Driven to Disruption
Tesla’s O’Connell is pushing for a zero- emissions future.
AS THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT'S CHIEF OF STAFF FOR political military affairs during the early years of the wars in iraq and Afghanistan, o’connell saw firsthand the toll that U.S. dependence on foreign oil has taken on the country’s economic and military resources. So when he left the State Department after George W. bush’s first term, o’connell knew he wanted to get into the business of reducing American dependence on fossil fuels. “i became more and more convinced that we have a criti- cal dependence on oil in our economy and in our foreign policy that creates enormous constraints on our freedom of action,” o’connell says. “i wanted to focus on a business that was involved in oil reduction, and most of our oil is used in the transit sector.”
eight years later, o’connell is at the vanguard of disruption in the automobile industry as vice president of business devel-
opment for Tesla Motors, the Silicon Valley electric car com- pany founded by visionary tech billionaire elon musk. “The best thing about Tesla is that it is a highly mission-oriented enterprise,” o’connell tells DAM. “The core of our efforts is a mission to catalyze a mass market for electric vehicles, and create a sustainable form of transportation, using solar and other renewable energy sources.”
The lead point person for strategic affairs, o’connell has played an integral role in developing a market for Tesla’s cars, helping the company secure $465 million in federal stimu- lus loans to build a factory for its Model S sedan—which has since earned the highest score (99 out of 100) ever from Con- sumer Reports. Tesla has since paid back the government, and o’connell is now assisting musk in his ambitious plans for expansion, including the construction of a $5-billion “gigafactory” that will manufacture batteries for Tesla’s next generation line of vehicles.
“i think our efforts have just begun,” o’connell said. “We’re smart enough to recognize the work that’s gone before us, but we have the opportunity to try new things. In fact, we have the necessity to try new things.”
[U.S. dependence on foreign oil] creates enormous constraints on our freedom of action,” says the electric vehicle advocate. “
