Wire report
The Mind-bending Joyrides That Gave Rise to Tesla
In 2003, Martin Eberhard, a cofounder of Tesla Motors , decided it was time to start wooing investors. To do that, however, he needed an electric car. So he talked to Alan Cocconi and asked if he could borrow the tZero , the revolutionary and blazingly fast electric roadster that Cocconi had built at AC Propulsion . Eberhard’s idea was to drive the tZero up and down Sand Hill Road in the heart of Silicon Valley and do demonstrations for curious entrepreneurs and VCs. Eberhard was joined by Tom Gage , Cocconi’s partner at AC Propulsion, on many of the visits. Like Tesla, AC Propulsion was also seeking investors, but to build a considerably more utilitarian EV. In December 2003, Eberhard also proposed a demo at Buck’s of Woodside , a popular restaurant frequented by tech entrepreneurs. At 5 o’clock on any evening, Buck’s probably had more VCs per square foot than any building in the countr
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In 2003, Martin Eberhard, a cofounder of Tesla Motors , decided it was time to start wooing investors. To do that, however, he needed an electric car. So he talked to Alan Cocconi and asked if he could borrow the tZero , the revolutionary and blazingly fast electric roadster that Cocconi had built at AC Propulsion . Eberhard’s idea was to drive the tZero up and down Sand Hill Road in the heart of Silicon Valley and do demonstrations for curious entrepreneurs and VCs. Eberhard was joined by Tom Gage , Cocconi’s partner at AC Propulsion, on many of the visits. Like Tesla, AC Propulsion was also seeking investors, but to build a considerably more utilitarian EV. In December 2003, Eberhard also proposed a demo at Buck’s of Woodside , a popular restaurant frequented by tech entrepreneurs. At 5 o’clock on any evening, Buck’s probably had more VCs per square foot than any building in the countr
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What happened
According to IEEE Spectrum’s source item, The Mind-bending Joyrides That Gave Rise to Tesla, In 2003, Martin Eberhard, a cofounder of Tesla Motors , decided it was time to start wooing investors. To do that, however, he needed an electric car. So he talked to Alan Cocconi and asked if he could borrow the tZero , the revolutionary and blazingly fast electric roadster that Cocconi had built at AC Propulsion . Eberhard’s idea was to drive the tZero up and down Sand Hill Road in the heart of Silicon Valley and do demonstrations for curious entrepreneurs and VCs. Eberhard was joined by Tom Gage , Cocconi’s partner at AC Propulsion, on many of the visits. Like Tesla, AC Propulsion was also seeking investors, but to build a considerably more utilitarian EV. In December 2003, Eberhard also proposed a demo at Buck’s of Woodside , a popular restaurant frequented by tech entrepreneurs. At 5 o’clock on any evening, Buck’s probably had more VCs per square foot than any building in the countr
Context
The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-09-15T12:13:58+00:00.
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Primary source: The Mind-bending Joyrides That Gave Rise to Tesla via IEEE Spectrum. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- The Mind-bending Joyrides That Gave Rise to TeslaIEEE Spectrum - 2026-09-15T12:13:58+00:00
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