Insane Mode: How Elon Musk’s Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil
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- Create Date：2022-05-11 06:57:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Hamish McKenzie
- ISBN：0571327664
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Summary
The first account of one of the 21st century's greatest business stories， Tesla and Elon Musk。
Reviews
Riley Black
，
Written by a journalist & former Tesla employee， the book paints an optimistic picture of the future of EVs and the role that Tesla and Elon Musk play in its development。 The parts about Tesla are the most interesting， if somewhat generous to Musk and his vision at points。 The middle part about the various other start-ups and larger companies entering the EV space seemed a bit directionless and overly detailed。 The end is also generous to the potential impact of other technologies such as optimi Written by a journalist & former Tesla employee， the book paints an optimistic picture of the future of EVs and the role that Tesla and Elon Musk play in its development。 The parts about Tesla are the most interesting， if somewhat generous to Musk and his vision at points。 The middle part about the various other start-ups and larger companies entering the EV space seemed a bit directionless and overly detailed。 The end is also generous to the potential impact of other technologies such as optimized electric battery storage and automated driving， with a tech-centered conclusion that Tesla is going to bring about some clean energy revolution primarily using the market。 I'm skeptical of this claim， but appreciate of the research that McKenzie has done in observing how one of the most successful start-ups of this century has done their work。 。。。more
Amar Pai
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I've been on a Musk/Tesla kick of late。 This one is interesting in that it's unabashedly fanboyish-- the author spent a year working for Tesla and is clearly a fan of the company and the man behind it-- but at the same time it gets into some interesting details around the history of electric cars and how big auto companies tried to keep them from happening。 （If you've seen "Who Killed the Electric Car"， it's that kind of thing）。 There's a lot of talk about lithium ion batteriesIt was a decent re I've been on a Musk/Tesla kick of late。 This one is interesting in that it's unabashedly fanboyish-- the author spent a year working for Tesla and is clearly a fan of the company and the man behind it-- but at the same time it gets into some interesting details around the history of electric cars and how big auto companies tried to keep them from happening。 （If you've seen "Who Killed the Electric Car"， it's that kind of thing）。 There's a lot of talk about lithium ion batteriesIt was a decent read。 。。。more
Pam Pulizzi
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One of my new year resolutions was that one in every 5 books would be a nonfiction book。 So I was getting this out of the way！ LOLI really learned a lot though， especially about how oil companies and car dealerships have such an impact on things in our country。 And yes， I am now going to really consider an electric car next time we are in the market。 Do my part against global warming。。。。
Hamadullah Bijarani
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Excellent book
Nixanea
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DNFCzytając książkę czułam się jak na lekcji historii z czasów gimnazjum， bardzo dużo "bełkotu" o którym zaraz zapomniałam。 Nie wracałam myślami do tej książki， chciałam ją skończyć， ale naprawdę ciężko mi było przez nią przejść。 Całość można by było skrócić do jakiegoś posta na blogu czy coś。 Myślałam， że jak omine rozdział， który przerwał na prawie 2 miesiące moją przygodę z tą książka - to dalej będzie już okej， jednak tak się nie stało， jedynie zaczęłam omijać kolejne rozdziały。 Mimo tego co DNFCzytając książkę czułam się jak na lekcji historii z czasów gimnazjum， bardzo dużo "bełkotu" o którym zaraz zapomniałam。 Nie wracałam myślami do tej książki， chciałam ją skończyć， ale naprawdę ciężko mi było przez nią przejść。 Całość można by było skrócić do jakiegoś posta na blogu czy coś。 Myślałam， że jak omine rozdział， który przerwał na prawie 2 miesiące moją przygodę z tą książka - to dalej będzie już okej， jednak tak się nie stało， jedynie zaczęłam omijać kolejne rozdziały。 Mimo tego co wyżej napisałam pomysł na książkę był bardzo ciekawy， jak na moje źle ugryziony， przez co zrobił się z tego bełkot o firmach 。。。more
Hamid
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INSANE MODE shows Tesla’s effect on the automotive industry， making other automative companies invest in - and popularizing， the electric car
Anaiz Gul
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This book has the elements which explains how Elon Musk build the gigantic Tesla company and what major financial and technical struggles he faced in making this company this much huge， but overall this book depicts the other competitors of Tesla in US， history of electric vehicles， dynamics of Silicon Valley etc。 Which majority of readers didn’t connect well to be in this book while purchasing this book。
