’s side-view mirror cameras further shrink Model X’s class-leading drag coefficient.
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Find out more from this
Elon Musk Video. “
I mean the body of regulation for cars could fill this room. It’s just crazy how much regulation there is. Down to what the headlamps are supposed to be like. They even specify some of the elements of the user interface on the dashboard…some of these are completely anachronistic...” Elon Musk
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On the brash new color of Franz von Holzhausen’s Model SFranz grinned big when we discussed his unique Model S. He said it was parked inside the Design Studio and the color is still “officially” under wraps, yet the stunning “electric blue” is
all over the internet. Certainly not my cup of tea, but it works for some.
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On Franz von Holzhausen imminent stardom
Although Franz is a low key guy, he’s not camera shy. After our conversation, he posed for a photo shoot for
Details Magazine.
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Check back soon for Part Two of A Tesla Family Road Trip, Silicon Valley to LA
To LA and Beyond, Space The Final Frontier
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I’ll show you our route from Silicon Valley to LA (Long Beach Catalina Express) and how the roomy frunk and trunk devoured all our camping gear, clothes for a week, as well as our son’s starting college necessities, to leave us a roomy, clutter free interior space. Our Tesla adventure wasn’t without issues however. We didn’t opt for the navigation package, so misleading touchscreen information on new Superchargers in Atascadero and Buellton had us scratching our heads; and we had to reboot the touchscreen several times too. More on that soon.
Jul 24, 2013 | Electric Vehicles, Green jobs, Inspiring Women, Women in tech
Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues
You might be excused for thinking that the success of Tesla Motors is entirely due to the brilliance of its leader, Elon Musk. OK, perhaps with a wee bit of help from his friend, JB Straubel?
Well, that media delusion was dispelled last week when Tesla threw open the doors of its Palo Alto Headquarters and showed off a panel of top female engineers and leaders. The occasion was the 44th in a series of Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners, a popular women in tech group founded by Angie Chang and managed by the energetic Sukrutha Raman Bhadouria.
The group of 100 female techies was treated to Tesla Model S rides, product demos, networking with key members of the Tesla team; and a rare view of the Tesla patent wall (see photos below).
But the highlight of the evening was a lively panel of Tesla engineers and executives, including Katie Noble (Systems Integration Engineering Manager), Lauren Fullerton (Electronic Design Engineer), Miriam Vu (Product Manager), and Troy Nergaard (Senior Hardware Development Engineering Manager). Tesla’s Susan Repo (VP, Global Tax) did a solid job moderating the event and exploring:
1. The challenges of working at Tesla
2. Being a woman at Tesla
3. The importance of soft skills at Tesla
4. The legal action that Tesla faces from car dealers in some U.S. states.
We will be posting video excerpts at Fresh Dialogues YouTube Channel shortly. Meantime, here are some quotes:
On Working at Tesla
“You work with aggressive people occasionally, both male and female… Passions are high at Tesla and things can get heated…If someone blows up, you try not to internalize things…(and) appreciate the passion they have for a particular problem.” Katie Noble
“At Tesla, you don’t have time to take the wrong path. As a leader you need to know when to step in.” Troy Nergaard
On Time Pressures at Tesla
“With Tesla moving so quickly, we may not have all the answers right up front before we start moving… We are a very small team in a company that’s trying to do a lot of things, so time is of the essence.” Miriam Vu
On The Types Who Work at Tesla
“There are “car geeks” and there are “green geeks.” Troy Nergaard
The Bay Area Girl Geeks Dinners boasts a membership of over 8,000 and demand for the events – hosted at top Silicon Valley companies like Google, Yahooo and Facebook etc are typically over-subscribed. This Tesla event had 2000 signups for 100 tickets. As a result Chang and Raman Bhadouria have created a lottery sytesm for tickets.
Jul 17, 2013 | Policy, Summits & Conferences
Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues
In this exclusive Fresh Dialogues interview, Gavin Newsom, Lt. Governor of California and new father, explains why the U.S. requires a national carbon tax. Newsom was attending the NY Times Global Forum in San Francisco, June 20, and shared his views on climate change, oil companies and his dream of being Governor of California one day.
Newsom, whose wife Jennifer Siebel, just gave birth to their third child on July 3rd, frames the argument in a way that even a five-year old can understand.
“You wanna move the mouse, you gotta move the cheese,” says Newsom, who describes other measures to combat climate change, such as composting, green building, plastic bag bans etc., as “playing a bit in the margins.”
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Newsom argues that putting a price on carbon is the real macro solution to climate change. Nevertheless, he praises the entrepreneurial spirit of many city mayors who have proved that you can grow your economy and reduce your Green House Gas emissions. Local case in point: San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed’s Green Vision
Here are some highlights of our conversation
On Oil Companies and Interesting Bed Fellows
Newsom: “Some of the big oil companies are talking about a carbon tax as they’re more and more concerned about cap and trade…especially in California with AB 32. Now they’re saying, ‘now wait…a carbon tax may make sense.’ Interesting bedfellows now. I think there’s a different dialogue that could potentially be held. I’m not suggesting for a moment that Chevron is saying ‘time for a carbon tax’ but in the private conversations that I’ve had with a lot of these big energy producers, you don’t have that negative reaction that we had four or five years ago…”
Fresh Dialogues: What’s in it for the oil companies?
Newsom: “I don’t want to put words in their mouth. The bottom line is: what most of these big producers want is consistency across jurisdictions.”
