A little more than a month ago, Tesla Motors said that it had received 520 $5,000 deposits for the Tesla Model S sedan. Today, Tesla announced that reservations for the Model S have passed 1,000.

The Tesla Model S Sedan will arrive on the market in about two years with an anticipated base price of $49,900 after a federal tax credit. The $5,000 you drop on the reservation is refundable.

Refresher: The Tesla Model S can be recharged from any 120v, 208v or 240v outlet. Depending on which Model S trim-level you chose, the all-electric sedan will provide you with a total range of 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge. 0 to 60 comes in just 5.6 seconds with a top speed that is limited to 130 mph.

Tesla Model S:

Tesla Model S:

Press Release:

Tesla surpasses 1,000 reservations for Model S

Low total cost of ownership drives interest in Tesla’s sedan and sports car

SAN CARLOS, Calif. – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Tesla Motors surpassed 1,000 reservations for the Model S, an all-electric family sedan that carries up to seven people and travels up to 300 miles per charge.

Tesla launched the car March 26, and reservations immediately began streaming in online and at showrooms in California. The anticipated base price of the Model S is $49,900 after a federal tax credit. The $5,000 reservation fee is refundable.

But sticker price is only one part of a car’s total cost of ownership. If you account for the much lower cost of electricity vs. gasoline at a likely future cost of more than $5 per gallon, the Model S is equivalent to a gasoline car with a sticker price of about $30,000, such as a Ford Taurus, Honda Accord or even a Toyota Avalon or BMW 3-Series. Those savings are realized immediately if you lease a Model S, so there is no need wait years to earn back the price difference.

“The Model S is a better value than much cheaper conventional cars,” said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “Despite the enormous environmental benefits, lower total cost of ownership will soon become the primary motivation for consumers to evolve from gas guzzlers to EVs.”

Performance with a Clean Conscience

Tesla is the only production automaker selling highway-capable EVs in North America or Europe. With 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, the Roadster outperforms almost all sports cars in its class, yet is more than twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius and delivers 244 miles per charge – the only car that offers performance with a clean conscience.

Tesla has delivered more than 400 Roadsters to customers so far. The base price of the Roadster is $101,500 after a $7,500 federal tax credit.

The Roadster has a far lower cost of ownership than comparably priced sports cars — even after factoring in a battery pack replacement. The lower cost of electricity vs. gasoline, the relative lack of maintenance on an EV, and state and federal tax incentives may result in lifetime savings of at least $26,000 compared with a similarly priced gasoline sports car. The Roadster also liberates owners from detours to the gas station and inconvenient trips to the mechanic for routine oil changes, exhaust system repairs and other internal combustion engine maintenance.

“Some Roadster customers are sports car enthusiasts. Some are environmentalists. Some care about energy security. All are discriminating and value conscious consumers,” Musk said. “Now we’re seeing the same attributes in customers who opt for the Model S. People who drive Teslas refuse to compromise on value, performance or efficiency.”

- By: Kap Shah

During President Barack Obama’s visit to California yesterday, where he pushed for 1 million plug-in electric hybrid vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015, Obama’s Cadillac One drove pass Tesla Motor’s West Los Angeles showroom on Santa Monica Boulevard.

Of course it would have been nice if Obama stopped in and took the Tesla Roadster for a test-drive to get his message across, but we’re guessing that’s a huge security hazard for the Commander in Chief.

Either way it’s a great image snapped by Tesla employee.

- By: The Daily Auto Editor.

Source: Green Car Advisor

Besides talking about the 250th Tesla Roadster delivered, a new Midwest regional sales and service center in Chicago and reminding us that it’s selling cars in Canada, Tesla today announced the “anticipated base price” of the upcoming Tesla Model S Sedan.

Tesla will be taking the wraps off of the Model S Prototype on March 26 at its design studio inside the SpaceX rocket factory.

Tesla says that the price for the “world’s first mass-produced, highway-capable EV” will start at $57,400. After a federal tax credit of $7,500, the Tesla Model S Sedan will cost $49,900. The price tag significantly undercuts Fisker’s Karma plug-in hybrid sedan which starts at $80,400 after US government tax credits.

