
Tesla CEO and multi-hyphenate entrepreneur Elon Musk spoke about the electric vehicle (EV) market and its role in a sustainable energy future in an interview with CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout at the StartmeupHK Festival in Hong Kong this week.
Electric cars are 'important to the future' of China - @elonmusk https://t.co/G0UT7sBB2J $TSLA https://t.co/ieg1t91wo7— CNN Business (@CNN Business)1453743060.0
Global demand for EVs has rapidly grown, and Musk—who famously opened up his patents for outside use—says he welcomes competitors such as GM’s Chevrolet Bolt and has even partnered with traditional automakers such as Mercedes and Toyota.
Musk said the goal of Tesla has been to "accelerate the advent of sustainable transport."
Still, with no end in sight to the current glut of cheap oil, Musk admitted during his interview with Stout that "the transition to sustainable energy [will be] more difficult," however, he said that Tesla aspires to make a car "so compelling that even with lower gas prices that’s still the car you want to buy."
When asked by the host about the hotly anticipated Model 3—aka Tesla's mainstream EV—Musk didn't give many details about its specs but said it would be a smaller version of the luxury Model S without as many bells and whistles but at price point that's roughly half.
"I think that’s going to the most profound car that we’ve made because that’ll be a very compelling car at an affordable price," he said.
Musk—who believes electric cars “are the future”—has spoken about this ever-expanding sector before. Earlier this month, he even brushed aside Apple's long-rumored foray into the EV market, saying it's an “open secret” that the tech company is coming out with a rival electric car.
It appears that Musk is making a strong push to drive EV sales in China. Hong Kong has “the most number of Teslas per capita” and that China's vast Supercharger network means you can drive from Beijing to Tibet in a Model S, according to Musk.
The South China Morning Post reported that Musk expects Hong Kong to be the “leader of the world” in electric vehicle adoption. Tesla sold 2,221 Model S sedans in Hong Kong last year.
In a separate interview with Stout on CNN Money, Musk said that government policies in China are inevitably moving toward reducing emissions and favoring electric vehicles.
"I think there is an understanding by the Chinese government that [electric vehicles] are important to the future," Musk said. "In order to have clean air in cities, you have to go electric."
Back at the forum, Stout asked the SolarCity chairman and clean energy advocate if densely packed vertical cities such as Hong Kong have a viable market for residential solar panels. While Hong Kong might not have the best real estate for rooftop arrays, Musk said that city could tap into solar energy produced in China.
"It’s true that in dense cities rooftop solar is not going to solve the energy need, but what you can do is [install] ground-mounted solar power near Hong Kong and tap into the existing power lines that are coming in [to the city],” Musk said. "You can supply Hong Kong with the solar power [it needs] from a land area that’s not too far away."
He also suggested that China, which happens to be the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gases, can "easily" generate enough solar power to satisfy its power needs.
"China has actually an enormous land area much of which is hardly occupied at all. Given that the Chinese population is so concentrated along the coast, once you go inland the population in some cases it is remarkably tiny. So you can easily power all of China with solar. Easily," he said about the world's most populous country.
The wide-ranging interview also covered Musk's plans for a Tesla truck and a Tesla submersible (but "I think the market for submarine cars is quite small"). The SpaceX CEO even dished on his plans for space travel and said human missions to Mars could begin by 2025.
"This will be an incredible adventure, the greatest adventure ever, and there needs to be things that inspire people," he said about a manned-mission to Mars.
"The reasons why you get up in the morning can’t just be solving problems. It's gotta be something great’s going to happen in the future."
You can watch the full interview here:
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This Tesla-Loving Superstar Is Helping Power Africa With Solar
Solutions Wanted: Do You Have a Solution That Will Create a Cleaner, Greener World?
Elephant Grass and Prairie Switchgrass: Second Generation Biofuels to Power American Cars
New EarthX Special 'Protecting the Amazon' Suggests Ways to Save the World’s Greatest Rainforest
To save the planet, we must save the Amazon rainforest. To save the rainforest, we must save its indigenous peoples. And to do that, we must demarcate their land.
A new EarthxTV film special calls for the protection of the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people that call it home. EarthxTV.org
- Meet the 'Women Warriors' Protecting the Amazon Forest - EcoWatch ›
- Indigenous Tribes Are Using Drones to Protect the Amazon ... ›
- Amazon Rainforest Will Collapse by 2064, New Study Predicts ... ›
- Deforestation in Amazon Skyrockets to 12-Year High Under Bolsonaro ›
- Amazon Rainforest on the Brink of Turning Into a Net Carbon Emitter ... ›
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Anke Rasper
"Today's interim report from the UNFCCC is a red alert for our planet," said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The report, released Friday, looks at the national climate efforts of 75 states that have already submitted their updated "nationally determined contributions," or NDCs. The countries included in the report are responsible for about 30% of the world's global greenhouse gas emissions.
- World Leaders Fall Short of Meeting Paris Agreement Goal - EcoWatch ›
- UN Climate Change Conference COP26 Delayed to November ... ›
- 5 Years After Paris: How Countries' Climate Policies Match up to ... ›
- Biden Win Puts World 'Within Striking Distance' of 1.5 C Paris Goal ... ›
- Biden Reaffirms Commitment to Rejoining Paris Agreement ... ›
Trending
Plastic Burning Makes It Harder for New Delhi Residents to See, Study Suggests
India's New Delhi has been called the "world air pollution capital" for its high concentrations of particulate matter that make it harder for its residents to breathe and see. But one thing has puzzled scientists, according to The Guardian. Why does New Delhi see more blinding smogs than other polluted Asian cities, such as Beijing?
- This Indian Startup Turns Polluted Air Into Climate-Friendly Tiles ... ›
- How to Win the Fight Against Plastic - EcoWatch ›
In a historic move, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) voted Thursday to ban hydraulic fracking in the region. The ban was supported by all four basin states — New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York — putting a permanent end to hydraulic fracking for natural gas along the 13,539-square-mile basin, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
- Appalachian Fracking Boom Was a Jobs Bust, Finds New Report ... ›
- Long-Awaited EPA Study Says Fracking Pollutes Drinking Water ... ›
- Pennsylvania Fracking Water Contamination Much Higher Than ... ›
Colombia is one of the world's largest producers of coffee, and yet also one of the most economically disadvantaged. According to research by the national statistic center DANE, 35% of the population in Columbia lives in monetary poverty, compared to an estimated 11% in the U.S., according to census data. This has led to a housing insecurity issue throughout the country, one which construction company Woodpecker is working hard to solve.
- Kenyan Engineer Recycles Plastic Into Bricks Stronger Than ... ›
- Could IKEA's New Tiny House Help Fight the Climate Crisis ... ›