PlanetTesla

Martin sues Elon

MPT — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:19:00 GMT

In an unfortunate turn of events, Martin Eberhard, founder of Tesla Motors and initial force behind the company has chosen to sue current CEO Elon Musk accusing him of slander whilst calling for unspecified damages.

Sighting events around Martin’s departure in late 2007, he claims that Elon orchestrated his rise to power at Martin’s expense.

There’s clearly more to un-earth in this story, Wired.com has a full breakdown.

Every story has too sides… let’s watch…

OnCars.com features the Model S

MPT — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:34:17 GMT

OnCars.com Rick Graves features the Model S and interviews with designer Franz Von Holzhausen and CEO Elon Musk in a three part look at the Model S.

A puff piece? Totally! But well worth the watch for some Model S road show.

Tesla delivers 500th Roadster

MPT — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:24:48 GMT

Marty Tuchman bagged the 500th Roadster; Full story at the Green Car Connection.

NEW YORK - (BUSINESS WIRE) - A New Jersey philanthropist was the 500th person to take ownership of a Tesla Roadster, an important milestone for the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer.

Martin Tuchman, former chairman and CEO of Interpool, is chairman of The Tuchman Foundation and a board member of The Parkinson's Alliance and Parkinson's Disease Foundation of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. He plans to charge his Roadster partly with solar energy thanks to photovoltaic panels he helped install throughout his hometown of Kingston, NJ.

“My Roadster drives like a dream -- it’s amazing,” said Tuchman, a former automotive engineer and owner of a 1967 Mercedes 250 and a 1993 Jaguar convertible. Tuchman converted his 1937 Chris-Craft into an electric boat so he could take it on nearby Lake Carnegie, which prohibits gas-powered boats. He plans to use his Roadster as his primary commuter car.

Tuchman took delivery of a Twilight Blue Roadster last weekend, a few weeks before the anticipated opening of a Tesla showroom in New York’s Chelsea Art District. Greater New York is Tesla’s largest market outside of California, and local EV owners enjoy numerous incentives.

Zero-emission vehicles are exempt from New Jersey sales, use and luxury taxes. Single occupants of alternative-fuel vehicles may also use the high-occupancy commuter lanes on the New Jersey Turnpike. These incentives are on top of a $7,500 US federal tax credit, which fully applies to all Tesla Roadsters.

Tesla will also soon be opening stores in Chicago, London, Seattle, Miami, Washington, Monaco and Munich. Tesla will begin deliveries in Europe this summer.

San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla is the only production automaker selling highway-capable EVs in the United States or Europe. The Roadster beats nearly every other car for acceleration yet is twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius. It costs roughly $4 to refuel and can be completely recharged in as little as 3.5 hours.

Michael van der Sande, Tesla Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Service and Marketing, called the 500th delivery an important symbol for the world’s newest production automaker.

“We now have more than 500 real-world customers providing valuable feedback on our cars and contributing to Tesla’s spirit of continuous improvement,” van der Sande said. “We intend to leverage our first-mover advantage and continue to build brand loyalty for years – from our 500th to our 500,000th delivery.”

ClipperCreek to Supply Power Control Stations for Tesla Motors

MPT — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:58:27 GMT

BusinessWire:

ClipperCreek announced today that it is supplying Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSEs) to support the Tesla Motors Roadster.

ClipperCreek will be supplying its newly designed and UL listed TS-70, which will enable the Roadster to charge at the highest continuous rates in the industry (up to 70 Amps at 240 VAC).

“This opportunity to support Tesla is very exciting to us. The Tesla Roadster is what prompted us to get back in the business,” said ClipperCreek’s CEO Jason France. “I think it is appropriate that this new EV industry is kicked off with a vehicle which truly shows what electric vehicles are capable of.”

“ClipperCreek and Tesla have been working together over the last many months to make this project a success,” said J.B. Straubel, Tesla’s Chief Technical Officer. “ClipperCreek’s technology has impressed us as much as their commitment to this product, and we are excited to get the TS-70 to our customers.”