The first units of the Model S Sedan will start rolling off of the assembly line in late 2011.

Tesla Model S Sedan:

250th Delivery

Tesla Motors delivered its 250th car last Saturday. Lucky No. 250 was Dr. Rob Wilder, an academic and entrepreneur who created the first Index on Wall Street for energy efficiency and zero-carbon solutions. Rob lives in Encinitas, Calif., where he charges his Roadster from his home’s array of solar panels. He picked “very orange” as the exterior color to symbolize the car’s connection with the sun.

“We’re not beholden to Middle East oil ““ and by the way my car is probably faster than your car!” joked Rob, CEO of WilderShares LLC and manager of WilderHill Clean Energy Index, the first Index on Wall Street for energy efficiency and zero-carbon solutions. “This car is an elegant solution to some of the world’s most difficult problems. And buying it is helping push along EV adoption generally because Tesla is investing the money in lower-priced cars down the line.”

Rob’s new car marks a symbolic milestone for Tesla and a personal first for Rob, who previously tended to purchase used cars for no more than $13,000 each. In fact, the Roadster is more expensive than all of his previous cars put together.

“I took a big, big gulp and sent in my check ““ and although this car may not seem like a bargain, I can now say it’s a great value. This is exactly the type of car I’d design for myself.”

Tesla is now producing approximately 20 cars per week, which will increase to 30 per week this summer. About 1,000 people are waiting to take ownership of their Roadster, which means Tesla is sold out through October of this year. The Roadster remains the only highway-capable production electric vehicle of any kind (not just in the sports car category) for sale in the US or Europe. It does 0-60 in 3.9 seconds yet is twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius.

Model S Update

Tesla will unveil its Model S prototype sedan March 26 at the Tesla design studio inside the SpaceX rocket factory, in Hawthorne, Calif. This is going to be a historic event for car enthusiasts; the Model S will likely be the world’s first mass-produced, highway-capable EV when it rolls off the assembly line in late 2011.

The Model S will have an anticipated base price of $57,400. After a federal tax credit of $7,500, the effective price will be $49,900. Because of tax incentives and relatively inexpensive maintenance and refueling, the lifetime ownership cost will be closer to cars with far lower sticker prices. Tesla executives will provide a lot more product details at the launch party in Southern California, home to Tesla’s design studio and the world’s largest new-car market. The Model S will become the car of choice for environmentally conscious and discriminating drivers throughout North America and Europe. Tesla expects to roughly split initial sales between the two continents, later expanding to Asia.

New Digs in Chicago

Tesla announced earlier this month it plans to open a Midwest regional sales and service center in Chicago, the first of seven retail facilities the electric vehicle manufacturer plans to launch this year.

The Chicago store — which will open this spring — is at 1053 W. Grand Ave. in the River West neighborhood. The location gives prospective customers the opportunity to experience Tesla’s best-in-class performance under a range of driving conditions, including highways and urban streets.

After Chicago, Tesla plans to open a store in London’s Knightsbridge neighborhood. We are also finalizing site selection in Manhattan, Miami and Seattle and scouting sites in Washington, D.C. and Munich, Germany. These stores will expose more people to the Roadster ““ and most importantly they will serve as a lean and efficient retail footprint as we get more mainstream customers for the Model S.

One reason Tesla service centers will be smaller than gasoline car service centers is that the Roadster has far fewer moving (and breakable) parts than an internal combustion engine vehicle. It doesn’t require nearly as much service and maintenance as gas guzzlers, so Tesla doesn’t need cavernous service and repair bays and large spaces to store spare parts. Tesla requests that owners bring in the car ““ which never needs oil changes or exhaust system tune-ups, among other costly repairs — every 12,000 miles or once a year for a diagnostic check and software upgrade.

Tesla Heads North

Earlier this month, Tesla began selling cars in Canada. We will begin delivering cars in the fourth quarter, and we believe Canada will become a premier showcase for the Roadster. In Canada, the majority of electricity comes from renewable resources, including run-of-river small hydro, wind, biomass, geothermal and solar energy. An EV recharged from the current Canadian grid, on average, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 85 percent compared to an equivalent gasoline-powered vehicle. In hydro-dominant British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba, the reduction would be an impressive 98 percent.

