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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Green , Plants/Manufacturing The 2011 Chevy Volt has been getting the lion's share of news on the EV front, but it could be jostling for attention in late 2010 with an all-EV sedan from Tesla. Tesla has secured $100 million in private equity and another $150 million in loan guarantees from the federal government to build a new factory in San Jose, CA. The company on Wednesday announced that the facility would build the $60,000 Model S sedan, which was originally dubbed Whitestar. The new Tesla plant will be able to produce 11,000 Model S sedans per year by the end of 2011, giving customers a much more mainstream EV entry than the $100,000 Tesla Roadster. We haven't heard too much about the Model S sedan, but earlier in the year Tesla co-founder Elan Musk said there could be a fully functioning prototype and a finalized design by the end of 2008. We're with you in hoping it looks as good as the Tesla Roadster while providing...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Hybrids/Alternative , Green Click above for high-res gallery of the Tesla Roadster The Tesla Roadster launch has been anything but silky-smooth, but the upstart EV automaker hopes its problems are in the rear view mirror with the completion of Drivetrain 1.5, which includes an upgraded electric motor and swapping the original two-speed automatic transmission for a Borg Warner-sourced one speed. The changes will improve the Tesla Roadster's instant torque from 211 to 280 lb-ft while also improving its range by 10% to a shockingly impressive 244 miles. Drivetrain 1.5 also means Tesla can finally ramp up production of its well-publicized roadster. Within the next few weeks, Tesla will begin producing 10 Roadsters per week. By next March, that number will increase to 40 samples per week, which will go a long way toward satisfying demand for the sexy EV. The new, upgraded Drivetrain 1.5 is so much better than the mechanicals it replaces, Tesla will keeps its promise...
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Filed under: Green Two big British car magazines are reporting on some of Tesla's future product plans today following the latest promotional tour by SVP Marketing Darryl Siry. There isn't a whole lot new in the articles that hasn't already been reported here and on AutoblogGreen over the past year, but there were a couple of interesting items and errors. First of all AutoCar is reporting that Tesla is planning to use the platform of the Model S sedan (formerly known as WhiteStar) for future vehicles, which makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, they are also reporting that Tesla is planning an electric SUV off that platform, so we contacted Siry to check on this. Siry told ABG that there are in fact no plans to build an SUV. An SUV body style was just used as an example to demonstrate the flexibility of the platform. Helping to achieve that flexibility is a reconfigured battery pack that lays under the floor rather than upright behind the seats as in the Roadster. This will allow...
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Filed under: Green , Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Click above for a high-res gallery of the Tesla Roadster. Tesla Motors continues its hiring spree by bringing on Deepak Ahuja to serve as the company's CFO. Ahuja comes by way of the Ford Motor Company, where he was heading up the project to bring small European Ford's to America. Prior to that, Ahuja carried various other important financial roles with Ford and Mazda. Tesla's goal of becoming "the next great American automobile company" is a brash one, but much more likely to pan out with the proper people at the helm. Considering the rate at which Tesla Motors has been bringing on talent, including the recent addition of Franz von Holzhausen as Design Director, it is clear that the budding automaker takes its goal rather seriously. See the full press release after the break. Gallery: First Drive: Tesla Roadster [Source: Tesla Motors] Continue reading Tesla hires ex-Ford exec as new CFO Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Government/Legal , Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Their plate may be filled with churning out Tesla Roadsters and developing the Model S sedan, but Tesla Motors can't seem to get a break from the lawsuits. First there was the tiff with transmission supplier Magna , followed by potential development partner Fisker , and now Tesla is facing a class action lawsuit from former Director of Public Relations, David Vespremi. Vespremi ended up on the cutting room floor during the tornado that swept through the company ranks at the end of 2007. According to Tesla VP, Darryl Siry , the firings were centered on slacking employees and mismanagement. However, Vespremi obviously did not agree. Even departed founder, Martin Eberhard, did not see rationalization in the reorganization that occurred. With that kind of reaction, it was not too surprising to see the suit get filed. The details of the lawsuit allege that Tesla Motors did not practice good faith or fair dealing...