The TS-70 is the industry’s first product to market that incorporates the new SAE-J1772 standard for vehicle to EVSE communications, while remaining backward compatible with the previous standards. The TS-70 is also available at different charge rates to accommodate areas with limited electrical service.

Daimler takes 10% stake in Tesla

MPT — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:35:00 GMT

At a press conference in Stuttgart, Germany Elon Musk and Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Daimler AG announced the strategic alliance to accelerate the commercialization of electric drives globally.

"Daimler has set the benchmark for engineering excellence and vehicle quality for more than a century. It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Daimler would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla," said Tesla Chairman, CEO and Product Architect Elon Musk. "Daimler is also on the leading edge in the field of sustainable mobility. Among others the lithium-ion pouch-cell battery developed by Daimler and especially designed for automotive applications is of interest to us. We are looking forward to a strategic cooperation in a number of areas including leveraging Daimler's engineering, production and supply chain expertise. This will accelerate bringing our Tesla Model S to production and ensure that it is a superlative vehicle on all levels."

Prof. Herbert Kohler, Vice President E-Drive and Future Mobility at Daimler will take up a seat on the board at Tesla.

Video of the announcement can be found at the Daimler site here: http://www.daimler.com/press/90519/e

Obama calls for more M’s per G.

MPT — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:24:13 GMT

Ahead of an official announcement expected next Tuesday and under condition of anonymity, administration officials spoke of a 30% improvement mandate starting in 2011 and reaching a deadline in 2016.

Full story at MSNBC

How far can I go?

MPT — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:45:50 GMT

Mystery man ‘AbstractLogic’ has created a ‘Drivable radius map’ that produces images like this:

Instead of simply drawing a circle around a point it looks at the roads to evaluate the true distance.

Not a bad reach for the Tesla Roadster shown in the picture, would you try NY to DC?

MPT

Model S - 1000 orders

MPT — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:14:00 GMT

Rachel Konrad, Communications Manager, Tesla Motors has announce that they have now taken more than 1000 orders for the Model S.

Add your order to the list >here<

MPT

Who killed the hydrogen fuel cell car?

MPT — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:34:00 GMT

It gives me great delight to paraphrase Chris Payne’s movie “Who killed the electric car?” and now “Revenge of the Electric Car” because the answer is {drum roll please…} Nobel Prize winning Physicist and 12th US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.

“Moving away from funding vehicular hydrogen fuel cells to technologies with more immediate promise” is how Chu described the decision to cut spending on hydrogen development in the 2010 budget announced May 7th.

The complete pdf can be found here. with the highlights of the announcement below.

What does this mean for BEV enthusiasts?

For me, it ends the debate over hydrogen, the writing was on the wall but now it’s being rubber stamped from on high; it means greater attention to working solutions, to greener power sources and to confronting climate change.

... and Top Gear was wrong ;-)

http://www.energy.gov “

Washington D.C. --- U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today detailed President Barack Obama’s $26.4 billion Fiscal Year 2010 budget request for the Department of Energy, highlighting the Administration’s commitment to transformational discoveries, breakthrough science, and innovative technologies in the nation’s effort to secure reliable, clean, safe and secure energy, create new jobs and fight climate change. While the budget makes important investments in energy independence and job creation, it also cuts back on programs that don’t work as well or are no longer needed.

“The President’s budget for energy reflects his commitment to ending our dependence on foreign oil, restoring our scientific leadership and putting Americans back to work through investments in a new green energy economy,” Secretary Chu said. “It also demonstrates his commitment to using taxpayer dollars wisely – cutting spending on programs we don’t need so we can make strategic investments in our economic future.”

