The Age of Sustainability and Tesla’s Impact
How Elon Musk and Tesla are not only impacting the automotive industry, but our desire for sustainability in everything.
Consumers today believe in better.
I believe they care about their impact; socially, economically, environmentally, politically. And they want the brands they buy in to, to care as well.
The brands who adopt this way of thinking, while also meeting the consumer’s needs — in providing utility and entertainment in a perfect blend of technology and design, are the ones worthy of following, not only because they are succeeding in business, but because they are evolving and innovating with true commitment to the betterment of our world.
Enter Tesla.
What sets Telsa, and Elon Musk, apart is the approach and mindset around products; it’s not about marketing gimmicks or money. It’s about our collective future, and building with sustainability and the environment in mind.
Through the precedence set with Tesla, SpaceX, and Hyperloop; Musk is proving that the behemoth industrial structures that we have all taken as part and parcel of living in our society are ripe for questioning. And he’s proving that their return on dollar is threatened when faced with innovative new technologies.
The reveal of Tesla Model 3.
During the reveal, I was struck with Elon Musk’s candor. Despite his visible discomfort with speaking to large groups, he had the courage to push through that anxiety to present his vision to the world. No surprise there, seeing that he had the courage to create Tesla in order to unseat the oil industry. Serious hero status.
His decision to lead that entire presentation with shocking statistics about carbon emissions and global warming is uncharacteristic of a person tasked with appealing to the masses. But, what it does show is unwavering commitment to change, revolutionizing transportation, and environmental stewardship.
It’s a make or break game.
Critics are right to say that the Model 3 can make or break Tesla — the Gigafactory is a tremendous manufacturing investment. In the construction of the factory itself, Tesla has continued to innovate and set the bar high for how factories can reduce their environmental impact. Where Tesla may appear to take risks, it is ultimately for the betterment of the planet.
Elon Musk is changing the automotive game.
I’m a pragmatic person. I drive a 2003 Honda Civic. I love the car for it’s economy, but also because I’m rarely impressed by designs and innovations that the car industry releases each year. My Civic gets about 30 miles to the gallon. Why is it that nearly 15 years later, that is still the average gas economy of American cars? Shouldn’t we be seeing large jumps in economy given our rapid state of innovation? Is the automotive and oil industry throttling innovation to protect their investments? If so, I hope their time of reckoning has come. To compete with the range of a Tesla, the entire auto industry will be required to dramatically advance economy.
I reserved one.
And I’ll likely keep driving my 2003 Civic until the Model 3 arrives in 2018.
There’s a bit of magic around Tesla that completely enthralls people.
Like Apple, Tesla is more or less the brainchild of a singular vision. With lore around a person at the heart of every decision, people will be extremely curious. It’s another example of the power of the individual, rather than the group dynamic. When we look at history, great advances often come from singular sources: DaVinci, Pasteur, Franklin, Edison, The Wright Bros., Einstein, Feynman, Jobs, Musk. Group process has it’s place, but we should all more often seek and foster those singular bolts of inspiration.
Other heads-of-industry can learn from Musk’s mindset and approach.
Work autonomously, strive for what you believe in, relentlessly pursue your vision. Stand for the singular spirit of your idea despite the noise and criticism that you may be subjected to by people who are invested in keeping things the way they’ve been.
The future belongs to design and technology rooted in sustainability.
Tesla is proof positive that sustainability, rather than unrelenting year over year growth, can not only be profitable, but is necessary to keep our world inhabitable for generations to come.
Robbie Bruzus is Associate Creative Director at Level, a purpose-driven digital design firm.