Canadian Roadsters will comply with all national and provincial safety regulations for mass-produced, highway-capable vehicles ““ and they’ll perform in the snow, just as they already do in Northern Europe. The base price for Roadsters in Canada will be set closer to the start of deliveries, and pricing will reflect exchange rates at that time. In the United States, the base price is $109,000.

Thanks, and please be on the lookout next week for official Model S photos and video — and more exciting news from Tesla in the weeks and months to come!

- By: Omar Rana

Prior to its March 26th debut, Tesla has dropped a teaser image of the upcoming Model S Sedan. We’re guessing designer Franz von Holzhausen, former Mazda design head, didn’t want us seeing too much of his work before the launch date.

So far we know that the Tesla Model S Sedan will be powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that will give it a range of 240 miles and a 0 to 60 mph time of less than 6 seconds. Pricing is expected to come in at $60,000.

Want one? Well cross your fingers for the DOE to approve Tesla Motors $350 million application to build the Model S Sedan.

Tesla Model S Sedan:

Source: Tesla (via Autoblog)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk today sent out a newsletter updating those interested in Tesla financial situation, its Daimler partnership to create battery packs for an electric version of the Smart car, new Tesla Sales & Service Centers that will open by the end of this year, updates on the battery replacement program and additional updates being made to the Tesla Roadster.

All of those that are interested in the list mentioned above can read Elon’s newsletter after the jump.

However, the most important part of Elon’s letter (at least to us and we’re pretty sure it’ll be the most interesting part to many of you) is his confirmation on unveiling of the Tesla Model S four-door sedan. Musk says that the Model S will make its official debut on March 26th. He said that the DOE has informed Tesla that they expect to disburse funds from Tesla’s $350 million Model S loan application within four to five months. It’s important to note that no final deal on the application has been reached as of yet.

Musk said that Tesla expects to kick of production in 2011. As a thank you Tesla Roadster owners, the electric-car maker will offer them a $10,000 discount off the price of the Model S Signature Series and will place them first in line to receive the upcoming sedan.

Follow the jump for the full newsletter.

Tesla to be Profitable by Mid Year

The $40M financing round completed in December was twice the amount Tesla needed to reach profitability. Moving forward two months later, we remain on track with our cost reductions and production ramp, so it appears highly likely that Tesla will meet the goal promised to those investors of becoming profitable by mid year.

The main reason for this confidence is that Tesla is already in the fortunate position of being sold out until early November, something few automakers can claim, and will soon be sold out of all 2009 production. While we have had some cancellations due to buyers experiencing personal financial difficulties, new orders continue to flow in every week from the United States and Europe. We have now produced more than 200 Roadsters for customers and there are more than 1,000 customers still awaiting delivery.

Due to our order backlog, it seems that owning a Roadster can be a good investment. Last September, as the financial and real estate markets began crashing, a Roadster was sold at the Sonoma Paradiso in California wine country for $160,000, well above the current list price of $109,000. Many Roadster owners who have taken delivery of their cars have already decided to purchase a second Roadster or Roadster Sport because they like the first one so much.

The continued strong demand is driven by the fact that the Tesla Roadster has no direct competitors. It is faster than almost any sports car on the market (our Roadster beat a Porsche GT3 on the Top Gear test track) and yet uses less energy and has a smaller carbon footprint than a Toyota Prius, even if you assume the worst possible case where all electricity comes from coal.

I expect sales demand to strengthen further as this awareness grows. After all, what’s the point of driving another exotic sports car when it is slower than a Tesla and damages the environment? Already, the Tesla Roadster is the car of choice among the technology, business and Hollywood A lists ““ this year’s Academy Awards will be a lineup of Teslas ““ and we have never had to give a discount to anyone.

Many customers also appreciate the fact that profit from their purchase goes towards helping Tesla develop more affordable, mass market electric cars. The same cannot be said for those who buy gas-guzzling sports cars from other automakers.

