RSSTesla rakes in over $2.6 million from Model S reservations
By Nate Mook | Published April 2, 2009, 3:56 PM
In a slight modification to the old mantra, "If you promise to build it, they will come" seems to be the order of the day at Tesla Motors, which has become a darling of Silicon Valley with its $100,000 electric roadster built atop the Lotus Elise platform.
The company announced Wednesday that it has taken over 520 pre-orders for its recently-unveiled fully-electric Model S Sedan, which is expected to cost $50,000 after a $7,000 federal tax credit. Tesla doesn't actually take orders, since the vehicles won't enter production until late 2011 at the earliest, but is instead selling "reservations" for $5,000 each. And some buyers surely plopped down $40,000 to reserve the first editions of the car to roll off the line.
But $3 million isn't enough to get the car built. Tesla is seeking a $350 million loan from the US Department of Energy to build the production plant that will manufacture the Model S. The company intends to have the capacity to build 20,000 electric sedans by mid-2012, an audacious plan considering Tesla has only delivered just over 300 roadsters since reservations went on sale in 2006 -- and another 1,000 people are on the waiting list.
If things go as planned and the Model S does go into production, it will be the first mass-produced all-electric highway-capable passenger car (say that 5 times fast). The specs are as impressive as the vehicle's looks: 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, top speed of 130mph, two LCD touch screens, 45-minute fast-charge capability, and battery packs that provide ranges of 160, 230 and 300 miles depending on how much you want to pay.
The Model S is a bold endeavor that left many Tesla critics questioning how it could ever be accomplished, especially in the current economic environment and as the future of the three big US automakers remains in question. But there seems to be enough interest that potential buyers are willing to risk that $5,000 or $40,000 (it helps when your customers are Internet moguls).
Tesla will show off the Model S tonight at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, where it will likely take even more orders reservations.
Wow! I really expected the recharge time to be something ridiculous like 8 hours or something. 45mins is very reasonable indeed considering the performance of this car.
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|How will city dwellers, and others without garages, charge the battery? How does the cost of enough of a charge to go 230 miles compare with 10 or more gallons of gas?
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|Yup, the world will be saved by exotic boutique automobiles! LOL!
And the net change in energy production and use? Hmmm - considering the technology needed to produce the batteries, grid transmission losses, etc., I would be willing wager that the net total energy use from start to finish in all relate areas to be greater.
But your friends will be impressed.
At least we have our priorities straight.
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|Some of us don't give a crap about what anyone else thinks. My neighbors see me lounging around all day, never leaving for work an I'm always dressed like a bum in cargo shorts, flip flops and and a faded polo.
Meanwhile, the idiots across the street put on a great show of "happy family" when people are watching but we can hear them fighting like cats and dogs pretty much every day. Their kids are a mess, the husband is a drunk, the wife has a "friend" over all the time during the day while everyone is gone. I should invite him over and rewind the DVR to show him the camera that points at my front yard and his entire house from 10AM to 2PM.
My point is, not everyone cares about appearances or impressing the neighbors. I rarely drive more than 40-50 miles at a time. If I could buy a car with killer looks that needs no gas for 60k, it's a no brainer. People like our boy internetworld7 from the armpit of the nation known as California are the ones obsessed with image. He somehow thinks owning Apple products make you appear wealthy. Meanwhile, I'd bet he is an angry miserable human being.
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|If the chip industry can outsource to "fab plants", why don't the Big Three auto makers start looking at offering production capacity service? They are certainly going to have free assembly lines shortly, and it gets them off the hook for innovation (!), both effort and lead time. "Just come, and we will build it." ;)
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|That car looks like a cross between a Bentley GT Continental and a Aston Martin DB-9. Absolutely stunning.
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|The mileage per charge and the speed of charging the vehicle make this the first "green" vehicle I've had any interest in whatsoever.
These things look to be able to achieve highways speeds (merging speed) by the end of the entrance ramp (which most other "green" vehicles either cannot do or completely lose their "green" in so doing), and the quick charge would allow charging outside of the garage (pay an extra fee at the restaurant to plug it in, for instance).
I would love to know how long the battery packs last, how much they cost to replace, and what happens to them after they're replaced... all questions who's answers could turn my interest into a purchase or a quick laugh.
I figured I'd have to go for the 300 pack, but the more I think about it, with the 45-minute charge, I honestly am having trouble finding an instance where I'd need more than the 160. Family "road trips" usually end up being flights anyway, nowadays. ;)
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