On Leaning In to Green Growth
“I want to see a standard that could bring this country back to international prominence in terms of leaning into a low carbon green growth strategy, so that we can dramatically change the way we produce and consume energy and lead the world as a pace setter in terms of efforts to reduce Green House Gas emissions and radically reorient our economy in a 21st Century manner that could produce jobs and address stresses on the economy: inequality, lack of middle income…and create sustainable opportunities.”
On Being Governor of California
“No one knows what the future holds politically speaking. I have got an entrepreneurial energy. I like doing, not just being. I’ve long talked about the position as governor, as a platform to really engage in bottom up thinking and go local in terms of economic development strategies, workforce development strategies and find substantive solutions to deal with the issue of climate change. So inverting the pyramid, but being there in Sacramento to begin to scale those best practices is something I’ve long wanted to do.”
See more videos and stories on energy policy and join the conversation at our Fresh Dialogues Facebook Page
This exclusive Fresh Dialogues interview was recorded at the New York Times Global Forum in San Francisco, June 20, 2013. The forum organizers provided the painful background music, which sadly couldn’t be removed from the audio track.
Jul 11, 2013 | Electric Vehicles, KQED, Quotes
Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues
When was the last time you saw a piece of art inspired by an interview? I stumbled across a series of six word clouds inspired by the following Elon Musk interviews.
They were created by Tyra Robertson who leads Elon Enthusiast.
1. KQED’s Computer History Museum Visionaries Series
2. PBS Show Think Tank
3. (Digg’s) Kevin Rose Interview Series
4.The Oxford Martin School at Oxford University
5.The Mars Society
6. The Royal Aeronautical Society.
I was very honored to be included in such an illustrious collection. If you missed my interview at the Computer History Museum in January 2013, here’s the video.
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And here’s some feedback from across the web:
“I am impressed with your ease and confidence and the way you were able to lead Musk with charm and fluency and keep the flow of the interview crisp and vital — in a word alive! Good work & warm congratulations.” Michael Krasny, Host KQED’s Forum
“Having seen every single video of Elon Musk, what I really apppreciated was that the interviewer prefaced her questions with content from Elon’s more practiced answers, so we saved a lot of time and just jumped into a ton of new information never mentioned in other interviews. Very good interviewer. 10/10!” Maximus Victorius on YouTube
“Loved the program. Alison conveyed a mastery of the subject, and the vocal counterpart was delicious. Perhaps the best interview I have heard.” Steve Jurvetson, Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist
“Alison really captured his charm and warmth and aspirations in a lovely way. He seemed more at ease and willing to be honest with Alison than in any interview I have seen him in. Her questions were excellent, and she was so articulate and poised on stage.” Laurie Yoler, a Tesla investor who was part of the 500-strong live audience.
“This is an example of my favorite kind of interview, the journalist asks well thought questions and then sits back and lets the subject tell the story.” Tyra Robertson, Elon Enthusiast
“I love how knowledgeable the interviewer is. It really opens up different answers from Elon that I haven’t heard a million times.” AlphacentauriAB on Reddit
Jul 9, 2013 | China - what we can learn, Clean Tech, Education, Policy, Smart Grid
In this exclusive Fresh Dialogues interview, former Energy Secretary Steven Chu shares his reaction to Obama’s major speech on climate change; explains how a carbon tax will drive U.S. competitiveness; has a message for climate deniers; and even shares tips for being more energy efficient in the kitchen. When did you last get cooking tips from a Nobel Prize winning physicist who’s been described as the One Hundred Billion Dollar Man? It’s time to listen up folks! It’s time to listen up folks!
Here are some highlights of our conversation:
On Obama’s Climate Speech (which focused more on climate change, and less on green jobs)
“This is a real issue. We have to do something about it!”
When asked if he wrote or was involved in writing the speech, Chu joked that he has ‘been involved’ for 4 1/4 years and recently regaled several heads of state (including President Obama) with his powerpoint pitch for raising appliance efficiency standards, reminding them that “there’s money to be made…and saved.”
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On Carbon Tax
“A carbon tax must be non-regressive and revenue neutral. It will drive efficiency…competitiveness. Educating the public (on climate change, energy policy) is very important, but it’s about economic opportunities and (creating) a growth market. Change will be partly market driven.”
On Climate Change Deniers
“I’d put them in the same category as people who said, in the 60’s and 70’s, that you haven’t proved to me that smoking causes cancer.”
On Chu’s vision for distributed energy
“Distribution companies partnering with the private sector have the opportunity to access fairly inexpensive capital and be part owners in distributed power and energy storage in benign environments, like inside a home or building. When you do that, the price of electricity will go down (3 to 4 times). All of a sudden utility companies will be in a growth business…Utilities should wake up and see there’s money to be made!”
Chu cited the advantages of black-out reduction thanks to demand control; and underlined the multitude of opportunities that low-priced software and sensing equipment offer.
On Cooking with Chu
Tip #1: “If you’re boiling a pot of water: if you put a lid on it, it comes to boil much more quickly.”
Tip #2: “Pick the right sized pot, don’t pick a pot five times bigger, twice as big.”
– Steven Chu, Nobel Prize winner in physics 1997, Former Energy Secretary, 2009-13.
No word yet on whether Steven Chu is planning to give up his new job at Stanford University for a prime time cooking show…Though we hear there is an opening.
The interview was recorded at the Silicon Valley Energy Summit, presented by the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, Stanford University on June 28, 2013. Photos by Lina Broydo.
See Keynotes by Steven Chu and Jeff Bingaman at Vimeo and more interviews about energy policy at Fresh Dialogues YouTube Channel.