The President’s FY10 budget complements $38.7 billion the Department of Energy will invest as part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Specifically, the President’s FY10 budget:

Cuts funding for programs that aren’t needed or aren’t as effective as other investments – like more than $200 million in oil and gas company research that the companies can and do fund on their own.
Substantially expands the use of clean, renewable energy sources while improving energy transmission infrastructure.
Supports the Administration’s goal to develop a smart, strong and secure electricity grid.
Helps restore America’s leadership in scientific research and innovation – including transformative science that can lead to a new generation of clean energy jobs.
Makes significant investments in low-emissions plug-in and hybrid vehicles, nuclear energy, and clean coal technologies, as part of the Obama Administration’s aggressive effort to reduce greenhouse gas production.
Supports the ongoing security of our weapons stockpile, continued efforts at nuclear non-proliferation and ongoing environmental cleanup and legacy management as part of the Department’s long-term stewardship responsibilities.

For more information about the Administration’s fiscal year 2010 budget proposal for the Department of Energy, please visit the Budget and Performance page.”

Do I have to pay premium rate to charge my car?

MPT — Sat, 09 May 2009 15:42:00 GMT

Today I received a letter from Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) in support of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities regarding Governor Corzine’s Energy Master Plan to place a premium on Basic Generation Services (BGS)… lost yet?

Here’s the rub, anyone using more than 2500KWh’s of electricity per month between June and September will pay an extra $0.09 per KWh for that power… guess when my electric car arrives… June :-(

The extra charge is there to deter usage and I’m not against that, the charge represents an additional 50% (ish) extra per KWh but, I use power; I’ve done what I can to reduce it; compact fluorescents, efficient appliances, sparing use of the air conditioning and more but I still peak over that limit during those months. Now that I’ve switched my transport from Gasoline to Electricity I’m going to to be paying top dollar + premium for it. I’m not very happy about that.

Let’s do the numbers:

My Tesla Roadster will cost me about 200KWh’s of power a month, or about $42 in today's money but add on the peek usage charge and we’re up to $58… Looks like a tank of gasoline at that sort of money. Ok, so it’s still twice the fuel costs of a comparable car but, still; don’t penalize me!

I’m a big fan of using electricity; when we first came over to the US at the turn of the century, in our run-down fixer-upper our only source of warmth was a small electric toaster oven with the door propped open. That said, excepting those times when a bit of toast got stuck on the element is was totally non-polluting and that’s the draw of electricity.

I briefly heated my whole house on electricity (that’s not totally crazy… a lot of metal gets smelted by electric power) before switching to gas. A change that I’m not entirely comfortable with; after all, would you enjoy sitting next to the exhaust from the house furnace?

Electricity; it’s non-polluting for the consumer, we should use it where and when we can in preference to gas and coal… let the power companies with their high-tech furnaces get the best from fossil fuels and give us ‘Switchers’ a break.

MPT

Corn as a fuel? Sure, just burn it to power your BEV; forget converting it to Ethanol.

MPT — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:14:10 GMT

Science magazine has just published an article (Vol. 324 no. 5928, p. 818) and podcast comparing bioelectricity versus bio-ethanol; basically; take biomass such as corn or switch grass and simply burn it to create electricity rather than converting it to ethanol, shipping it to the car and burning it there.

As a result of significantly higher efficiencies inherent in electric vehicles, corn makes more transportation energy as electricity than it does as ethanol!

Listen to the podcast >here<

Our turn in the Model S

MPT — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:36:00 GMT

A party atmosphere greeted us at the IAC Building in New York last night for the East Coast launch event of the Tesla Model S Prototype.

On show was the Roadster, the showroom model of the S and the Smart-E. Plenty of attention was lavished on the roadster with many seeing it for the first time. The Model S was studied in detail but the star of the party may well have been the Smart. I was surprised to see and watch a large cross section of people check it out in detail; many commenting that this was the car they’d choose. In the US, where SUVasaurus roam the highways it really was refreshing to see the enthusiasm for such a radical car.

Elon Musk (CEO) and Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen were on hand to announce the arrival of the car. Musk also confirmed the location of the New York store as “555 West 25th Street, it’s currently an art gallery and it’s actually going to remain and art gallery even after it becomes a Tesla’s service center. Chelsea’s not going to loose an art gallery as we go up in the world… It should open in a few months.”