And owners aren’t the only ones impressed with the Roadster. Road & Track was the first auto enthusiast magazine to perform third-party, instrumented testing on the Roadster; they were “pleased to see its extravagant claims confirmed.” The Washington Post’s Warren Brown gushed, “Wheeeeeee! If this is the future of the automobile, I want it.” Dan Neil of the Los Angeles Times had perhaps the most colorful description we’ve seen to describe the Roadster’s scorching acceleration: “God has grabbed me by the jockstrap and fired me off his thumb, rubber band-style. Wow.” And we’ve also had a torrent of reviews in Europe, where deliveries begin this summer ““ including a Le Monde story with our favorite headline: “Le chic électrique.”

Unveiling the Model S and DOE funding

On March 26th, at the Tesla design studio located within the SpaceX rocket factory, we will unveil a street-drivable prototype of the Model S four door sedan. Our objective with the Model S was to create one of the most functional, intuitive and beautiful vehicles on the road. Tesla Roadster customers and select VIPs invited to the event will have an opportunity to judge for themselves firsthand whether we have succeeded.

Regarding funding, I am excited to report that the Department of Energy informed Tesla last week that they expect to disburse funds from our $350M Model S loan application within four to five months. The Obama administration has thankfully made it a top priority to move quickly on the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program, as this will both generate high quality jobs in the near term and lay the groundwork for a better environment in the future.

This will keep us on track for production to start in 2011. As a gesture of gratitude for their early support, Roadster owners will receive a $10,000 discount off the price of the Model S Signature series and automatically be first in line for the sedan.

Daimler Partnership

We announced last month at the Detroit auto show that we have been working with Daimler (maker of Mercedes) for over a year to create an electric version of the Smart car. Daimler has contracted with Tesla to build the battery packs and chargers for an initial run of 1,000 cars. Pending the results of that test fleet, the relationship could expand to tens of thousands of cars per year.

This is a very significant endorsement of both Tesla’s technology and our financial strength by one of the world’s most respected automotive companies. Daimler would not feel comfortable depending on us for this program if they felt that either our technology was easily replicated or that we were in financial danger.

Daimler was the first company to commercialize the internal combustion engine and has become a benchmark for automotive quality and reliability. It is an honor that they chose to work with Tesla after a thorough investigation of other options. The deal is likely to be the first in a series of strategic partnerships between Tesla and other auto manufacturers to engineer and produce electric cars.

My goal for Tesla from the beginning was to do whatever we can to help end the world’s addiction to oil. We’ll do that by making cars directly, helping other automakers develop cars, and serving as an example to the rest of the industry. Although the Roadster is still the only highway capable production electric car for sale in the United States, it was very encouraging to see that the central theme of the Detroit auto show this year was electric transportation. J

New Tesla Sales & Service Centers to Open

We have reached agreement on Tesla store leases in Chicago and London’s Knightsbridge district, and we are close to finalizing locations in Manhattan, Miami, Seattle and Munich. All six facilities will open this year, and in the following months we’ll provide details about individual store opening parties. These new stores will offer prospective customers the chance to see and drive the Roadster in person ““ and they underscore Tesla’s commitment to looking at the auto industry with fresh eyes. Unlike traditional franchise dealerships, Tesla owns its stores and controls the customer experience. We think you’ll agree that our stores are a refreshing change from the way most people have bought cars for the last 50 years.

Roadster Sport

Tesla is now taking orders for the Roadster Sport, an even higher performance car that does 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. It comes with a hand-wound stator and increased winding density for lower resistance and higher peak torque.

The tires are upgraded to Yokohama Ultra High Performance and the suspension features adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars tuned to the driver’s preference ““ allowing for both softer and firmer rides than the standard Roadster. Deliveries are expected to begin in late June.

Upgraded Roadster Interior and Other Options

Tesla will soon offer an Executive Leather Interior that raises the level of luxury in the Roadster’s cabin. We are also offering a Clear Carbon Fiber Exterior Package to add an additional level of sportiness and highlight the lightweight material that makes up the Roadster’s body. Currently, the only exterior clear carbon fiber touch on the base model is the roll bar cover ““ but many customers and fans have asked if we could reveal more of this exotic, braided material. These packages will be available starting in June.

