Insane Mode

A former insider at Tesla tells the astounding story of the most revolutionary car company since Ford and shows how, under Elon Musk's "insane mode" leadership, the company is bringing an end to the era of gasoline-powered transportation. Hamish McKenzie, with the unique perspective of someone who worked for Tesla and is now an independent journalist, tells how a West Coast start-up's audacious dream came true. Elon Musk created a car company that would go up against not only the might of the government-backed Detroit car manufacturers, but also the massive power of Big Oil and its benefactors, the infamous Koch brothers. The new Tesla Model 3, scheduled to go on sale in fall 2017 with a price tag of $35,000, is set to transform the public perception of Tesla. Around 400,000 people have put down $1,000 to preorder the car; meanwhile Tesla's debt is teetering on "junk bond" status and some on Wall Street are betting the company will fail under the pressure to deliver… As McKenzie shows, Tesla has triggered frenzied competition, but it remains ahead of the pack because it is building the highest-quality cars and infrastructure that a new era of transportation will require. The popularity of electric cars is growing around the world, especially in China, and McKenzie interviews little-known titans who have the money and the market access to power a global electric car revolution quickly and decisively. Insane Mode is not just a button on the dash of the Model S that gave you acceleration like a Ferrari; it isn't even just a description of the 24/7 energy of a visionary car company-it is a story about the very best kind of American ingenuity.