Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced today that Tesla will no longer be enforcing any of its patents for technology related to electric vehicle development. Not just one or two patents. Every. Single. One.
The reason is simple. Musk says that, originally, Tesla sought patents for its technology in order to prevent the big automotive companies from simply copying it and using their superior size and resources to completely drown out Tesla. That’s not at all what happened.
Instead, according to Musk, the biggest manufacturers in the auto industry have not pursued electric car technology in any meaningful way. Their sales of electric vehicles amounts to less than 1% of their total vehicle sales. This means that not only are they not a threat to Tesla, but the fact that Tesla is holding onto these patents is stifling innovation that could come from just about anywhere.
Musk goes on to say that Tesla can’t fulfill the demand for electric vehicles all by itself and that there needs to be greater opportunities for innovation so that the electric car market can grow. They believe that going open source won’t hurt them, but will encourage others to innovate and evolve the existing platform.
So, that idea you’ve been kicking around for the last few years? Now’s the time to hunker down in your garage and see if you can make it a reality. Elon Musk is rooting for you to succeed.
Check out our review of the 2013 Tesla Model S P85…
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.