Later in the evening, the Model S prototype was set up in the Chelsea Piers car park; a hundred yards or more of parking space was setup as a track to allow potential owners to experience electric drive for the first time. Along with the S was a Roadster open for driving up and down the same stretch of tarmac.

Talking to Zak Edson, Owner Advocate, I asked how much of this prototype is the end product? “It depends on which aspect you look at; design, technology, manufacturing. If I was to put an overall number I’d have to say about 50%.” That was quickly backed up when we looked inside; everything from the seats to the door trim looked complete, ready to roll. The only issue during the driving experience; “The software for the console is a little buggy” said the driver, not surprising given the complexity.

I can’t comment on the engineering underneath other than to say that it executed the launch up and down the car park in typical electric fashion; even four-up it was a quiet, ‘torquey’, shove in the back experience; the suspension felt firm and controlled much more Audi/BMW/Mercedes than Lincoln Continental! I’m guessing, but suspect that Mercedes would be the closest comparison.

After the run, we took strong espresso and discussed the experience; “I chose an all electric over hybrid. Sure, hybrid makes some sense today as gas is plentiful and available but battery electric will be the future.” commented one passenger, “I don’t understand how a silicon valley startup can kick start the development of an exotic roadster with a $25M startup fund when traditional auto makers need up to a $1B on the engine alone.” he continued, indeed, Ford recently estimated that an an entirely new engine could cost $1 billion, while a transmission could cost upwards of $800 million.

Given the enthusiasm of the capacity crowd at the IAC building and tasting the performance and handling of the prototype I’m beginning to see how 2011 could be a real possibly for a launch date.

MPT

Volt Beta coming to a close, expect RC1 in June

MPT — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:51:00 GMT

Wired Autopia had an opportunity to drive one of the test mules that GM have built out of Volt parts. The mules are based on a hollowed out Chevy Cruze that's re-filled with Volt bits to test out the technology.

The good news is that it works, the better news is that 75 integrations vehicles will be out on the streets in June marking the end of the Beta test phase and the start of the Release Candidates.

Check out the full story for batteries, charging and the driving experience...

(Photos: Jim Merithew / Wired.com)

LA Times, Dan Neil on the Model S

MPT — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:37:58 GMT

Always a good read, Dan Neil has a round-up of what we know about the Model S; full story Dan Neil - LA Times.

It's like discovering I've got my own private oil well at the bottom of the garden

MPT — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:46:25 GMT

Evo Magazines Harry Metcalfe describes powering the Tesla Roadster (he’s been playing with) from his own wind turbine as “…like discovering I've got my own private oil well at the bottom of the garden.” He erected a GBP12,000 wind turbine that is producing enough power each year to drive a Roadster over 28,000 miles… and that’s not at super-green-eco-smug speeds either!

Full story in the Sunday Times today.

Tesla powered Smart forTwo emerges

MPT — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:31:00 GMT

Doug over at our friends TeslaMotorsClub grabbed a quick ride today in the Tesla powered Smart forTwo

Check out his video at flickr

But who's going to buy one... except me? The British Police force says Scotland Yard; nice.

Tesla charging station at the Gateway Center in East Woodland, CA

MPT — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:17:23 GMT

10 minutes drive north of Sacramento, the new charging station has a multitude of connectors for Tesla Roadster, Conductive charger (RAV4 EV) and NEV standard outlets.

The opening ceremony will be this Saturday at 10am. The current cost? Free.

Full story at the Daily Democrat

Bother a motorist for the Earth - Earth Day on PlanetTesla

MPT — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:58:00 GMT

We’re thinking about the earth here at PT; clearly, we all think about the earth when we drive the roadster; the ripping acceleration and super smug-factor have nothing to do with it; we simply put down those dollars to save the world :-)

Bother a motorist on Earth Day

This morning I drove into the office in my oh-so-smug Honda Insight; yes, I actually parted with a tuned up, tricked out MINI Cooper JCW for a hybrid; madness… It actually physically hurt when I handed over the keys but, my point was, as an owner in waiting, as all BEV owners in waiting we really should take a moment to think about how hard we press the go pedal today… And that includes you, Ms Honda Civic driver, tailgating me all the way in… driving at the posted speed limit not good enough for you? Regardless I did 60MPG and I suspect Ms. Honda also did better than normal today… result!

