Martin Eberhard
Encyclopedia
Martin Eberhard is co-founder and former CEO of Tesla Motors
, an electric car company in San Carlos, California
. He was born in Berkeley, California
on May 15, 1960.
Eberhard is passionate about sportscars but has moral disagreements regarding dependence on oil imported from the Middle East
and is also concerned about global warming
. This led to his co-founding Silicon Valley's
first automobile company with Marc Tarpenning.
Eberhard currently drives the second of Tesla Motors Founder's Series Roadsters cars, which is the first series of the Tesla Roadster
. The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric sportscar
with 244 mile (EPA) range.
Eberhard was ranked among the top 24 innovators of 2007 by Fortune Magazine. Also in 2007, Business 2.0
Magazine ranked Eberhard number 32 of the 50 people who matter now.
, attending Kensington Hilltop Elementary School there. He attended junior high school and high school
in adjacent El Cerrito
until the middle of 11th grade, when his family moved to Elmhurst, Illinois
. He graduated from York Community High School
in 1978.
Eberhard received his undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering
in 1982, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
. He subsequently earned his Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering
in 1983 from the same school.
Eberhard began his career as an electrical engineer at Wyse Technology, where he designed the WY-30 ASCII computer terminal as his first product.
Later, Eberhard co-founded and founded start-ups Network Computing Devices
, Inc. (making X Window-based network terminals) and NuvoMedia (making the Rocket eBook
), respectively.
On January 7, 2008, the New York times reported that Tesla Motors issued a statement on its web site explaining that the Silicon Valley electric-car start-up’s founder and former chief executive, Martin Eberhard, “has transitioned from the board of directors and executive management of the company to the advisory board.”
On November 30, 2007 Tesla Motors released a press release titled "Martin Eberhard, Co-founder of Tesla Motors, to Transition to Advisory Board." According to the Tesla Motors Club forum and CNN Money, Martin was asked to leave, but the reason for his being asked is not publicly available.
On January 7, 2008 Martin confirmed that he was no longer employed in Tesla Motors and was only a shareholder in the company. He said he planned to start another company entirely in the green tech field.
Eberhard maintained a blog at teslafounders.com until a lawsuit with Tesla Motors was settled. The blog has been deleted.
On January 14, 2010 it was rumored that Martin was working for VW of America. On January 19, Martin Eberhard confirmed to Autoblog Green that he was doing work with Volkswagen but no further details have been provided.
- Stanford University, 10/10/07
"We’re not just juggling a lot of balls. We’re juggling knives and chainsaws and burning things. We have to catch every one of them, and we have to catch them by their handles."
"Because a car crash is fundamentally different than a software crash"
"Without plug-in capability, a hybrid is just a gasoline-powered car with some fancy hardware"
Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based company that designs, manufactures and sells electric cars and electric vehicle powertrain components. It was the only automaker building and selling a zero-emission sports car, the Tesla Roadster, in serial production...
, an electric car company in San Carlos, California
San Carlos, California
San Carlos is a city in San Mateo County, California, USA on the San Francisco Peninsula, about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It is an affluent small residential suburb located between Belmont to the north and Redwood City to the south. San Carlos' ZIP code is 94070, and it is within...
. He was born in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
on May 15, 1960.
Eberhard is passionate about sportscars but has moral disagreements regarding dependence on oil imported from the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and is also concerned about global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. This led to his co-founding Silicon Valley's
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
first automobile company with Marc Tarpenning.
Eberhard currently drives the second of Tesla Motors Founder's Series Roadsters cars, which is the first series of the Tesla Roadster
Tesla Roadster
The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric vehicle sports car produced by the electric car firm Tesla Motors in California. The Roadster was the first highway-capable all-electric vehicle in serial production available in the United States. Since 2008 Tesla has sold 2,024 Roadsters in 30 countries...
. The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric sportscar
Battery electric vehicle
A battery electric vehicle, or BEV, is a type of electric vehicle that uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. BEVs use electric motors and motor controllers instead of, or in addition to, internal combustion engines for propulsion.A battery-only electric vehicle or...
with 244 mile (EPA) range.
