Tesla dropped its trademark for the Model E, and the reason was two-fold: It was originally a joke and Ford threatened to sue them. Yes, Ford tried to kill SEX. Bastards.
Speaking at Tesla's 2014 Annual Shareholder Meeting, company co-founder and CEO Elon Musk was asked why the automaker dropped its trademark for the Model E. "Funny story," says Musk.
A friend at a party asked him what the name of the next Tesla would be after the S and X. Musk joked, "the Model E." And the name kinda stuck.
They applied for a trademark on "E", and as another joke, applied for a Model Y (rimshot) trademark.
Ford was apparently not pleased about the "E" filing, and according to Musk, threatened to sue Tesla. It's not entirely clear why, aside from the fact that Ford's seminal models – the Model A and Model T – had a similar naming scheme.
Since then, Tesla has pulled its trademark for the E, with Musk saying today that, "Ford tried to kill sex."