Battery Replacement Program

One of the top questions customers ask about the Roadster is, “How long will the battery last and what will it cost to replace?” Tesla engineers have determined that a Tesla battery pack should last approximately seven years or over 100,000 miles under normal use.

Customers may pay $12,000, €10,000 or £9,000 up front and in return receive a replacement battery pack after seven years. Customers will also have the option of replacing the pack earlier at a premium or later for a partial refund. With the low production volume of the Tesla Roadster, the current replacement price of the pack is almost three times that number. The main reason for the relatively low cost up front “” and why this is a smart purchase “” is that we are arbitraging the relative cost of capital between Tesla and our typical customer.

Extended Warranty to Double Standard Period

Many customers have also asked to purchase an extended warranty. We now offer a doubling of the standard warranty, which means an additional 3 years and 36,000 miles or 60,000 kilometers, for $5,000, €4,000 or £3,800.

This covers everything on the car except the battery pack. Should the motor, power electronics, HVAC or any other major system need to be replaced, this will be money well spent, and it provides peace of mind to many customers.

Thanks for your support!

Elon

Some 400 Tesla Roadster customers are really mad. In an e-mail to Tesla Roadster customers, Tesla Motors’ CEO Elon Musk said that the electric-car company is losing substantial profit on each vehicle it makes and to makeup for the loss it will start charging additional dollars for some features.

Musk said that when Tesla first set the price on the Roadster at $92,000 – it had no idea that the actual production model would run close to $140,000. He said that Tesla expected each production model to cost about $65,000 per unit. While suppliers have helped Tesla cut some cost, each Tesla Roadster still costs “between $90,000 and $100,000 to build. Even after a price hike last year to $98,000 and then to $109,000, Tesla is still losing quite a bit of money on its electric-car.

So why are the 400 Tesla customers angry? Well, Musk said that those who placed a $50,000 deposit will still get their cars for $92,000 – but will have to cash out extra for custom alloy wheels and a high-speed charging cable that they would have originally gotten when they first placed their deposit.

Musk said that Tesla will charge an additional $3,000 for the turbine-blade wheels and another $3,000 for the high-speed charging cord that helps the Tesla reach full charge in 3-hours. Without the high-speed charging cable,  the Tesla Roadster will take about 37 hours to recharge.

Tesla’s CEO said that the company expects to get its production down to about $80,000 by this summer.

Tesla Roadster:

Source: Green Car Advisor

Tesla and Fisker are like the Pepsi and Coke of the electric-car industry – well almost. Both offer outstanding products that push the limits of ‘green’ cars to a whole new level. Both company’s have arrived on the electric-car/hybrids scene with one product each and while Tesla’s Model S Sedan is still 2 years out (maybe more than that) Fisker’s Karma hybrid four-seater will hit markets in late 2009. So we were wondering which car you would go for if you had a budget of $110,000.

Now let’s get one thing straight before we continue. The Tesla Roadster is a full-electric vehicle running without an engine. The Fisker Karma hybrid sedan, on the other hand, is what we in the auto industry like to call a ‘EREV’ – an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle that provides a certain distance of zero-emissions driving on battery power alone. After the battery is depleted, an on-board engine acts as a generator providing extended range capabilities. One other thing we’d like to point out is that the Tesla Roadster is a fun-to-drive sports car while the Fisker Karma is a four-door luxury sports car.

Tesla Roadster – $109,000: Power for Tesla comes from a 375 volt AC induction air-cooled electric motor that pumps out 248-hp with a maximum torque of 276 lb-ft. The two-seater will go from 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph. Tesla says that you can get about 220 miles between charges. A full charge is reached in about 3.5 hours when using Tesla’s High Power Connector.

Fisker Karma – $87,900: The Fisker Karma hybrid luxury sedan is powered by a 201-hp electric motor that is mated to a lithium-ion battery pack provided by Q-DRIVE. That allows the Karma sedan to travel a total of 50 miles on battery power alone. After the batter runs out, a 260-hp turbocharged 2.0L Ecotec direct-injection engine kicks in to provide additional mileage. Fisker says that the Karma can travel a total of 300 miles on full battery power and a full tank of gas. 0 to 60 mph comes in 5.8 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph.

