DESIGN DONS
The billionaire inventor who is on a mission to Mars… quite literally
AFTER HE MADE A WHOPPING US$1.5 BILLION SELLING PayPal, Elon Musk turned his innovative spirit to bigger challenges. Cars running on sustainable energy, the colonisation of Mars, a way for us to survive all the threats to our species – these are the things he loses sleep over. He fully believes in using creativity and design to challenge the norm, because if we don’t change… well, you know.
So let’s see just what the billionaire visionary who inspired Hollywood’s Tony Stark has been doing with his time – besides worrying that the creation of an advanced AI might just be the equivalent of “summoning the demon” in a horror movie. And no, he wasn’t joking about that one.
DRAGON V2 TBC
YOU CAN’T BUY ONE OF THESE. NOT YET. BUT DRAGON V2 BY SPACEX PROMISES TO BE A SEVEN-SEATER SPACECRAFT DESIGNED TO MAKE TERRESTRIAL LANDINGS AS WELLAS DOCK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. IT’S REUSABLE AND HAS TAN LEATHER SEATS, NATURALLY.
TESLA MODEL X 2015
THIS ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SUV MODEL IS DUE TO ARRIVE IN 2015. DUAL DRIVE UNITS OVER THE FRONT AND REAR AXLES KEEP THE CENTRE OF GRAVITY LOW, SO ITS HANDLING COULD BE BETTER THAN ANY OTHER FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE. PLUS, IT HAS FALCON-WING DOORS. WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE?
HYPERLOOP TBC
LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO IN JUST 30 MINUTES AND FOR A US$20 TICKET? MUSK BELIEVES THIS IS PERFECTLY POSSIBLE AND HAS PROPOSED A SUPERSONIC OVERHEAD TUBE TO LINK THE CITIES. THE VACUUM CONDITIONS IN THE TUBE WOULD REDUCE AIR RESISTANCE AND SAVE ENERGY.
TESLA MODEL S 2012
A LUXURY ELECTRIC CAR THAT MATCHES PETROL CAR PERFORMANCE ON MOST VECTORS. ONE OF THE KEY CHALLENGES IS CHARGE TIME, BUT MUSK’S ANSWER IS SIMPLE – PUT TWO CHARGERS IN THE VEHICLE. AN AUTOPILOT PACKAGE COMES AS AN OPTION, TOO.
SUPERCHARGER 2012
THE CREATIVITY, DESIGN AND INNOVATION THAT’S GONE INTO TESLA’S CARS HAS ALSO BEEN APPLIED TO ITS SUPERCHARGER STATIONS. THERE’S SOMETHING PHILIPPE STARCK-ESQUE ABOUT THE ‘PUMPS’. CHARGING TAKES A SPEEDY 20 MINUTES AND IS FREE OF CHARGE – FOREVER.