Elon Musk, the popular billionaire and tech giant, recently stepped down from Trump advisory councils over the president’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. But more important than being a Trump adviser, Musk is a visionary of which, arguably, there is no American parallel.
And, he’s got a Minnesota connection.
Sure, there’s the fact that his grandparents were both born in Minnesota.
There is Musk blood running through Minnesota’s veins. Or Minnesota blood running through Musk veins?
Either way.
More indelible is the mark the tech exec has made on the landscape here: His electric car company, Tesla, will be broadening its footprint across the state. There are seven charging stations for Tesla cars in Minnesota already, and there are plans to add four more to the landscape, presumably in Minneapolis, Rochester, Alexandria, and Sherburn, over the course of the year.
(Most Tesla owners charge their cars at home overnight/when they’re not in use. These additional stations allow for further travel and longer trips.)
A bill to ban Tesla stores in Minnesota was defeated in 2013. Opposition came from the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association, who view the Tesla model as a threat to their livelihood. Not just the way Teslas run (electric), but the way they’re sold: Exclusively online through factory-owned Tesla stores.
Why get scammed at a dealership?
But, and this is to justify our statement in the opening paragraph, Musk hasn’t stopped with automobiles. Latest projects include the Hyperloop, which will shoot first freight, and then someday people, through reduced-pressure tubes in pod-like vehicles for transport much faster than an airplane. The Boring Company (hey, clever name) is boring (tunneling) holes through the earth to also more efficiently transport people and things; a car trip that would normally take up to 45 minutes could take only 5 through tunnels.
And Musk’s passion project, because why not, is to send people to a colonized Mars with his SpaceX company. He already has plans to send two humans on a trip to the moon in 2018, if all goes as planned.
But here on earth, Musk’s affordable solar roof tiles, also made by Tesla, are already available and will have the largest (immediate) impact on our day-to-day lives.
“Solar Roof complements your home’s architecture while turning sunlight into electricity. With an integrated Powerwall battery, energy collected during the day is stored and made available any time, effectively turning your home into a personal utility.”
Tesla is already taking orders. Just submit your address here.
Which makes clear his commitment to renewable energy, and understandable why he would distance himself from President Trump’s recent middle finger to the Climate Accord.
This is also an instance where a private company can pick up the slack where the government falls short: While Minnesota has been a fairly large supporter of solar power, especially through its “Made in Minnesota” solar panel incentive program which gives out $15 million annually in subsidies to homes and business who use solar power, MN State Republicans have called for the program to be completely shut down and those funds reallocated.
(Read more: Amid lawmaker concerns, record year ahead for Minnesota solar incentive program)
If the program is dissolved, Tesla’s solar roof will become an ever-increasing necessity for those looking to support solar, and renewable energy in general, in Minnesota.