So let us know which will be your ticket to environmental-friendly driving. Want to justify your selection? Drop a comment in the comments section

Click through for high-res image galleries of both cars.

2010 Fisker Karma:

Tesla Roadster:

Tesla Motors’ CEO Elon Musk told reporters at a Society of Automotive Analysts meeting that his company is working with Daimler AG to create an electric Smart ForTwo. Musk said that Tesla has a contract with Daimler to produce electric powertrains for 1,000 Smarts, which could later result in tens of thousands of additional vehicles.

According to Automotive News, Musk said that the relationship has existed since 2007 and that he recently received permission from Daimler to disclose the partnership which will be officially announced later this year.

The Tesla boss said that the electric Smart ForTwo “will cost you almost nothing to operate.” The electric Smart will use the same Asain battery cells that are found in the Tesla Roadster. Musk said that the partnership with Daimler will allow Tesla to achieve its goal of producing affordable electric-cars and that his company should start making profit in the middle of this year.

Tesla announced today that it has started taking orders for the Roadster Sport, a high-performance version of the all-electric Tesla Roadster. What does the ‘Sport’ badge signify?

The Roadster Sport comes with an hand-wound stator and increased winding density for lower resistance and higher peak torque. Performance upgrades include an improved suspension, adjustable dampers, anti-roll bars and Yokohama”s Ultra High Performance tires. 0 to 60 comes in just 3.7 seconds compared to the 3.9 seconds for the standard Tesla Roadster.

Pricing for the Tesla Roadster Sport starts at $128,500 in the United States and €112,000 in Europe. Deliveries will start later this June.

Tesla Roadster Sport:

About two weeks ago after Jeremy Clarkson offered his review of the Tesla Roadster, Tesla Motors spoke out about some of the “mischaracterizations” of Top Gear’s review on the electric-car. Overall, Clarkson was pretty impressed by the Tesla until he claimed the onboard battery ran out of power and had to be pushed into the Top Gear shop. He then claimed that the backup Roadster’s brakes failed.

Rachel Konrad, Senior Communications Manager at Tesla Motors, wrote on our blog saying: “Never at any time did Clarkson or any of the Top Gear drivers run out of charge. In fact, they never got below 20 per cent charge in either car; they never had to push a car off the track because of lack of charge or a fault. It’s unclear why they were filmed pushing one into a garage in the video.”

Speaking about the brake failure issue, Konrad said: ”The ‘brake failure’ Clarkson mentions was solely a blown fuse; a service technician replaced the Roadster”s pump and it was back up and running immediately.”

Clarkson has now released a response to Konrad’s statement saying: “We never said once that the car had run out of power. The car had to be pushed into the warehouse because you are not allowed to drive cars into a building. We calculated that it would have run out of power after 53 miles but they can’t argue with that because that is a fact.”

“Nobody gives a flying **** how the brakes failed,” Clarkson said. ”Whether it was a blown fuse or not, they were still not working.”

Source: Telegraph

Yesterday we posted Top Gear’s segment of Clarkson’s Tesla Roadster test drive. From what started out as Clarkson falling in love with not only an electric-car – but an American made electric-car (yes, at that point we felt like hell froze over), fell apart later on in the segment when Clarkson claimed that his Tesla’s battery depleted after 55 miles of driving.

At that point we thought that was probably because of the way Clarkson was whipping the Tesla Roadster around the Top Gear track – but even then that’s a bit unbelievable since Tesla claims that its Roadster gets 244 miles on a single charge.

Of course, then there were claims of the brakes failing and the argument of the outstanding price tag of over $100,000.

Well, lucky for us Rachel Konrad, Senior Communications Manager at Tesla Motors, saw the post and decided to use our comments section to clear up some of Clarkson’s claims.

You can read her comment after the jump.

