Aftermarket Business Revs Up for Tesla Roadster - and Includes a Strange Bedfellow

SAN CARLOS, California — The aftermarket business for the Tesla Roadster is heating up. In a strange twist, one of the aftermarket entrepreneurs is Martin Eberhard, the deposed co-founder of the electric-car startup who blogged nearly 18 months ago that "I am sad not to be part of Tesla anymore, and I believe that Tesla would be a lot better off with me than without me."

Writing recently in his blog, Eberhard noted that he has been busy making mobile chargers for the Tesla Roadster.

"I originally intended to build one for myself," Eberhard wrote. "Then for a few friends. Now I am swamped with requests from Roadster owners who want a more flexible mobile charging solution. I plan to write a blog about my little charger one of these days. But then there is my 'real' job that already takes 110 percent of my time!"

He did not identify his new job.

When asked how it reacted to Eberhard's new sideline by Inside Line, Tesla Motors spokeswoman Rachel Konrad responded in an e-mail: "Tesla has delivered more than 500 cars to customers and is delivering more every day, so it's only natural to expect a proliferation of related aftermarket parts. The ecosystem for Evs is rapidly growing — a great thing for consumers, the auto industry and the environment."

Inside Line says: Well, it's no Mopar, but it's a start. Next up: eco-friendly fuzzy dice? — Anita Lienert, Correspondent