Cheng Jun
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Insane Mode is a good title for what Tesla has achieved。 The book does a good job of illustrating the many challenges that Tesla has had to overcome to get to where it is today。
Sathish Kumar
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A boring read
Cristiana Lopes
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My book had a cover with Elon Musk but this book is not about Elon Musk （for that， you should buy the biography that Ashlee Vance wrote）。 This book is about the electric vehicles， even though I read it in 2021 （was published in 2018）， so it's already a bit outdated， it still gives a really good overview of the electric revolution we're seeing at the moment， the startups that are being formed by chinese capital and what the future holds。 I honestly believe it will be a good future， with less oil My book had a cover with Elon Musk but this book is not about Elon Musk （for that， you should buy the biography that Ashlee Vance wrote）。 This book is about the electric vehicles， even though I read it in 2021 （was published in 2018）， so it's already a bit outdated， it still gives a really good overview of the electric revolution we're seeing at the moment， the startups that are being formed by chinese capital and what the future holds。 I honestly believe it will be a good future， with less oil and more clean energies。 。。。more
Audrey Moraski
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So far， this was my favorite book on Elon/Tesla。 I found myself longing for an updated version with extra chapters now that the pandemic hit and the former President is out of office。 4。5 stars
Mhairi Bruce
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Not what I expected it to be about but has definitely furthered my interest in electric cars。 I look forward to doing some further research to see if the targets were met。
Gian Andrea
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Not my favourite author， nor my favourite topic either。 As a matter of fact， before reading this book I never heard of Hamish McKenzie and I was overall quite unconcerned with the fate of the fossil-fuel powered car industry。 I quit driving long ago and never looked back。 True story。 Yet， I found this book so captivating and， more than anything else， highly instructive for someone like myself who doesn't particularly enjoy motors。 The focal point is the （INEVITABLE， if you wish） electric revolut Not my favourite author， nor my favourite topic either。 As a matter of fact， before reading this book I never heard of Hamish McKenzie and I was overall quite unconcerned with the fate of the fossil-fuel powered car industry。 I quit driving long ago and never looked back。 True story。 Yet， I found this book so captivating and， more than anything else， highly instructive for someone like myself who doesn't particularly enjoy motors。 The focal point is the （INEVITABLE， if you wish） electric revolution I grew up hearing so much about it since the first time we had a solar panel installed on our roof， and its frontman， Elon Musk。 Arguably， one of the most influential people of this generation， as someone who has already left an enormous mark in history。 A truly informative and eye-opening book of the greatest transformation our entire world is - whether slowly - going through。 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED。 。。。more
Asad Khan
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The book was easy to read and it kept me going。 There's a lot happening in auto industry and Hamish gives a nice glimpse of it in this book。 The book was easy to read and it kept me going。 There's a lot happening in auto industry and Hamish gives a nice glimpse of it in this book。 。。。more
Ramith Bulumulle
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Brilliant book that makes you fall in love with Electric Cars
Kalle Wescott
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I read /Insane Mode: How Elon Musk's Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil/， by Hamish McKenzie:https://www。washingtonpost。com/outloo。。。I recently read both the Ashlee Vance book on Musk （Elon Musk: Tesla， SpaceX， and the Quest for a Fantastic Future） as well as the Eric Berger book （Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days that Launched SpaceX）。 If you're going to read those three books， start with the Vance one first。This book was fantastic， except that I think it delved too I read /Insane Mode: How Elon Musk's Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil/， by Hamish McKenzie:https://www。washingtonpost。com/outloo。。。I recently read both the Ashlee Vance book on Musk （Elon Musk: Tesla， SpaceX， and the Quest for a Fantastic Future） as well as the Eric Berger book （Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days that Launched SpaceX）。 If you're going to read those three books， start with the Vance one first。This book was fantastic， except that I think it delved too much in to Tesla's Chinese competitors （likely because Hamish McKenzie moved to China and lived there and had access）。 That part of the book felt like a detour that was not central to the story on Musk and Tesla。 。。。more