For the record: Thanks to The Stig”s impressive turn behind the wheel, the Tesla Roadster gets a higher ranking in Top Gear”s performance board than a Porsche 911 GT3. Jeremy Clarkson, a die-hard “petrol head” with a clear bias against green cars generally, said that it must be “snowing in hell” because he had such a great time driving the Roadster and now considers himself a “volt head” thanks to the Roadster”s amazing performance. This is amazingly high praise from Clarkson, whose entire schtick is to savage even his most beloved petrol-guzzling sports cars.

However, I would like to clarify a couple things. Never at any time did Clarkson or any of the Top Gear drivers run out of charge. In fact, they never got below 20 percent charge in either car; they never had to push a car off the track because of lack of charge or a fault. (It”s unclear why they were pushing one into a garage in the video; I”ll refrain from speculating about their motives and their acting ability.)

The “brake failure” Clarkson mentions was solely a blown fuse; a service technician replaced the Roadster”s pump and it was back up and running immediately. They were never without a car, and the Top Gear testing did not put the Roadster”s reliability or safety in question whatsoever. Again, I’m going to leave out comments as to why the good folks at Top Gear might have mischaracterized the blown fuse as a brake failure, which is was decidedly not.

I am also unclear as to why Clarkson said it took 16 hours to recharge the Roadster without qualifying that statement at all. The vast majority of people who have taken delivery of their Roadsters (and there are more than 100 of them now) have much faster systems that recharge from dead to full in as little as 3.5 hours. However, I really enjoyed and heartily endorse Clarkson”s suggestion that, if people want to race Roadsters 24-7, they should simply buy two.

If anyone continued watching the show until the end, you no doubt also saw the show’s astoundingly uninformed coverage of Honda’s hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, which cannot be purchased at all but rather leased for $600 per month in Southern California to 200 pre-qualified customers in the next three years. Clarkson rips on the Roadster for being three times the price of a Lotus Elise — yet I find it odd that the humble advocates for everyman at Top Gear never even mention the price of the Clarity, which is about five times the cost of a Roadster, according to industry analysts. (Honda refuses to divulge the price of the Clarity, but its previous FCX, first delivered in 2002, cost about $1 million each to produce, and executives have coyly indicated that the new ones are about half the cost of the old ones.)

A conspicuous omission, me thinks. Let the readers beware.

Rachel Konrad
Senior Communications Manager
Tesla Motors Inc.

Tesla Roadster:

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Jeremy Clarkson has finally gotten his hands on the new Tesla Roadster and puts it up against something that we’ve all been wanting to here at eGMCarTech. The Tesla Roadster is based on the Lotus Elise so it’s only right if you compare the 100% electric car to the gasoline powered Elise.

We’re not going to waste anymore of your time, so head over after the jump and watch Clarkson’s review before YouTube yanks it down.

Refresher: Allows for 244 miles on a single charge. The 375 volt AC induction air-cooled electric motor allows for 248-hp with a maximum torque of 276 lb-ft. 0 to 60 mph comes in 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph. Drivetrain is a single speed fixed gear with electrically actuated parking lock mechanism.

Click through for the video.

Tesla Roadster:

The 2009 World Green Car of the Year candidates have been announced prior to the 2009 New York Auto Show which is still about 5 months away.

Previous years winners include the BMW 118d in 2008, the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec in 2007 and the Honda Civic Hybrid in 2006. The 2009 candidates must be on sale by Dec. 31st.

Some of our favorites from the list include the BMW 335d BluePerformance, Audi Q7 3.0 TDI, Honda FCX Clarity, MINI E, Tesla Roadster and the Toyota iQ. The

Follow the jump for the full list.

2009 World Green Car of the Year Candidates:

Audi Q7 3.0 TDI
BMW 335d BluePerformance
Chevrolet Tahoe / GMC Yukon Hybrid
Citroën C1
Fiat Palio Weekend Electric
Fiat Siena Tetrafuel model
Honda FCX Clarity
Mazda Hydrogen Rotary RX8
Mercedes-Benz ML/R/GL 320 BlueTEC
MINI Cooper D
MINI E
Mitsibishi iMiEV
Nissan X-Trail 20 GT
smart ed
Subaru Legacy/Outback PZEV
Tesla Electric Roadster
Toyota iQ
Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe
Volvo S40 1.6D DRIVe
Volvo S80 2.5 FT (Flexifuel)
Volvo V50 1.6D DRIVe
Volvo V70 2.5 FT (Flexifuel)

The Tesla Model S Sedan was supposed to make its world debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show (we had no idea actually) – but according to Inside Line the second Tesla model won’t make its debut until February or March of next year.