Eberhard was ranked among the top 24 innovators of 2007 by Fortune Magazine. Also in 2007, Business 2.0
Business 2.0
Business 2.0 was a monthly magazine publication founded by magazine entrepreneur Chris Anderson, Mark Gross, and journalist James Daly in order to chronicle the rise of the "New Economy"...
Magazine ranked Eberhard number 32 of the 50 people who matter now.
History
Eberhard grew up in Kensington, CaliforniaKensington, California
Kensington is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area, in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 5,077 at the 2010 census.- Law and government :Kensington is an unincorporated area of Contra...
, attending Kensington Hilltop Elementary School there. He attended junior high school and high school
El Cerrito High School
El Cerrito High School is a public school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. It is located at 540 Ashbury Avenue, El Cerrito, California 94530.-Overview:The original main school building was built in the late 1930s as a WPA project...
in adjacent El Cerrito
El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
until the middle of 11th grade, when his family moved to Elmhurst, Illinois
Elmhurst, Illinois
Elmhurst is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois. The population is 46,013 as of the 2008 US Census population estimate.-History:...
. He graduated from York Community High School
York Community High School
York Community High School is a public secondary school in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States. Most of the students reside in Elmhurst, however the district also draws a small number of students from Addison, Bensenville, and Oak Brook...
in 1978.
Eberhard received his undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
in 1982, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. He subsequently earned his Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
in 1983 from the same school.
Eberhard began his career as an electrical engineer at Wyse Technology, where he designed the WY-30 ASCII computer terminal as his first product.
Later, Eberhard co-founded and founded start-ups Network Computing Devices
Network Computing Devices
Network Computing Devices was a company founded in 1987 to produce a new class of products now known as a "thin client". It was founded in Mountain View, CA, and when it closed it was headquartered in Portland, Oregon....
, Inc. (making X Window-based network terminals) and NuvoMedia (making the Rocket eBook
Rocket eBook
The Rocket eBook was an early popular e-book reader. It was manufactured by NuvoMedia until 2000, when it was purchased by Gemstar-TV Guide International.Rocket-compatible e-books were sold through the websites of Barnes & Noble as well as Powell's Bookstore....
), respectively.
On January 7, 2008, the New York times reported that Tesla Motors issued a statement on its web site explaining that the Silicon Valley electric-car start-up’s founder and former chief executive, Martin Eberhard, “has transitioned from the board of directors and executive management of the company to the advisory board.”
On November 30, 2007 Tesla Motors released a press release titled "Martin Eberhard, Co-founder of Tesla Motors, to Transition to Advisory Board." According to the Tesla Motors Club forum and CNN Money, Martin was asked to leave, but the reason for his being asked is not publicly available.
On January 7, 2008 Martin confirmed that he was no longer employed in Tesla Motors and was only a shareholder in the company. He said he planned to start another company entirely in the green tech field.
Eberhard maintained a blog at teslafounders.com until a lawsuit with Tesla Motors was settled. The blog has been deleted.
On January 14, 2010 it was rumored that Martin was working for VW of America. On January 19, Martin Eberhard confirmed to Autoblog Green that he was doing work with Volkswagen but no further details have been provided.
Quotes
"A key element to be a successful entrepreneur is a certain amount of naiveté, because if you actually know how hard the problem is when you set out, you don't do it."- Stanford University, 10/10/07
"We’re not just juggling a lot of balls. We’re juggling knives and chainsaws and burning things. We have to catch every one of them, and we have to catch them by their handles."
"Because a car crash is fundamentally different than a software crash"
"Without plug-in capability, a hybrid is just a gasoline-powered car with some fancy hardware"
External links
- Do Something Meaningful, Martin Eberhard speaks at Stanford
- Silicon Valley entrepreneurs race for electric car market
- Official Tesla Motors website
- Listen to Martin giving a great presentation to the Executive MBA class at the University of San Francisco
- An interview with Tesla Motors' founding father
- Innovators: Powered by Pragmatism
- WNBC TV Interview With Tesla CEO Martin Eberhard
- Comments on Eberhard's lecture at the Stanford Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar, 10 October 2007
- iinnovate podcast (Stanford), interview with Martin, 17 November 2007