‘A world power with loving people’: Elon Musk’s father Errol on India’s global role and heritage
NEW DELHI: Errol Musk, father of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, expressed admiration for India’s push towards green technology, saying he sees immense potential in the country’s commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency. Speaking to ANI, during his visit to Delhi, Musk shared his insights on India as a global power, its green energy landscape, its cultural heritage, and his association with an Indian company, Servotec.Regarding India’s global geopolitical influence, Errol Musk gave his perspective saying, “India is a sleeping giant, there’s no doubt about it. Now, with India having a GDP which is about the third or fourth highest in the world, it’s absolutely incredible. It’s ultimately a world power. What can I say except, it’s terrific. I tell you why it’s terrific, because Indian people seem to me to be very loving people. They are not aggressive, mean people. They are people who embrace a person. So that’s the kind of people we want to be in a position of being an important global power. We’re tired of this other kind.”On India’s readiness to embrace clean energy solutions, Musk said, “It seems that the people here are very ready to go, they want to go on green technology in every possible way. I can’t say anything more than to say that, it’s great. It’s the right way to go.”He also revealed his growing interest in Indian companies contributing to the green energy sector. “I have studied and discovered this company called ‘Servotec’, and I’m very impressed with the sort of work they’re doing. They are one of a number of companies around the world that are springing up to do what is very important – that is to save every little bit of electricity, and make sure every little bit of electricity is used on earth,” Musk said, emphasising the urgent global need for electricity conservation.When asked about Tesla’s potential entry into India, Musk offered a cautious response: “That is something that I have to be careful not to say too much about. Tesla is a public company. It’s not ours…When you look at India and the population, the kind of people you’ve got here, the energy and everything and when I hear that, with great respect, BYD and various others are coming in, and Tatas and Mahindra are making great cars, I’m very inclined to say, wait, why aren’t we having Teslas here. But I can’t say too much. That’s just a personal point of view.”However, acknowledging the rising power demands driven by the EV boom, he also said, “We rely more and more on power and power comes in the form of electricity. Electric vehicles are currently estimated to have a value in India of about $8 billion US, and within five years, expected to be 100 billion. So, that means more electricity is needed, much more electricity is needed. And it’s not only electric vehicles, it’s everything that needs electricity. We can’t have any wastage anymore. Every bit of electricity that’s generated must be used, reused or saved.”Beyond energy and technology, Errol Musk also expressed admiration for India’s ancient civilisation and spirituality. “I am very keen on doing that (visit Ram Mandir in Ayodhya). I have a very humble appreciation of India’s incredible history. To my mind, the history of the world really probably comes back to India at some point. And we know that we have Vedas and so on that go back 14,000 years, and probably earlier. And so India has had lost civilisations, no doubt about that. Some of the Vedas even talk about flying vehicles. I have those Vedas with me. And I wrote a book that includes a lot of stories that includes information about India, Kashmir, Delhi and so on. And, I know India is a fascinating place. There’s no doubt about it, absolutely fascinating.”