What else is going on today?

Ed. Begley Jr. is making a couple of appearances on TV today, on The Price is Right with Drew Carey. Check your listings to make sure of the time and in the evening on QVC for the first time. That will be 7pm (ET) and 10pm (ET) talking about Bayes Waterless Car Wash and Oxygenics Showerheads.

Bid on Tote bags designed by celebrities at http://www.purexsavesgreen.com/totes.html for Earth Day

Join thousands of Greenies at the Earth Day event in DC http://www.voanews.com/english/Entertainment/2009-04-20-voa42.cfm

Find out more events at http://earthday.net/all_events

Or, just buy a Tesla Roadster; drive it away today if you’re in Florida: http://rossion-cars.ebizautos.com/detail-2008-tesla-roadster-electric-3942936.html … Go on, you know you want it!

MPT

KFMB-TV covers Rob Wilder’s Tesla Roadster

MPT — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:18:28 GMT

CBS-8 in San Diego has this piece on the Roadster that Rob Wilder, ‘Eco-Index guy’ received last week.

Full story at CBS8

MINI E on Jay Leno’s Garage

MPT — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:34:00 GMT

Jay Leno’s been talking to MINI E Sales Coordinator Nadine Jambor and Chief Engineer Anton Lesnicar but not looking at the motor controller or the battery; strictly off limits!

Jay Leno’s Garage - 2009 MINI E

On the road we get a thumbs up and a handbrake turn.

No more foreign oil at 120mpg

MPT — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:20:00 GMT

Adam Hasner, Majority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives writes in support of the electric vehicle in an article in the American Thinker.

Adam points out that, at 120mpg we, the US "...would reduce our national petroleum consumption by up to two-thirds which coincidentally is the proportion that the U.S. now imports from overseas."

Sobering thought that; we talk about independence from overseas oil but here we actually have a number; 120.

Full story at: In Defense of the Electric Vehicle

Sarah Lacy talks with Elon Musk on the truth behind the Tesla finance requests

MPT — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:01:01 GMT

Sarah Lacy of Yahoo Finance talks to Elon Musk about the recent New York Times slamming the efforts of Tesla and their request to be included in the low-interest loan program signed into law last year.

The New York Times retracted the inflammatory article as they often do but it’s no doubt that the damage has been done. Let’s hope time can repair that.

The video is fun to watch; it’s great to see how Silicon Valley deals with the politics of the New York Times describing NYT stuffy columnist Randall Stross as “a huge douchebag, and an idiot” and then going on to explain in detail why and how.

More video on Elon’s progress as Tesla CEO here:

Tesla opening London store

MPT — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:57:00 GMT

49-51 Cheval Place, London, England is to be the home of the first European Sales office for Tesla Motors this summer; right in the heart of Knightsbridge. Follow up stores in Germany and Monaco are on the cards.

“We expect that Tesla sales will eventually be split evenly between the US and Europe,” said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “Opening three Tesla stores in Europe this year is a critical part of that plan.”

There’s been no word yet of a ‘right-hand-drive’ version of the Roadster and Model S; in the UK motorists drive on the wrong side of the car. Left-hand drive cars imported from continental Europe suffer very poor residual sales values, not to mention being tricky to handle in overtaking maneuvers; requiring a passenger for safest passing!

London Mayor Boris Johnson, and Tesla fan said Wednesday he hoped to introduce 100,000 BEVs and to build 25,000 charging stations in the city of London. Prime Minister Gordon Brown – also familiar with Tesla – said EVs would be one cornerstone of his economic recovery plan.

To that end, Alistair Darling, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer is expected to announce a GBP2,000 incentive, grant or, tax break if you will in the upcoming Budget proposal. At current GBP/USD exchange rates that comes out at around $3000 US which compares poorly with the US equivalent tax break of $7,500.

