本周三，一個能源行業(yè)會議在加州弗里蒙特市的特斯拉工廠召開。特斯拉首席執(zhí)行官埃隆?穆斯克在會上接受采訪時爆料，在發(fā)展初期，這家電動汽車公司本有可能叫做法拉第。

法拉第是指發(fā)明了電動機的科學家邁克爾?法拉第。穆斯克說法拉第是公司命名的第二選擇。他的公司最終以發(fā)明家、電氣工程師尼古拉?特斯拉的名字命名。

這個第二選擇會讓電動汽車行業(yè)觀察人士感到熟悉。具有諷刺意味的是，一家新的電動汽車初創(chuàng)企業(yè)就叫法拉第未來公司，而且是特斯拉的競爭對手。

法拉第未來公司得到了一名身家10億級的中國科技行業(yè)企業(yè)家的支持，目前計劃制造包括電動轎車在內(nèi)的多款電動車，它的工廠設在內(nèi)華達州，正在建設之中。特斯拉也正在該州建設大型電池工廠。

雖然外界對總部設在洛杉磯的法拉第未來公司有諸多疑問，但該公司投資者已經(jīng)承諾，將為上述工廠投入10億美元資金。這家公司可能把重點放在向中國消費者銷售電動車上。進入中國市場的難度特別大，特斯拉在這方面就遇到了很多困難。

創(chuàng)業(yè)初期，穆斯克及其團隊買來了“特斯拉”這個名字，穆斯克說這是因為他們沒有這個商標的所有權(quán)。他打趣說，它歸“薩克拉門托的一個家伙”。

特斯拉的誕生源于2003年穆斯克和特斯拉首席技術(shù)官JB?斯特勞貝爾的一次午餐。當時正在斯坦福大學研究電池和電動車的斯特勞貝爾提到了一家名叫AC Propulsion的公司，后者的總部在南加州，正在制造一輛原型電動跑車。

穆斯克和斯特勞貝爾很快就和AC Propulsion的成員見了面。特斯拉的第一款產(chǎn)品Roadster采用了AC Propulsion電動跑車tzero的部分技術(shù)。在周三的采訪中，穆斯克說：“他們[AC Propulsion]對特斯拉的貢獻很大?！?/p>

2008年，穆斯克花了數(shù)百萬美元來拯救瀕臨破產(chǎn)的特斯拉，隨后成為該公司CEO。穆斯克說自己投入了“所有的資金”。如果拿出了所有的籌碼，“你就得親自上陣”，穆斯克向與會者解釋說這就是他成為CEO的原因。（財富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：Charlie

校對：詹妮

At one point in the early life of electric car company Tesla, the company could have been named “Faraday,” revealed Tesla CEO Elon Musk during an interview at an energy industry conference at the Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif. on Wednesday.

The name “Faraday” refers to Michael Faraday, the scientist who invented the electric motor. Musk said “Faraday” would have been his second choice for a name. Instead, the company was named after Nikola Tesla, the inventor and electrical engineer.

The second-choice name will ring a bell with electric car industry watchers. Ironically, “Faraday Future” is now the name of a new electric car startup and competitor to Tesla TSLA 0.80% .

Faraday Future is backed by a billionaire Chinese tech entrepreneur and is planning on making an electric sedan, among other electric cars, at a factory under construction in Nevada. That’s the same state where Tesla is building its massive battery factory.

While there’s been considerable skepticism about the Los Angeles-based Faraday Future, the company’s investors have pledged $1 billion to build the factory. The company could be focused on selling electric cars to consumers in China, where the market is particularly difficult to break into and where Tesla has struggled.

Musk and his team during the early days of the car company were originally name-shopping because Musk said they didn’t own the trademark for Tesla. Instead, “a dude in Sacramento,” did, quipped Musk.

The genesis for the creation of Tesla was a lunch in 2003 between Musk and Tesla’s CTO JB Straubel, who was working on batteries and electric cars at Stanford University. Straubel mentioned a company called AC Propulsion, based in Southern California, which was making a prototype electric sports car.

Musk and Straubel met with the company a short time later. Tesla’s first car the Roadster used some of the technology in AC Propulsion’s electric sports car called the “tzero.” Musk noted during the interview on Wednesday, “They [AC Propulsion] deserve a lot of credit for Tesla.”

Musk became CEO of Tesla in 2008 after he put in millions of dollars—or “all his money” as he put it— to save the company, which was on the brink of financial collapse. When you put all of your chips on the table “you have to play the hand yourself,” Musk remarked, explaining to the audience on Wednesday why he took over as CEO.