After ‘largest product launch ever,’ Tesla attracts KC futurists

In a week, electric car maker Tesla has spurred an automotive ardor whose fervor may only be rivaled by the replacement of horses with the Ford Model T.

Tesla’s new Model 3 has received more than 325,000 pre-orders in seven days, which corresponds to about $14 billion in implied future sales. The sales represent the single biggest one-week launch of any product ever, according to Tesla.

And perhaps it’s the car’s 15-inch touchscreen, autopilot mode, zero-to-60 in six-seconds speed or relatively affordable $35,000 base price tag — but local entrepreneurs and techies love the latest high-tech ride. Reasons of course vary on why local innovators have purchased the Tesla Model 3, and their answers are often as forward-looking as the car is itself.

“My family has been discussing the criteria under which my parents will give up driving,” said Joshua Montgomery, CEO of Mycroft AI, a startup now in the Techstars-powered Sprint Accelerator. “I’m hoping that the autopilot feature of the Tesla will allow them to safely stay on the road long enough for Uber to get their automated fleet into production.”

Montgomery must drive to Wichita monthly to serve in the Air National Guard and is thrilled with the idea of an electric car with a more than 200-mile range per charge. Also a Tesla stockholder, Montgomery is excited to see the company dynamically approach the future of automotive manufacturing. He expects to see Tesla with a higher market cap than General Motors, Ford and Chrysler combined in the next five years.

“Sure the Tesla is electric, has auto-pilot and eco-cred, but bottom line — it is a great car,” he said. “I’m excited to be supporting (Tesla CEO) Elon Musk’s effort to solve our global climate crisis. … We need more entrepreneurs like Elon out there solving big problems like space travel, clean energy, transportation, artificial intelligence and telecommunications. I’m happy to support his effort by being his customer and investor.”

Erik Wullschleger, director of LiveKC, will face a test of patience as the company doesn’t anticipate shipping his pre-ordered car until the end of 2017. Wullschleger’s wife poked fun at him for what may be a restless year-and-a-half wait.

“When I called her leaving the store she said ‘You can’t even stand the 2 days it takes for packages to arrive from Amazon,’ he said. “‘How are you going to make it 20 months for this car?’”

Regardless of when the car arrives, Wullschleger was similarly motivated by Tesla’s environmentally-friendly ethos when he preordered a Model 3.

“Movies like ‘Who Killed The Electric Car’ and ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ helped me gain an appreciation for alternative fuels,” said Wullschleger, who’s eyeing the Model 3’s matte black color. “I’m most excited about what this vehicle will do to propel new thinking into how we look at alternative energy sources and also transportation as a whole. We’re only seeing the beginning of automation, ride-sharing, safety technology and more. Tesla is a disruptive force driving the change and others will be forced to innovate with them.”

For other techies, the Model 3 will represent the second Tesla in their family fleet. Eric Diebold, lead UX designer at PeopleAdmin’s Kansas City office, purchased a Tesla Model S a year ago and fell in love with the car’s technology and handling. Diebold said he appreciates the “geek factor” that attracts techies like himself, but that ultimately, Tesla is tapping into the next era of what automobiles will be.

“Having a car that self-improves via over-the-air software updates is the future,” Diebold said. “About once every 2 or 3 months I roll into my Model S in the morning to see release notes on the screen from the latest updates. Whether it’s auto-summoning, valet mode, self-steering, safety enhancements or autopark, we’ve enjoyed seeing our car evolve like our smartphones.”

Al Doan, CEO of Missouri Star Quilt Co., said that he pre-ordered a matte black Tesla Model 3 in part because it’s a great car, but also for its environmentally-conscious design. Doan, who in 2015 was named the National Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration, said he also appreciates Tesla’s world-changing ambition.

“I think if you’re an entrepreneur, you get excited about people trying crazy things,” he said. “When they actually pull it off, we’re all rooting for them.”