Fresh off a pretty huge round of layoffs, their Detroit office closure and a flurry of rumours about their solvency, Tesla Motors has been promised $US40m in financing. Considering the fact that Elon Musk, mildly successful space invader and the owner of the company, had admitted just a few weeks ago that the company only had about $US9m in bank, this new investment probably means the difference between customers getting their cars on time and Tesla, well, dissolving. So, Tesla, you’ve got your money — can we have our sedan, please? [NYT]
Bad news for electric car fans and the guys who build ‘em. Tesla has let go 90% of their Detroit staff in the interest of “consolidating” their workforce in San Jose. The lucky 10% gets to relocate to California, no expenses paid, to keep their jobs.
Martin Eberhard, former CEO and co-founder of Tesla Motors, was surprisingly frank in a recent blog post about a major shortcoming with his new Tesla Roadster. Soon after receiving his vehicle, Eberhard noticed that the ESS pump runs coolant through the battery all the time—even when turned off (so long as it is half charged).
Researchers at UT Austin have devised a new way to create lithium iron phosphate–the compound inside high-density Li-ion batteries being developed for cars and power tools–that uses microwaves to cut costs. The new method requires lower temperatures and less time via the nuking process–just like throwing that Tombstone in the m-wave rather than the oven. This opposed to your laptop battery, which uses lithium cobalt oxide and isn’t capable of the quick bursts of current needed to get something like the Chevy Volt rolling. All the better to crash your Tesla with. [Technology Review]
Tesla Motors has finally begun deliveries of its awesome 100-percent electric Tesla Roadster, but eco-conscious sports car fanatics willing to plunk down the US$109,000 need to reserve one quick. The company said it only has 25 production slots left for the second quarter of 2009. Locking in a reservation will cost a refundable US$5000. An additional US$55,000 will give you a set production slot and delivery time frame.
Tesla Motors, maker of the much hyped (and well reviewed) electric Roadster is suing Fisker Automotive, the outfit behind fake vroom-y Karma, for stealing Tesla’s design and trade secrets. Supposedly, this pushed the sale date for Tesla’s four-door sedan, White Star, back six months, to 2010. Henrik Fisker (the eponymous founder) was hired by Tesla to design White Star. Tesla alleges he took the US$875,000 contract, sabotaged Tesla’s project with sub-par work, and then made off with their secrets and designs, using the money to launch his rival electric car effort.
After two years of unrelenting hype, the Tesla Roadster electric car has finally gone into regular production.
There are few more exciting developments in the world of automobiles than the Tesla Roadster. While the big car manufacturers have been dragging their feet on all-electric cars, US startup Tesla Motors has not only built a practical and functional electric car, but they made it cool as well. Unlike earlier electric cars, it has power, range and a Lotus-built body that makes it look more Ferrari, less Volvo.
It’s capable of hitting 200kph and can go from 0 to 100kph in about four seconds with the latest transmission. The batteries can push it for about 355kms before a recharge is needed. It takes about 3.5 hours to fully recharge, and its lithium ion batteries are rated to last for 100,000 miles (161,000km).
The Telsa Roadster’s been a long ways a comin’, and here are the first reviews in the March issues of the fossil-fuel loving, pulp-based mongrel cousins of Jalopnik. And after a few hours flogging the e-car on California’s Skyline Boulevard, most pubs have concluded that the Tesla is the first electric car—the first green car, really—that deserves a spot in any car aficionado’s fantasy garage.
This year was a pretty incredible Super Bowl (especially after last year when one Giz staffer’s hometown Bears lost). And while the most exciting 30 seconds this year were definitely late in the fourth quarter, the commercials, as always, held their own competition to captivate the audience. Here are our favorite tech-oriented spots from the night, designated with some awards that we pretty much made up after polishing off a sixer.
Tesla plans to enter the gas-electric hybrid market, with the first range extended vehicle (REV) to hit the streets by the end of 2009. Their all electric models negate the use for a gas motor entirely, but by adding a gas motor they will be able to produce hybrid vehicles with better performance.
