The U.S. Government created a requirement that by 2020, the majority of cars sold here must get at least 35 miles per gallon. This requires a big commitment on the part of auto makers and so the Energy Department was authorized last year to lend $25 billion dollars. The first round of financing is expected to be announced today with Ford, Nissan, and Tesla getting all getting a sizable chunk during this first round. GM and Chrysler both wanted a bunch of money too, but neither fit the criteria of being a “financial viable” so they were disqualified for this first round.
Nissan hasn’t announced how much the Japanese automaker has requested from the U.S. Government, but we know that Michigan-based Ford and California-based Tesla Motors Inc. are expected to get $5 billion and $450 million respectively.
This $25 billion fund was approved by Congress in 2008 to help auto makers retool facilities and speed up development of more energy efficient vehicles. It was the Government after all that decided that vehicles needed to reach an average of 35 miles per gallon by a random date instead of the natural evolution of development and technology.
Looking to take a Tesla electric car for a spin, are ya? Lucky you, as the company will be opening seven sales centers this summer — four in the US and three abroad. You’ll be able to take a test drive in New York, Seattle, Chicago, and Miami, along with London, Monaco, and Munich.
Silicon Valley electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors got another shot in the arm today from German auto giant Daimler, which took a 10 percent stake in the company and expanded its partnership with Tesla to equip future Mercedes-Benz vehicles with electric lithium-ion batteries. Mercedes has been testing Tesla’s batteries in a fleet of 100 smart cars, and is already moving into limited production. But with this agreement, Mercedes now expects to roll out its first battery-powered Mercedes-Benz in 2010, and offer battery-powered vehicles for all of its models by 2012.
The amount invested was not disclosed, but even more valuable to Tesla is the vote of confidence from one of the world’s leading auto companies. In a press release, Daimler proclaims: “Tesla is the only production automaker selling a highway capable electric vehicle in North America and Europe.”
Tesla says that 520 S Model all electric sedans have been reserved by customers in first week since it was announced. Each customer must pay a $5,000 reservation fee, which is refundable if they choose not to buy the car. The base price for the Model S, which will be available starting in 2010, is $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500. A limited editon of the Model S is available for a $40,000 reservation fee.
The Model S is the second car unveiled by Tesla after the sportier Roadster, and it’s half the price. But it’s no slouch on performance. The car will do 0-60 in 5.6 seconds (the Roadster is 3.9 seconds) and has an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. The car should go up to 300 miles between charges. Best of all, I believe I may actually fit in the Model S. The Roadster isn’t fully compatible with people my size.
If you want one, you can reserve it here. You should get it by late 2011.
Tesla says they delivered 104 Roadsters in March and about 320 all time. The company has raised $186 million in capital to date, and has applied for $350 million in federal loans.
Innovative electric-car startup Tesla is unveiling the latest addition to its lineup this afternoon in Southern California. The sedan is meant to serve as a more affordable entry to the Tesla lineup that will appeal to the mainstream, with a ticket price of around $50,000 (as opposed to well over $100,000 for the Tesla Roadster). Current estimates for release of the car are late in 2011.
Apparently Bill Clinton was mere moments away from picking up chicks experiencing the finest in green transportation all over Burbank, California in a Telsa Roadster. Jeremy Snyder, general manager of the Los Angeles Tesla Store, handed a set of keys to Mr. Clinton at the end of a President’s Day luncheon after the former president expressed interest in driving a Roadster.
Despite some early worries, bad press, and several crashed prototypes, it looks like Tesla isn’t going to go down in flames, zeppelin-like, a warning to those who would challenge big oil. No, actually it seems they may turn a profit by midyear, and they say they’re selling the $100K Roadster as fast as they can make them.
Bad news for treehugging gearheads this morning. Tesla had originally planned on opening a new facility in San Jose to build the Model S electric sports sedan, but the financing fell through. (Welcome to America, Tesla) So as it stands now, the company is going to redirect a $450 million government loan that was originally going to help build the facility into the general budget which will help with the Roadster development.
Tesla Roadster is a quick car and can beat most Porsche’s down the quarter mile. That $100k+ ride doesn’t have anything on this Datsun powered by lightweight lithium ion batteries dubbed White Zombie. This little guy can scoot down the strip in under 11.5 seconds at a speed of 114mph sounding beating the Tesla’s advertised quarter mile time of 12.75 @ 104.74. According to peeps in the know, that makes this electric car the 2nd quickest electric street legal car. Bets on this car vs the recently announced Shelby Ultimate Aero EV electric supercar? My money is on the Nissan.
Tesla might be in bigger trouble than we first thought. The company has redone the options sheet for the upcoming year and took what was previously standard equipment, and slapped heft price tags on ‘em. For instance, the High Performance Charger which replenishes most of the battery in 3.5 hours now costs $3,000. Plus, the alloy wheels now add $3,200 to the invoice; is the standard hub caps? Tesla claims that the changes were needed to turn a profit but it seems that the company is reneging on customers that placed deposits on Roadsters.
The Tesla Roadster is a must-have vehicle for any Californian-based venture capitalist or Silicon Valley suit. The Top Gear crew took the electric roadster and ran it through the paces. I don’t think the results are surprising. It’s quick, not a track car, and kind of a pain in the boot. Clarkston explains it best, but it doesn’t seem that this car is exactly meant for general consumption yet.
