This story was originally published by MIT News.

Blade Kotelly is a senior lecturer at MIT on design thinking, user interfaces, and innovation. His enthusiasm for cars is intertwined with his passion for innovative design. But despite Kotelly’s love affair with the internal combustion engine, he realizes the technology is heading for the endangered species list.

“We are going to see a huge shift to electric cars, not just for the environment but because the total operating cost is lower,” he says.

Kotelly’s brain may have convinced him batteries will rule, but his heart didn’t follow until he saw Tesla’s upcoming Cybertruck. “The Cybertruck will be one of the most significant shifts in cars in 50 years,” enthuses Kotelly. “It’s a radically different design idea—so simply made with folds and an exoskeleton. Tesla is the only car company that is challenging the underlying assumption on every axis.”

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