Fabio De Bernardi
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Good book，in part because it's not a Musk-cult book。 It offers a very interesting base for understanding what's happening in the electric car and autonomous driving car spaces。 It would be interesting to read this again in 5 and 10 years and see how things have evolved， who and what concepts are and aren't still around。 Good book，in part because it's not a Musk-cult book。 It offers a very interesting base for understanding what's happening in the electric car and autonomous driving car spaces。 It would be interesting to read this again in 5 and 10 years and see how things have evolved， who and what concepts are and aren't still around。 。。。more
Elena
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I used to think Teslas are for those who want to brag about having money。 Now I want to work to get one， the book was really interesting for someone who doesn't know anything about cars “He is very much the person who， when someone says it’s impossible， shrugs and says， ‘I think I can do it。’”High school， however， was not fun。 In those days， South Africa could be a rough place to grow up， and Musk became a target of severe bullying。 One incident hospitalized him for two weeks。 He was beaten so b I used to think Teslas are for those who want to brag about having money。 Now I want to work to get one， the book was really interesting for someone who doesn't know anything about cars “He is very much the person who， when someone says it’s impossible， shrugs and says， ‘I think I can do it。’”High school， however， was not fun。 In those days， South Africa could be a rough place to grow up， and Musk became a target of severe bullying。 One incident hospitalized him for two weeks。 He was beaten so badly that his father didn’t recognize him。 “Kids gave Elon a very hard time， and it had a huge impact on his life，” Kimbal later said。He didn’t start Tesla or SpaceX to make money， he has said， but because he believed the world needed them。 The future for humans on Earth would be terrible if we didn’t switch to sustainable energy， and without electric cars， the peril from climate change would be unimaginable。 His goal to colonize Mars is also motivated in part by a moral impulse。 In the case of an extinction event， which could be brought on by anything from runaway climate change to rogue artificial intelligence， we’d all be homeless。 “I think there is a strong humanitarian argument for making life multiplanetary，” he has said， “in order to safeguard the existence of humanity in the event that something catastrophic were to happen。”Then， in a surprise move， Musk defied convention by declaring that Tesla would make its patents freely available to all。 He promised that the company wouldn’t initiate lawsuits against people who used Tesla’s patents without paying—even competitors （provided they used them in good faith）。 Why would he do this thing？ Most companies view patents as a way to protect their inventions and at least ensure that the ensuing license fees provide a reliable source of revenue， but Musk saw them as legal instruments that large corporations use to stifle competition。 He wanted to make it easier for other automakers to build electric cars so that the world could benefit from reduced carbon emissions。 Plus， the resulting attention could help with recruiting talented engineers， which he saw as key to Tesla’s business。We say the things we believe even when sometimes those things we believe are delusional。 venture capitalist will place bets on a number of promising start-ups with the expectation that most will come to nothing but with the hope that one will become a Google or a Facebook。 Better to have failed trying than to have failed to try。To make great advances， he believed， you should not look to the future and try to figure out how to get there。 Instead， you should start from the future and look back on how you traveled there。 This was a view that resonated with statements from Musk， who once said: “The first step is to establish that something is possible， then probability will occur。”But after months of wrangling， it was Sandoval who ultimately prevailed， thanks to an assortment of incentives that could be worth about $1。4 billion over two decades。 Tesla got 980 acres of land for free， a twenty-year exemption for sales taxes on equipment and construction materials， ten-year exemptions for property and payroll taxes， $8 million in electricity discounts， and $195 million in transferable tax credits。 In return， Tesla promised 6，500 jobs and a $35 million contribution to Nevada’s education system。step is to convert the car into an intelligent object。 Byton’s cars will include a digital experience for every passenger and connect with other Internet services to personalize the mobility experience。 Your car should know when your next meeting is and prepare itself for your commute。 It should know you on a personal level， like a whip-smart chaperone。 The key for this？ Collecting data on a scale that compares to Google or Apple。 “Someone told me， if you don’t believe in God， maybe those guys are the ones in the world who know you best，” Breitfeld said， referring to the tech behemoths。