This is funny. It’s like an algebra nerd lining up next to a cocky track star to race, and everyone laughs and laughs, but then someone says “woah, that nerd’s on fire.”
Unfortunately, it won’t be doing much to help Tesla’s image. The embattled electric vehicle manufacturer is having enough trouble getting its car on the road without having to worry about (more) performance concerns. The Tango only beat the Tesla by a quarter of a second, and the Tesla had a higher top speed (so we can attribute this mostly to weight), but prospective buyers won’t be happy to learn that their ride has the same amount of pickup as a dorky econocar.
BRABUS is big in the car tuning scene and generally installs some spectacular performance mods, squeezing the utmost ability out of a particular vehicle. This time around though, the BRABUS boys claimed to have produced the world’s first tuned Tesla Roadster but all they did was add a “space sound generator” that simulates the sound of a V8 engine, race car, or even a Treky warp sound; no engine, brakes or suspension upgrades. Yeah, it’s somewhat neat and adds some virtual balls to the pansy-sounding electric motor, but let’s call it what it is.
BRABUS installs the ultimate poser sound system into the Tesla Roadster.
During a demonstration run of a Tesla Roadster in Southern France, the driver (who was demoing it for the passenger) attempted to take a wet corner a bit too fast and ended up going off the road, smashing the front left and rear right quarters of the car. The passenger was thrown clear, luckily not through the windshield, but miraculously neither party was seriously injured.
What is it about this car that causes people to drive irresponsibly? One Tesla rear-ended a truck and this guy rammed another car at a stoplight. People don’t crash Porsches at this rate, do they? There are only fifty of these things and three are out of commission! At least it hasn’t been the car’s fault and no one’s been hurt.
How are those gas prices treating you? Thought so. Good news, though, as plug-in hybrid cars aren’t too far away. In fact, if you’re keen to wait only 18 months, you could soon be driving out of your local dealership while thumbing your nose at Big Oil. Big Oil is Evil, remember.
Cars like the Chevrolet Volt, which is due for release in 2010, run on both electricity and gasoline. They’ll get something like 40 miles per charge, and then a gasoline engine takes over at 80-100 mpg. That’s to get you to the next charge station.
Such cars are expected to hit “critical mass” at around 2015. That’s when car manufacturers are expected to be cranking them out full bore.
Or, you can wait till the new, affordable Tesla comes out. At the very least, Tesla has a proven track record, and its cars don’t look like toys.
Tesla Motors has hired former Chrysler Executive Michael Donoughe to oversee the company’s engineering and manufacturing processes as executive vice president.
The 220 miles-per-charge electric Tesla Roadster that sells for more money than most people make in a year will soon be joined by a more consumer-friendly four door sedan. Donoughe should be well-suited for his new role, as he “previously headed the global mid-size vehicles program at Chrysler,” according to San Jose Mercury News.
Tesla also announced that it’ll build a new production factory in the San Francisco area instead of New Mexico, citing tax incentives offered by California.
Greenwich Time, the newspaper for denizens of Greenwich, Connecticut, got to look at the Tesla Roadster and came away awed, if a little empty. Greenwich is a town famous for being the home to many New York millionaires who wish to lay their red, pulsating egg sacs under stately old oaks. Colin Gustafson, a “special correspondent” (read: someone related to one of the editors) rode along with a rich man named Gary Patrick on his first test drive of the Tesla Roadster.
What did this rich man have to say about the car? He was impressed enough to put down $108,000 to buy his own and he really enjoyed going fast while still helping the “environment.”
“We’re in a wealthy area,” Patrick added, “so, while gas prices aren’t as much of an issue, you can still feel like you’re fulfilling your green responsibiltity [sic] and reducing your carbon footprint with a car like this.”
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is holding a press conference tomorrow with Tesla Motors, makers of some of the coolest electric cars on the planet, to announce their 4 door, 5 passenger sedan slated for release in 2010.
Not much information right now but rumor has it that it will be called the Whitestar and should be as efficient as the Roadster model now making the rounds.
The Roadster costs $109,000 but the sedan should be slightly less given its “green family” appeal. We’ll be there tomorrow for some on the scene reporting. Here’s hoping Gov. Schwarzenegger screams “Come with me if you want to live” to the assembled press and then says “Do it, do it now” to the plan to increase the number of electric cars on California roads.
Update: The new sedan will not be called Whitestar. Also, this is some sort of partnership with the state of California, it isn’t just an endorsement or random appearance by Schwarzenegger.
Update 2: The announcement is that Tesla will manufacture the sedan in California, instead of going to New Mexico, thanks to a $9 million incentive package.
The U.S. Government created a requirement that by 2020, the majority of cars sold here must get at least 35 miles per gallon. This requires a big commitment on the part of auto makers and so the Energy Department was authorized last year to lend $25 billion dollars. The first round of financing is expected to be announced today with Ford, Nissan, and Tesla getting all getting a sizable chunk during this first round. GM and Chrysler both wanted a bunch of money too, but neither fit the criteria of being a “financial viable” so they were disqualified for this first round.