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Government/Legal , Green Click above for high-res gallery of the Fisker Karma A few months back, Tesla Motors sued Fisker Automotive for allegedly stealing information related to the production of its upcoming plug-in electric sedan named Whitestar and using it to develop its series-hybird, the Karma . Yesterday, a judge ruled in favor of Fisker Automotive by allowing the case to go into arbitration outside the courtroom, which was apparently part of the original agreement between Tesla and Henrik Fisker in the first place. It appears that Tesla went outside that original agreement by bringing forth its lawsuit in the first place, though Tesla may have considered that contract void as the original lawsuit alleged that it was signed merely to gain access to confidential information. Although the arbitration is to be handled outside of court, the judge has scheduled a management conference this August, perhaps to be sure that negotiations are moving along...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Hybrids/Alternative , Sports/GTs , Green Much has been made of the issues that Tesla Motors encountered with its original two-speed transmission. The fledgling EV automaker was unable to find a supplier that could engineer a two-speed gearbox capable of allowing the Tesla Roadster to hit 0-60 in four seconds and meet specified targets for its range. The two-speed box was eventually dropped in favor of what has been called "powertrain 1.5", which uses a single-speed gearbox and other improvements to the electric motor and inverter to achieve Tesla's seemingly incongruous goals of performance and efficiency. JB Straubel, Chief Technical Officer Tesla Motors, recently posted an update on the progress of powertrain 1.5 on the company's blog, and be warned, if you're not up to date on how highly complex electric motors and transmissions work (like us), you'll probably get lost. The basic nuts and bolts of it amount to a Tesla Roadster that...
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Filed under: Coupes , Hybrids/Alternative , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Earnings/Financials Tesla has big plans, and to finance them it plans to raise big money. How? First, with an influx of venture capital that could put 10-percent of the company in VC hands. There has also been talk of an IPO , which Chairman Elon Musk thinks could raise $100 million dollars, and Musk said he plans to take the company public by the end of this year. And to make sure Tesla's coffers are topped up, the company plans to partake in a loan guarantee program offered by the U.S. Department of Energy for up to $200 million. With a potential $300 million in the bank, not including the initial public offering, Tesla could get serious work done on the Whitestar sedan. Tesla hopes to have the sedan in production by 2010. If you're liking the sound of all this and want to know how you can get some Tesla stock, we recommend buying a Tesla. Musk wants to reward believers, and is trying to figure out how the company...
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Filed under: Spy Photos , Sedans/Saloons , Government/Legal , Green Click above for more Fisker-supplied spy shots of the Karma Isn't it fitting that Fisker Automotive's upcoming series-hybrid sports sedan is named Karma ?. After having commissioned Fisker to help design its second product, the Whitestar sedan, Tesla Motors sued Fisker claiming it stole trade secrets that were then used on the Karma. Following that lawsuit, Tesla was then sued by Magna , one of its former transmission suppliers, Tesla's suit against Fisker came several weeks after Tesla themselves were sued by Magna Powetrain who had been contracted to develop a new transmission for the Roadster and now Fisker is slapping the upstart electric car company with its own arbitration suit. That's karma for you, right there. Fisker will attempt to first derail Tesla's original lawsuit by seeking to have it moved from San Mateo, CA to Orange County, after which it will then try to prove that Tesla is attempting...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Green , Plants/Manufacturing Martin Eberhard first conceived of what ultimately became Tesla Motors and the Tesla Roadster when he couldn't get AC Propulsion to build him a TZero . Since he wanted a battery-powered sports car, Eberhard set out to bring together a team that would build his dream car. Of course, it was always his intention to buy the first car for himself, but creating a car company from scratch is not a low budget proposition. Hence Eberhard had to bring in some investors to fund the program. PayPal founder Elon Musk came in big with a pile of cash in return for which he requested the first car. After some haggling, Eberhard agreed to take Roadster number 2 and things moved along. As we now know, Tesla encountered some speed bumps along the way and production got delayed by many months. The first production model was completed in December 2007, and delivered to Musk in February. Series production officially kicked off on...