Tesla Founder may have New Home at Volkswagen

Rumors from Greentech Media say that Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard may have found a new job working for Volkswagen. The German company, which displayed an electric super car concept in the Audi E-Tron, has a storied history with electric cars. Months ago, Audi CEO Johan de Nysschen publicly called electric cars "a car for idiots" — a statement that seemed to clash with the unveiling of the all-electric E-Tron.

Volkswagen's head of technical development had more dour words to say on zero-emissions vehicles and the proposed Volkswagen E-Up electric car. "The reason we are looking at EVs is the American market. EVs will be necessary to sell cars in the USA," said Hackenberg. A new Obama rule allows electric cars to count double for a manufacturer's fuel efficiency standards, allowing the car maker's gasoline offerings to use larger, powerful, fuel-guzzling engines. Audi and Volkswagen execs urged Obama to end his "monogamous relationship" with electric cars, pointing to clean diesel Volkswagen vehicles with fuel efficiencies as high as 70mpg.

According to the editors over at Greentech Media, the former Tesla founder has been saying for months that he was up to a top-secret auto project and some unnamed sources have confirmed that it involves Volkswagen. Eberhard, who left Tesla to the controversial Elon Musk not long after the electric car company's formation, has been recognized as a start-up visionary for his work in luxury electric vehicles and electronic books. True to the inventor's axiom, bringing an idea to market has proved more challenging to Eberhard than cultivating the thought to begin with. With both electric books and cars, many of Eberhart's ideas went on to create successful products for other businesses who were able to manufacture and monetize on the idea immediately. The resources and reach of the Volkswagen group, which is tied to Audi, Porsche, and Lamborghini, may provide Eberhard with the tools he needs to bring his ideas to market.