Nikola Tesla was one of the great innovative genuises and forward thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries. He contributed significantly to the development of the alternating current electric supply system and invented (among many other things) the tesla coil, an electrical transformer that is still widely used. His work fell into obscurity until fairly recently when the surge of interest in projects, such as electric cars (and some other more bizarre theories and fads) brought his ideas back to the forefront of technology and popular culture. The Tesla Motor Company takes its name from the scientist and inventor and the AC motor that it uses in its vehicles is a direct descendant of Tesla's 1882 design, showing how far reaching and ahead of its time his thinking really was.