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Government/Legal , Green Birthing a car is always difficult, and Tesla has seen its share of problems. The biggest hurdle to getting its all-EV Roadsters in customers' garages has been the transmission. Initially the company wanted to have a two-speed unit, but the unit from its first supplier, X-Trac, wasn't durable enough. Tesla then contracted Magna to help build a tranny, before a final try at designing its own transmission also ended abortively. In the end, to get cars rolling out the door, changes were made to the motor so that a single-speed transmission could be fitted. Magna doesn't seem upset that it was just a stepping stone - that's business. What the company would like, however, is to get paid for the work it performed. Magna is also telling Tesla "told you so" by claiming to have suggested a single-speed unit back in 2006. To recover its $5.6 million, Magna has filed suit in San Mateo to force the issue, which coincidentally...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Government/Legal , Green As we recently reported , rumors have been swirling regarding Henrik Fisker's involvement with Tesla Motors and its upcoming electric sedan prototype known as the WhiteStar. As is often the case, there's apparently some truth to the scuttlebutt, as Tesla has filed a lawsuit claiming that Fisker Automotive is using stolen design ideas from Tesla sourced when Fisker Coachbuild was employed by the young EV automaker for the styling of its sedan. According to Tesla chairman Elon Musk, "We could not use the Fisker styling. The styling was substandard compared to what he unveiled for his product. He gave us an inferior work product, and it's obvious why." In the process of working for Tesla, the lawsuit contends that Henrik Fisker and a few of his associates stole design ideas and confidential information related to the design of hybrid and electric cars. Fisker has since announced his upcoming...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Plants/Manufacturing Click above for a high-res gallery of the Tesla Roadster. Tesla's president and CEO, Ze'ev Drori, made the announcement today on his corporate blog that production of the Roadster has officially begun. Tesla originally set a date of March 17th for "regular" production of the Roadster, and the folks in Hethel have met that obligation today. From here, Tesla intends to get started on its retail efforts, with both a Los Angeles location and a Menlo Park facility for sales and service for the 600 roadsters expected to be built over the course of 2008. Tesla is hoping that they'll be able to produce around 100 Roadsters each month, up from its current level of one to five cars per week. All the models being produced this year have already been spoken for, so any orders that come in will be sold as 2009 models. Gallery: First Drive: Tesla Roadster [Source: Tesla ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Hybrids/Alternative , Green Last Friday, Tesla chairman Elon Musk took delivery of the first production Roadster , which carries the name P1 (Production vehicle 1). The black coupe was flown in from Hethel, England, where all Teslas are being built alongside the Roadster's cousin, the Lotus Elise. When the Roadster arrived at the start-up's R&D facility in San Carlos, California, it was pushed into the garage and had its Thailand-produced battery pack installed. After the battery was fitted and charged, Musk led a pack of four other Roadsters on a quick drive and AutoblogGreen was able to procure a video of the run. For those of you who wanted to hear how the Tesla Roadster sounds while accelerating, we've embedded the video after the jump. [Source: Earth2Tech.com, Image: Stephanie Lawrence] Gallery: First Drive: Tesla Roadster Continue reading Elon Musk takes delivery of first production Tesla Roadster Read | Permalink | Email this ...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Etc. , Audi , Saleen , Shelby , Celebrities Click image to enlarge The next television spot for Jon Favreau's Iron Man will debut this weekend during (what else) the Super Bowl. Quint at Ain't It Cool News scored a screen capture that shows our billionaire industrialist hero, Tony Stark, working in his garage on the armor's glove- and boot-mounted boosters. And what a nice garage it is, boasting not just Tony's R8, but a Shelby Cobra, a Saleen S7, a Tesla Roadster, and a pair of bikes we can't identify (weigh in if you can). Bruce Wayne, eat your heart out. [Source: AICN] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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