While most of the world was busy playing Pokeman over the weekend, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter and said that he’s been working on part 2 of Tesla’s somewhat infamous “Top Secret Masterplan.” And because Musk is not one to shy away from a good tease, he added that he may release it as early as this week.
DON’T MISS: Pokémon Go guide: Everything you need to know to get started
The tweet itself is rather concise, but is nonetheless worth getting excited about.
Working on Top Secret Tesla Masterplan, Part 2. Hoping to publish later this week.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 10, 2016
Now if you’re wondering what in the world Tesla’s master plan is all about and why you should care in the first place, it’s helpful to take a little trip back to August 2, 2006 when Elon Musk published the first installment of Tesla’s Master Plan.
Titled, “The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (just between you and me)”, the document lays out Musk’s vision for electric cars while also detailing the specific steps Tesla was planning to take in order to make the company’s goal of releasing an affordable electric car for the masses a reality.
What’s truly remarkable is that Tesla’s plan — initially published nearly 10 years ago — has essentially gone exactly as planned.
Note the following excerpt:
So, in short, the master plan is:
Build sports car
Use that money to build an affordable car
Use that money to build an even more affordable car
While doing above, also provide zero emission electric power generation options
Don’t tell anyone.
True to form, Tesla built a sports car with the Roadster (released in 2008) and then used those cash proceeds to develop and release the Model S in 2012. And with the success of the Model S — along with the recently released Model X — we’re now on the cusp of Tesla’s highly anticipated Model 3 going on sale. Strapped with a sticker price of $35,000 and a delivery date of late 2017, the Model 3 represents the final piece of what we now know was just part one of Tesla’s master plan.
Which of course begs the question: What do Elon Musk and co. have in mind for part two?
Will a Tesla Truck be part of the equation? It’s certainly possible given that Musk earlier this year said that such a vehicle was “quite likely.” Will we hear more about Tesla’s energy plans? That’s also a possibility in light of Musk’s recent plan to acquire SolarCity. It also stands to reason that part two of Tesla’s Master Plan will include a more detailed outline and timetable regarding more advanced versions of the company’s Autopilot software. Remember, Musk just a few months ago boasted that Tesla cars will be technically capable of driving themselves from New York to LA by 2018. In other words, one can only imagine what Musk envisions Tesla being able to accomplish within a 10-year timeframe.
Broadly speaking, Musk’s tweet is intriguing precisely because Tesla and Musk do not shy away from dreaming big. On the contrary, they’re not afraid of making big bets on the future and doing everything in their power to make their stated goals a reality.
One thing’s for sure: many people have naturally assumed that the Tesla Model 3 will represent the final piece of Tesla’s automotive vision. In light of Musk’s tweet, it now stands to reason that the Model 3 may very well represent just the beginning of even bigger things to come.
