Tesla Will Open Its Supercharger Patents To Promote EVs

[ScienceRocks]

Tesla Will Open Its Supercharger Patents To Promote EVs

We reported just last week that Elon Musk might be planning a controversial new strategy for some of the patents his company, Tesla Motors. This weekend at a press conference introducing the Tesla Model S to the UK, Tesla raised the curtain on its bold new vision .

Engadget reports that Tesla will release the patents it holds on its proprietary SuperCharger technology in order to promote standardized charger designs for EV’s. CEO Musk has made it clear in the past that he wants to avoid a “walled garden” approach in which every EV manufacturer would have unique charging facilities for its model.

What does that mean for the rest of the electric vehicle world? Just that Tesla’s recharging protocols will now be open source, with other companies free to use and improve upon them. Ultimately, the thinking at Tesla is that standardized recharging systems will drive acceptance of electric vehicles forward and help put more EV’s on the road sooner. The Tesla Superchargers are far and away the fastest way to charge an EV, able to deliver a full charge of 265 miles of driving to a 85 kWh Model S in about an hour. Nobody else even comes close, and as it stands there remains debate within the automotive world over which charging standard to adopt; the Japanese-preferred CHAdeMO, or the American-developed SAE Combo charger.

Tesla Will Open Its Supercharger Patents To Promote EVs | CleanTechnica

Love the MUSK!

 

[OnePercenter]

Guess who owns a shit load of Tesla stock?

 

[Old Rocks]

Elon Musk is either going to end up surpassing Bill Gates, or he will go dead broke. The man has taken on three challenges that seemes science fiction only a decade ago and made them reality. A practical EV, a distributed utility based on rooftop solar, and a private rocket company. Thus far, all three are successful. And his plans for a super factory for lithium EV batteries is going to shake up the industry considerably. Especially considering that the US has all the lithium it can possibly use within it's own borders.

 

[whitehall]

Tesla has to do something to jump start sagging sales of the model S. Sales have topped out at around 25,000 worldwide which puts it in the limited edition collectors category instead of a legitimate car. Consider that the Ford Edsel was considered to be a failure after a total sales of around 115,000 units.

 

[mamooth]

This letter from Elon Musk implies it's all of of Tesla's patents on everything. However, I'd like to see it clarified more. As in specifically what patents are involved, and whether there's something more legally binding than "we promise not to sue" being offered.

All Our Patent Are Belong To You | Blog | Tesla Motors
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Yesterday, there was a wall of Tesla patents in the lobby of our Palo Alto headquarters. That is no longer the case. They have been removed, in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology.

Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal. Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology.
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Since Tesla is building "The Gigafactory" to make batteries, this can pay off for them. More electric cars being made by everyone means Tesla sells more batteries.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/06/10/reno-san-antonio-tesla-battery-plant/10302953/

 

[ScienceRocks]

Expect a major car company to copy the model s within 3 years.

 

[Old Rocks]

Actually, that would be stupid of them. Were I a major auto manufacturer, I would hire some just graduated engineers from MIT and Caltech, and give them the assignment of building a soccer mom minivan from the ground up. No preconceived notions about what it should look like, only that it be a people hauler with amenities for a family. And match the quality of the Tesla S.

The EV opens up all kinds of design windows because of the lack of need to base the car around a rather large chunk of metal that is the engine and transmission of the ICE. Some real oppertunities for innovation.