Matthew Inman, better known online as The Oatmeal, is a huge Tesla fan — both of the Serbian-American scientist and electrical pioneer and the electric car company that shares his name. He raised $1.4 million to buy Nikola Tesla’s old laboratory, and just asked Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk for a helping hand. Musk said yes.
The Oatmeal’s What It’s Like To Own A Tesla Model S comic describes Inman’s time with the electric car; he’s obviously in love with his purchase. The Model S is the second Tesla owned by the artist, though — in late 2012, he created and successfully completed an Indiegogo campaign to purchase the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, raising almost one and a half million dollars to buy the laboratory and save it from demolition.
But in the second half of the comic, The Oatmeal makes a convincing, if blunt, argument asking Tesla Motors’ founder and chief product architect for extra funding — to not only save the Science Center from destruction, but to convert it into a functioning museum and public attraction. Even better, Inman jumped on Twitter to ask Elon Musk personally:
.@elonmusk I wrote a review of my Model S, and then asked you for a little favor here http://t.co/qRViX5M6fb
— Matthew Inman (@Oatmeal) May 13, 2014
Then, half a day later, this happened:
@Oatmeal I would be happy to help
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 14, 2014
So, that’s decided then. Obviously that response from Musk is about as vague a suggestion of support as you’d expect, and I don’t think anyone expects him to stump up the full $8 million, but it’s nice to know that Tesla Motors will play a part in restoring one of America’s most pivotal scientific centers of research to some of its former glory. [The Oatmeal]