Yesterday, Tesla CEO (and real-life Tony Stark) Elon Musk reminded us yet again why he is considered one of the most ambitious and entertaining people in tech.
Musk’s latest announcement came in the form of a tweet Wednesday morning in which he claimed Tesla is developing a new charger for its Model S vehicles that will emerge from the wall and connect to owners’ cars “like a solid metal snake.”
Btw, we are actually working on a charger that automatically moves out from the wall & connects like a solid metal snake. For realz.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 31, 2014
Musk quickly added that the new charger will be compatible with all Model S cars, not just new ones. However, it remains unclear whether Musk intends for the new chargers to be used at charging stations, in owners’ homes, or both.
Whether we’ll actually see metal snake chargers popping out of walls some day remains to be seen. Whatever the fate of this particular project though, you have to admire Elon Musk’s constant output of wacky ideas, as well as his determination to make at least some of his most far-fetched concepts pan out. In that spirit, we’ve gathered together a few of Musk’s more ambitious and future-minded tweets for your reading pleasure:
Who can forget the infamous “hyperloop”? This project originated out of Musk’s dissatisfaction with California’s proposed high-speed rail plans and his desire to come up with something better. The alternative? Several hundred miles of above or below ground tubes that hurtle “people sized pods” at fantastic speeds across the state. (Scientists are currently trying to figure out how to make this one a reality.)
SpaceX is still in the early stages of developing advanced micro-satellites operating in large formations. Announcement in 2 to 3 months.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 11, 2014
Not only does Musk want to make the internal combustion engine a thing of the past at Tesla Motors, but he apparently wants to do away with human drivers too:
Engineers interested in working on autonomous driving, pls email autopilot@teslamotors.com. Team will report directly to me.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2013
Oh and Musk wants to design rocket parts with his bare hands:
We figured out how to design rocket parts just w hand movements through the air (seriously). Now need a high frame rate holograph generator.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 23, 2013
Musk’s long-term plans include the “Mars Colonial Transporter”:
No near term plans to IPO @SpaceX. Only possible in very long term when Mars Colonial Transporter is flying regularly.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 6, 2013
Finally, even with all his grandiose proclamations, Musk maintains a degree of humility with the occasional self-deprecating tweet:
Not that this really matters. All current rocket tech, including ours, sucks. Only when it becomes fully reusable, will it not suck.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 30, 2011
Photo via Jeff Wilcox/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