Google or Apple。 “Someone told me， if you don’t believe in God， maybe those guys are the ones in the world who know you best，” Breitfeld said， referring to the tech behemoths。Wu owned a Volvo V60， but he couldn’t drive it that day， a Thursday in May 2016， because its license plate ended in the number 5。 The Beijing government restricted personal vehicle use so that， one day a week， each car took an enforced break。that don’t have to “cruise” for parking spots also release fewer emissions。 In one study from 2007， an urban-planning professor at the University of California， Los Angeles， found that cars looking for parking in one Los Angeles business area generated 730 tons of carbon dioxide a year。De Botton argues that successful city planning is never an accident。 The Renaissance produced great cities because its leaders believed that people are to a large extent shaped by the buildings around them。 I am reminded of this comment when I walk the streets of San Francisco， a boomtown that ranks tenth in the world for number of billionaires， and must carefully avoid schmears of human excrement on the sidewalk。 。。。more
Amelia Bujar
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FULL REVIEW ON MY BLOGhttp://politicsbooksandme。com/2021/07。。。This book needs to get points for going into depth about the fact that an electric car is faster， lighter and cleaner than internal combustion engines。However don’t get it wrong is not a Tesla or Elon Musk Biography book。 Its the story of the electric car， and since Tesla together with Elon Musk and other people involved in the company where the first to actually make it through as survive as a fully electrical company a huge piece of FULL REVIEW ON MY BLOGhttp://politicsbooksandme。com/2021/07。。。This book needs to get points for going into depth about the fact that an electric car is faster， lighter and cleaner than internal combustion engines。However don’t get it wrong is not a Tesla or Elon Musk Biography book。 Its the story of the electric car， and since Tesla together with Elon Musk and other people involved in the company where the first to actually make it through as survive as a fully electrical company a huge piece of this book is about them。But I get the point why some people （especially the die hard fans of combustion engines） might think that this book is nothing but a very long article。 However give it a shot， and don’t trash this book just because you don’t like electrical cars。 I’m actually here under a big impression because i wasn’t expecting how good this book would turn out to be in the end。 You can really learn a lot of things in this book if you just give it a shot。This books starts with talking about Tesla and Elon Musk。 And in general all the ups and downs which both Tesla and Elon Musk had from beginning。 And the second part of this book are more about other fully electrical cars companies which Tesla and Elon Musk have inspired or influenced at some point。 。。。more
Charles
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Didn't enjoy it。 I was expecting to learn more about "insane mode"， how insane Elon is， why & how he goes insane。 But it was more about the electric car revolution， and canvases many of the other manufacturers & influencers。 Didn't enjoy it。 I was expecting to learn more about "insane mode"， how insane Elon is， why & how he goes insane。 But it was more about the electric car revolution， and canvases many of the other manufacturers & influencers。 。。。more
Jose Miguel Porto
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Companies like Tesla， and entrepreneurs like Elon Musk， are betting against the establishment to untap new markets and destroy old ones。 Prior to refrigeration， salt was an expensive commodity to keep food from rotting and refrigeration technology changed that。 Like refrigeration and salt， electricity will replace fossil fuels。 The change starts with the car industry， given that cars use much of the fossil fuels pumped from the ground and create carbon dioxide as a by-product that is released in Companies like Tesla， and entrepreneurs like Elon Musk， are betting against the establishment to untap new markets and destroy old ones。 Prior to refrigeration， salt was an expensive commodity to keep food from rotting and refrigeration technology changed that。 Like refrigeration and salt， electricity will replace fossil fuels。 The change starts with the car industry， given that cars use much of the fossil fuels pumped from the ground and create carbon dioxide as a by-product that is released in the atmosphere which is affecting climate change。 If Tesla and other e-vehicles replace conventional cars， the whole infrastructure will change and a major milestone will be accomplished in transforming our fossil fuel economies into sustainable and renewable energy non fossil fuel economies。 And the e-car will also bring with it the driverless car， which will reduce pollution and traffic， and will transform the job landscape as old jobs will be destroyed and replaced by new ones。 。。。more
Tobias Sell
