Nikola Tesla turned 158 on July 10 and Elon Musk sends his gift just in time. The $1 million donation will be used for the rehabilitation of the Nikola Tesla Museum in Long Island, New York.
Aside from the pledge, Elon Musk has also promised to build a supercharger station in the museum's parking lot, effectively (and aptly) turning the Nikola Tesla Museum into a part of Tesla Motor's network of recharging stations. Non-profit Tesla Science Center is in charge of the museum, having worked with cartoonist Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal to raise funds for the acquisition of Nikola Tesla's laboratory.
It was in 2012 when Inman launched a crowdfunding effort to purchase and renovate a piece of land that contained Nikola Tesla's laboratory. The property and its surrounding area had long been disused and was due to be turned into retail space had Inman's effort not been successful. Just how successful was he? His Indiegogo campaign, called Let's Build a Goddamn Tesla Museum, raised $1.37 million. Inman turned over the money to the Tesla Science Center and the property was purchased for $850,000. The remaining money was used to start renovations.
To start. Not to finish.
Raising that much money was just the beginning. It was indeed enough to save Tesla's laboratory but it was nowhere near what was needed to turn it into a museum as planned, which unfortunately has been pegged to be at $8 million. Inman got to work again, this time directly addressing Tesla Motors' Elon Musk through a "What it's like to own a Tesla Model S" comic.
"You owe us nothing, and you've done nothing but good things in the name of Nikola Tesla. But the fact remains: Tesla Motors, a company now worth billions, is using Nikola Tesla's name and they're using his technology, and all we want in return is a little bit of help," wrote Inman.
Musk promptly replied on Twitter that he's onboard, saying he would be happy to help. He was no stranger to the effort too after having donated $2,500 before for Inman's Indiegogo campaign. While Tesla Motors hasn't issued a statement whether they'll also be pledging the rest of the $8 million needed by the museum, Musk did personally call Inman to tell him about the donation and that a supercharger station will be added to the museum as well. A supercharger station reportedly costs anywhere between $150,000 and $250,000 to build.
