Chapter 66: Vision Only: Tesla, January 2021

Musk assembles a design team to create the Model S, a mainstream electric sedan that would establish Tesla as a legitimate automaker. After firing designer Henrik Fisker, he recruits Franz von Holzhausen and builds a design studio near the SpaceX factory, where technical innovation (particularly the thin, structurally integrated battery pack) merges with aesthetic vision. The chapter traces how Musk's demanding style and focus on engineering-design collaboration—learned partly from Apple's example—shapes the car's signature features, from the pop-out door handles to the revolutionary touchscreen interface.

After securing funding in late 2008, Musk pursues his vision of a mass-market electric sedan priced around $60,000. He initially hires renowned designer Henrik Fisker, but becomes frustrated with Fisker's designs, particularly a sketch Musk deems looks like "a fucking egg on wheels." When Fisker explains that the elevated battery pack forces design compromises—comparing the situation to dressing different body types in the same haute couture—Musk remains unmoved, demanding extensive revisions. After nine months of conflict, Musk cancels Fisker's contract. He then recruits Franz von Holzhausen, a designer introduced through a go-kart connection, during a tour of SpaceX. Impressed by Musk's ambition and directness, von Holzhausen declares he can create something great and is hired on the spot. Musk establishes a design studio in a tent at the SpaceX rocket factory, later moving it to an old aircraft hangar. Von Holzhausen partners with clay-modeler Dave Morris and they develop full-scale models that Musk reviews every Friday afternoon. On the engineering side, Musk tasks recent Stanford graduate Drew Baglino with the battery pack. When Baglino's team calculates 8,400 cells are needed, Musk overrules them, demanding 7,200—a target the team eventually meets. Musk pushes for an extremely thin, floor-mounted battery pack that becomes structural, clashing with cautious engineers worried about safety. He brings in Peter Rawlinson as chief engineer. The design-engineering collaboration, modeled after Apple's Steve Jobs and Jony Ive partnership, produces signature features: pop-out, illuminated door handles inspired by the iMac's recessed handle as a signal of approachability; a large touchscreen controlled by the driver; and systems to suppress airbag warnings. Musk fights government regulations he views as insulting to consumers and insists the car function as a software platform capable of over-the-air updates, allowing continuous improvement after purchase.