How disruptive technologies in automobiles evolved ..

Ford's first vehicle..

Comparing Henry Ford and Elon Musk ..

Both Henry Ford and Elon Musk have been revolutionary leaders in their own fields, one into compact internal combustion engines and the other into compact and stylish electric cars. Both revolutionised the automobile industry during their times.

Ford revolutionised the automobile industry to such  great extent that he made motor cars affordable for the masses. Is Musk going to do the same ?

Musk's first electric car - The Roadster ....

Both Ford and Musk set out their first car at age 33. Ford came with the Orient Quadricycle and Musk came up with the TESLA Roadster, both were very expensive. They went on to make different variants and finally at age 45 Ford (1913) hit it big with Ford Model T and at age 45 (2016), Musk hits it big with his TESLA Model S. 

Ford's most popular automobile at the beginning of
20 th century, Model T, 1913

Internal combustion engines (IC engines) went on to conquer motoring for the next one hundred years and Musk is setting on to conquer and change the face of motoring with electric cars for the next one hundred years.

Fuel cars would disappear with all its complex mechanisms, cylinders, pistons, crankshafts, combustion, smoke, CO, fossil fuels, what not and would be replaced by Electric cars. The Megafactory Musk built in the Arizona desert to make up to 50 GW of electrical energy batteries a year, is the largest building in the world under a single roof.

Tesla Model 3, 2016

In geneology, there is some similarity.. While Henry Ford's geneology traces his parents to Ireland and earlier to that to western England, Musk's genelogy traces his parents to South Africa and earlier again to England. 

Both these youngsters disrupted the personal transportation space during their life time, Henry Ford through the IC engine and Elon Musk through the Electric car .. 

While IC engines survived for hundred years, we have to see how far the electric cars would survive ? Will they wipe out IC engines in total, replaced by electric cars or allow both to run for some twenty thirty years before completely switching over to electric cars.

Its great to see how great similar disruptive technologies evolve in the same sector over a time period of one hundred years. 

Taken from Inverse and Forbes article which compared Henry Ford and Elon Musk.

george.