(Tesla in garage image courtesy of Venture Capitalist Steve Jurvetson. Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution Only.)

But Elon Musk, owner of the groundbreaking auto company, is strapped for cash.

Musk made his fortune as one of the pioneers of PayPal, the online money-transfer giant.  He’s also an aerospace engineer who designs components for NASA.  At one time in recent years, his personal holdings were worth upwards of $200 million.

However, Musk says times have gotten hard.  A messy divorce is casting unwanted light on the state of his personal finances. Musk is married to novelist Justine Musk, but the marriage is being dissolved due to Elon Musk’s relationship with actress Talulah Riley. A New York Times Article on Yahoo Finance quotes Musk as saying, “About four months ago, I ran out of cash.”

Justine Musk is asking for the couple’s house, six million dollars in cash, child support, alimony, and a portion of Tesla Motors.

Elon Musk says he has heavily invested his personal money into Tesla Motors, most recently putting $35 million into the company coffers. Analysts expect that Tesla Motors will go public within the next two weeks, and that event is likely to solve Musk’s cash issues.

However, Tesla Motors was the recipient of a United States Energy Department loan, and the fine print requires Musk to hold at least 65% of the company.  If he sells too much of his share, the company will technically default on the loan.

In its I.P.O. filing, Tesla Motors maintains that it is separate from Musk’s divorce and cash liquidity issues.

“We do not believe that Mr. Musk’s personal financial situation has any impact on us,” the company said. “We also do not believe that Mr. Musk would have to liquidate a significant percentage of his holdings in order to satisfy any settlement reached in connection with such proceedings.”

The New York Times Article explains that even if Musk were to hold on to his required 65 percent stake in Tesla Motors, he would be solvent enough to cover his divorce.  The I.P.O. should give him about $21 million.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer, who specializes in web content, editing, and technical writing. Her recent projects have included content for a Fort Worth State Farm agent’s website and a Dallas TX Car Storage company.