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Nach dem Lesen der Biographie von Elon Musk， war das Buch für mich Pflicht。 Meine Erwartungen， mehr über Testa selbst und ein paar interne Storys zu erfahren wurden leider etwas getrübt。 Das Buch ist ein großer Rundumschlag zum Thema zuküftige Innovationen in der Automobilbranche。 So wird neben der obligatorischen Elektromobilität auch Carsharing und autonomes Fahren betrachtet。 Das Buch war teilweise aber doch recht langatmig。 Ist aber gefüllt mit vielen Fakten und Insights Startip-Autoszene un Nach dem Lesen der Biographie von Elon Musk， war das Buch für mich Pflicht。 Meine Erwartungen， mehr über Testa selbst und ein paar interne Storys zu erfahren wurden leider etwas getrübt。 Das Buch ist ein großer Rundumschlag zum Thema zuküftige Innovationen in der Automobilbranche。 So wird neben der obligatorischen Elektromobilität auch Carsharing und autonomes Fahren betrachtet。 Das Buch war teilweise aber doch recht langatmig。 Ist aber gefüllt mit vielen Fakten und Insights Startip-Autoszene und kommende disruptive Entwicklungen。 。。。more
Kamil Kuryś
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I'm really not sure what star rating should I give。 I liked most of the book as it covered history， vision， plans and challenges for both Tesla itself as well as energy transformation industry in general， therefore if you're interested in any of that I recommend this book anyways。 Why only 3 stars then？ Some chapters were so focused on some details about life details of different entrepreneurs that I completely didn't understand why were they put in the book and because of that the book sometime I'm really not sure what star rating should I give。 I liked most of the book as it covered history， vision， plans and challenges for both Tesla itself as well as energy transformation industry in general， therefore if you're interested in any of that I recommend this book anyways。 Why only 3 stars then？ Some chapters were so focused on some details about life details of different entrepreneurs that I completely didn't understand why were they put in the book and because of that the book sometimes lacked integrity and flow。 。。。more
James Human
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I rate this book very highly as the most informative and well researched story of the advent of the the Electric Car written for the man in the street。 A must read for the younger generation who will live it。
Pedro Tardio Ascarrunz
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This book was a great read， it was absolutely everything I expected it to be， a very well written story of how the "electric revolution" sparked some other innovations in the car industry， technological world and economy as a whole。 Recommended to those who like history and economics。 This book was a great read， it was absolutely everything I expected it to be， a very well written story of how the "electric revolution" sparked some other innovations in the car industry， technological world and economy as a whole。 Recommended to those who like history and economics。 。。。more
Steve Nolan
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Pretty cursory look at Tesla and the greater electric vehicle market。 （He hints at the labor practices there， but never talks to any workers。）Edit - After reading Tim Higgins's "Power Play" I like， need to take a star away from this。 No reason to read this when Higgins's book exists。 Pretty cursory look at Tesla and the greater electric vehicle market。 （He hints at the labor practices there， but never talks to any workers。）Edit - After reading Tim Higgins's "Power Play" I like， need to take a star away from this。 No reason to read this when Higgins's book exists。 。。。more
Niclas J
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Was concerned that it might be very redundant but can recommend reading it even if you already read Elon Musk: Tesla， SpaceX， and the Quest for a Fantastic Future。 Rather than focusing on Elon Musk， this book explores Tesla's impact on the car industry， the challenges Tesla and other electric car companies had to overcome and will still have to overcome as well as the broader societal significance of shifting to electric （and with that autonomous） transport。 At times， it was a bit too detailed o Was concerned that it might be very redundant but can recommend reading it even if you already read Elon Musk: Tesla， SpaceX， and the Quest for a Fantastic Future。 Rather than focusing on Elon Musk， this book explores Tesla's impact on the car industry， the challenges Tesla and other electric car companies had to overcome and will still have to overcome as well as the broader societal significance of shifting to electric （and with that autonomous） transport。 At times， it was a bit too detailed on "who came from what company to found what small startup" for my taste but overall an enjoyable read for people interested in Tesla and electric cars。 。。。more
Kim Mens
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Interesting account of the history and future of electric vehicles and Tesla in particular， but perhaps a bit too Tesla-colored and in the meantime a bit outdated too。
Adhip
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Grt application for books
M Jahangir kz
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