For this round of Editor’s Picks, I’ve chosen my top reads from around the Internet. This week I’m loving the hacker-controlled Jeep, the history of electric cars and the idea that Tesla is transforming what it means to live in a manufacturing town.
“What Tesla is Doing in America’s newest smokestacks-free manufacturing city” from Fortune
The traditional factory town might conjure up images of smelters and smokestacks, but this piece posits that Fremont, California (home to Tesla’s assembly plant) is embracing the idea of the innovation district — a new industrial neighborhood harnessing the latest technological ideas.
In addition to challenging the notion that historic production hubs need to be isolated from other users, cities like Fremont are also a testament to the belief that it’s easier for more industrial centers to embrace software companies than it is for white-collar cities to integrate brand new industrial uses.
“1880-1920: The first electric cars” from Mashable
This stunning photo essay transports the reader into the late nineteenth century when electric cars first began to gain some popularity. In addition to being less noisy and smelly than gasoline-fueled cars, these electric cars were traditionally marketed more toward women as a “quiet and clean.”
For a history lesson and some truly spectacular photos, check out this great piece.
“Hackers Remotely Kill A Jeep on the Highway—With Me in It” from WIRED
As I mentioned in this weeks’ edition of “Manufacturing Minute,” a WIRED reporter recently allowed the Jeep he was driving to be hacked. I won’t give away too many details on the hows and whys of this grand experiment, but I will say that this piece proved to be something of a revelation to automakers, manufacturers and even U.S. legislators.
What were your favorite manufacturing stories this week? Comment below or tweet me @MNetAbbey.