One big difference between cottage industry and big business is the size and ambitions of the sales team, is this a stretch too far too early or evidence of a company that means business?

Fisker keeps moving despite all eyes back on Tesla

MPT — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:14:00 GMT

Fisker confirmed that it's received $85 million in venture capital funding for the Karma sedan.

No doubt on the back of the pre-orders it's received already; all of the Signature Edition cars have been pre-sold but the deposit is now down to $5,000 for a 2010 delivery; not bad if they can hit that date and hopefully with this additional funding they will.

Pre-order here: http://karma.fiskerautomotive.com/pages/preorder

Model S - Special Features

MPT — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:42:00 GMT

Tesla launched the new car prototype just yesterday and now the full specs and press release are out; this article directly from Tesla:

Just moments ago, we took the wraps off the Model S, an all electric family sedan that carries seven people and travels 300 miles per charge. We also launched a web site and began taking orders for this historic vehicle, which will likely be world's first mass-produced, highway-capable EV.

The Model S, which carries its charger onboard, can be recharged from any 120V, 240V or 480V outlet, with the latter taking only 45 minutes. By recharging their car while they stop for a meal, drivers can go from LA to New York in approximately the same time as a gasoline car. Moreover, the floor-mounted battery pack is designed to be changed out in less time than it takes to fill a gas tank, allowing for the possibility of battery-pack swap stations.

The floor-mounted powertrain also results in unparalleled cargo room and versatility, as the volume under the front hood becomes a second trunk. Combining that with a four-bar linkage hatchback rear trunk and flat folding rear seats, the Model S can accommodate a 50-inch television, mountain bike *and* surfboard simultaneously. This packaging efficiency gives the Model S more trunk space than any other sedan on the market and more than most SUVs.

"Model S doesn't compromise on performance, efficiency or utility -- it's truly the only car you need," said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. "Tesla is relentlessly driving down the cost of electric vehicle technology, and this is just the first of many mainstream cars we're developing."
Tesla expects to start Model S production in late 2011. The company believes it is close to receiving $350 million in federal loans to build the Model S assembly plant in California from the Dept of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program.

Building on Proven Technology
Tesla is the only production automaker already 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 six times as energy efficient as gas guzzlers and delivers 244 miles per charge. Tesla has delivered nearly 300 Roadsters, and nearly 1,000 more customers are on the wait list.

Teslas do not require routine oil changes, and they have far fewer moving (and breakable) parts than internal combustion engine vehicles. They qualify for federal and state tax credits, rebates, sales tax exemptions, free parking, commuter-lane passes and other perks. Model S costs roughly $5 to drive 230 miles – a bargain even if gasoline were $1 per gallon.

The anticipated base price of the Model S is $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500. The company has not released options pricing. Three battery pack choices will offer a range of 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge.
But the anticipated sticker price doesn't tell the full story. Model S costs half as much as a Roadster, and it's a better value than much cheaper cars. The ownership cost of Model S, if you were to lease and then account for the much lower cost of electricity vs. gasoline at a likely future cost of $4 per gallon, is similar to a gasoline car with a sticker price of about $35,000. That's why we're positive this car will be the preferred choice of savvy consumers.

The standard Model S does 0-60 mph in under six seconds and will have an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph, with sport versions expected to achieve 0-60 mph acceleration well below five seconds. A single-speed gearbox delivers effortless acceleration and responsive handling. A 17-inch touchscreen with in-car 3G connectivity allows passengers to listen to Pandora Radio or consult Google Maps, or check their state of charge remotely from their iPhone or laptop.

Tesla is taking reservations online and at showrooms in California. Tesla will open a store in Chicago this spring and plans to open stores in London, New York, Miami, Seattle, Washington DC and Munich later this year.

We're certain you'll be hearing a lot more about Tesla in the weeks and months ahead, and we look forward to seeing you at the stores we're opening soon!