“The plan is to unveil that in late February or March,” Rachel Konrad, a Tesla Motors spokesperson, told InsideLine.

The Tesla Model S Sedan, unlike the Tesla Roadster, will be built on Tesla own architecture. Power will come from a lithium-ion battery pack that will allow it to go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds with a range of 240 miles. Pricing will come in at $57,499.

The car was scheduled to enter production in 2010 with sales to begin in 2011; however, with Tesla running out of money as it finishes production of the Tesla Roadster, CEO Elon Musk says that the car may be delayed two years if the automaker doesn’t receive $350 million in government loans. If Tesla does get government funding, Musk says that the company can build 20,000 units of the Model S Sedan by 2011.

Source: InsideLine

How would you like to be known as the man that gave Oprah Winfrey a shoulder to cry on during President-elect Barack Obama’s victory speech? Well that’s how Sam Perry, an honored businessman in Menlo Park, California is known as of recently.

Hoping to change all that, Sam Perry purchased Tesla 100th Roaster which was delivered to him about two days ago. Tesla’s CEO and chairman Elon Musk himself handed Perry the key to the 2008 Radiant Red Tesla Roadster.

Perry cashed out $109,000 for his new Roadster and joined the ranks of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. While all of continue to pay at the pump these owners pay between $2.50 and $5.50 to recharge their Tesla that runs for 244 miles until the battery runs out.

Click through for the high-res image gallery of the Tesla Roadster.

Tesla Roadster:

Source: KTVU

As announced last month, Tesla Motors had submitted an application for about $400 million in financial aid for two projects including the upcoming Model S Sedan. Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk said today that it will have to further delay the introduction of its $57,499 Model S Sedan if the company doesn’t receive at least $350 million in government loans.

Musk said that Tesla won’t be able to open the $250 million manufacturing facility in San Jose, California that will produce the new electric sedan. He said that with government funding, it can start selling 20,000 units of the sedan annually by 2011.

“We can’t move forward with that without a major amount of capital,” Musk told the Detroit Free Press. “If we don’t get any government funding, then what we need to do is we need to wait until the capital markets recover, which could be a year or two years from now.”

Unlike the $109,000 Tesla Roadster, which shares its architecture for the Lotus Elise, the Tesla Model S Sedan will be built on its own platform.

Source: Detroit Free Press

By: Chris Harris

It sounds like the build-up to some terrible joke. That’s right you take a Lotus Elise chassis, replace the engine and fuel tank with an electric motor and a battery and add around 450kg to the overall curb weight.

Despite the company’s current difficulties, for any car enthusiast this Roadster is one of the most significant cars ever made. Not on the back of its claimed efficiency or the precise details of its performance (which is stunning), but because this is the first time we’ve seen the previously contradictory messages of performance and cleanliness combined in a single vehicle.

Funny how the subjective always outweighs the objective: for all the numbers, my abiding memory of this car is just how hilariously fast it was.

Remember the electric-powered Ruf Porsche Cayman we saw last month? Well, the executives at Porsche weren’t to happy with the car and are rumored to be working on their own lithium-ion-powered prototype. And that’s where the American made Tesla Roadster comes in.

According to a Tesla spokes person who spoke with Inside Line, “A Porsche senior engineer actually came over a few weeks back, and he was seriously analyzing the car in every detail.”

Nonetheless, just like every other Tesla Roadster customer, Porsche will have to wait a little while to get theirs since it is pretty far down the order list. There is no word on why Porsche wasn’t pleased with Ruf’s electric Cayman. The car produced a total of 240-hp allowing it to do 0 to 62 mph in under 7 seconds with a top speed of 160 mph. It allows 155 to 180 miles of emissions-free driving with a 10 hour charge.

Source: InsideLine