Debating Elon Musk's Second 'Master Plan'

In case you missed it, Elon Musk last week announced a new "Master Plan," this one subtitled "Part Deux," in an apparent nod to a 1993 comedy film starring Charlie Sheen.

The master plan, like the movie, is a sequel. Musk's first master plan was released ten years ago, describing a plan to create Tesla's line of electric vehicles. The new master plan picks up where the original left off, setting the following agenda:

Create stunning solar roofs with seamlessly integrated battery storage
Expand the electric vehicle product line to address all major segments
Develop a self-driving capability that is 10X safer than manual via massive fleet learning
Enable your car to make money for you when you aren't using it

Following that proclamation, a debate has emerged. On one side, those who believe Musk has failed to grasp crucial concepts about how transportation works. On the other side, those who eagerly anticipate the future described by the new master plan.

The former is argued by Jarrett Walker on his Human Transit blog. "Musk assumes that transit is an engineering problem, about vehicle design and technology," according to Walker. "In fact, providing cost-effective and liberating transportation in cities requires solving a geometry problem, and he’s not even seeing it."

On the other side, Alissa Walker writing for Curbed: "Tesla is actually shifting from an electric car company to a sustainable transportation company. And this could mean something revolutionary for our cities."