Filed under: Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Green
Tesla Roadster deliveries pushed back to 2008! 245 mile range confirmed
click above image for more pics of the Tesla Roadster
New Tesla Motors CEO Michael Marks sent out a letter to all their customers yesterday confirming both some good and bad news. The good news is that the efforts of Tesla's engineers over the last several months have resulted in the recovery of most of the range that had been lost to weight increases and other engineering changes. The Roadster has now been validated on the EPA combined cycle with a range of 245 miles (252 city and 236 highway). Your mileage will of course vary. They have also made structural improvements and one of the validation prototypes has now passed the side impact test that caused problems for an earlier version.
On the downside, prospective buyers will have to wait longer for their cars. Tesla's revised production schedule now has them only building a small number of production cars by the end of this year with the first fifty being delivered in the first quarter of 2008. Once production ramps up a bit they plan to turn out another 600 cars by the end of the 2008 model year. You can read Marks' letter to buyers here.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Don 6:05PM (9/25/2007)
Good news on the mileage increase, bad news that they'll lose more of their jump on the Volt.
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HotRodzNKustoms 6:33PM (9/25/2007)
Tesla is learning how hard it actually is to produce a car and sell it here in the US. The Volt will be a far superior car as far as being a real car is concerned, because I do not see the Tesla at $100,000 being much more than a narcissistic toy for the wealthy. While the Volt at a sub $30,000 starting point and the gasoline back up is far more practical and attainable as far as being transportation is concerned.
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simianspeedster 7:40PM (9/25/2007)
Yeah, but the next Prius will only cost $15,000 and it will have double the mileage of the Volt (or so I've read).
Seriously, the Tesla at least looks close to reality. The Volt? Still vaporware at this point.
-SimianSpeedster
Locked in Cheney's Bunker 5:19AM (9/26/2007)
Volt...isn't that the car made by the same guys who built and released a much loved electric car....only to steal it back from customers and impound it? And now they want to lease the battery? Why so they can use the recognition to boost their hybrid line and then revoke the battery leases when the oil companies ring?
compy386 7:05AM (9/26/2007)
$15K for a Prius with double the mileage? In your dreams. The batteries for these vehicles cost $5,000 alone plus the expense of other components. If Toyota wants to lose money then go right on ahead. Volt at 30K is somewhat more realistic, still say it's more a pipe dream at this point. This Tesla is just a waste of time and resources. Yeah sure it goes 200+ miles when you first get it. But in 3 years you'll be lucky to get 50.
geo.stewart 10:36AM (9/26/2007)
practical has nothing to do with it.
This has to do with producing a alternate-powered car with more potential than as an appliance.
This will help with broadening the reach of electric cars. Next shouldbe development of a battery-operated truck
Brill 7:18PM (9/25/2007)
i'm sort of happy to see both coming to market...and i drive a V8 sports car...haha
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Andrew Tanasescu 7:32PM (9/25/2007)
I really hope they learn from the roadster and then get it right first time around when it comes the Whitestar. Id love to make it my next car in 2010. They plan a 2009 debut as a 2010. Just hope they can keep that promise as well as delivery quality product.
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Poe 9:04PM (9/25/2007)
Last I read, the Volt's electric-only range was only 40 miles. That will only take me one way on my commute. Yes, it has the gasoline backup to get me home, but I'm tired of being held hostage by the middle-east. I don't want to buy another drop of gasoline. I want 100% electric, and I want it now. The 200+ mile range the Tesla offers is more than enough for me. The only problem is... I can't afford it. If they can make one that is closer to the Volt's target price range (sub-30K), I'll sign up immediately. I don't mind giving up some of that 4 second 0-60 performance if they can make it less expensive. I'm hoping that will eventually come as a result of the economies of scale that come with mass production. This car is the future. I can't wait!
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Sam Abuelsamid 9:12PM (9/25/2007)
For electric vehicles you need batteries with three characteristics, low cost, light weight, and large energy capacity. Unfortunately for at least next few years you can have any two of those in a battery. If you want capacity in a reasonable size it's going to cost you. The Tesla battery is reported to account for as much as $40,000 of the cost of the car. For an affordable battery powered car in the near term you will have limited battery range and a range extender.
Lisa Beamer 10:02PM (9/25/2007)
GM has 500 engineers working on getting the production line up and running for the Volt.
Toyota is no doubt working furiously too.
This delay will KILL tesla. By the time Tesla gets a sedan out, GM and toyota (ford too) will have all sorts of nice electric and maybe hydrogen options.
Tesla is going to be stomped into the ground. Too bad.
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Tony Belding 11:08PM (9/25/2007)
No. . . I don't think Tesla will get stomped. The car makers that get stomped will be the ones who aren't even working on electric cars today.
Matthew Zacherle 12:03AM (9/26/2007)
I agree with Tony... anyways... the people waiting for the Tesla right now probably have already paid-up, and if not I'm pretty sure they are not the type of users that are going to commit otherwise. And I'm also sure that more people will want one after th first wave of cars. If I had the money I would.
Locked in Cheney's Bunker 5:15AM (9/26/2007)
2008 is next year.
Are you telling me Generally Malevolent's 500 mad scientists will have released an electric car by then?
markf 6:57AM (9/26/2007)
Absolutely positively will be released in 2007. Now 2008. 2009 will be next. Looks like Tesla has been studiying Zap's vaporware press release playbook.
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Court 1:06PM (9/26/2007)
I love what Tesla is doing as far as good quality electric cars. I love the idea of moving away for the dependence of gasoline, but the price of this car is outrageous. However, they do plan on releasing the "Whitestar" and the "Bluestar" later on. Both are going to be more reasonable in pricing.
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Bryan Smith 1:09PM (9/26/2007)
To all those people who thought that it was "Big Oil" keeping the car companies from making an electric car, these problems with the Tesla roadster should shatter those misconceptions.
Here is a company that has issues developing an-ultra-expensive, impractical sports-car toy with very limited features and options for $100,000 a piece. It's still vaporware, and still too expensive for all but the ultra-rich who can afford this car.
Unless you think the oil companies have gotten to the Tesla people also.
Making a purely electric car that has the range, reliability, and features of a standard gasoline car is incredibly difficult, even when you're selling the car at 6 figures, much less at $20,000 so average Americans can afford it.
It's always been a technology problem, not a global oil conspiracy!
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Poe 3:28PM (9/26/2007)
"Here is a company that has issues developing an-ultra-expensive, impractical sports-car toy with very limited features and options for $100,000 a piece. It's still vaporware, and still too expensive for all but the ultra-rich who can afford this car."
I totally disagree with the "vaporware" comment. This thing exists... prototypes are being driven and tested daily - and they're performing very well. Yeah, it's expensive... and so were the first automobiles - back when everyone else was still riding around in horse-drawn wagons/buggies. All bleeding edge technologies are prohibitively expensive for the average joe. Give it time. Competition, innovation, and mass production will eventually bring costs down... just like it did with the Model T. Gotta love a free-market economy.
I don't know if my first electric car will be a Tesla, GM, Toyota or what - and frankly, I don't care! Their competition drives the innovation that will bring an affordable one to me that much sooner. I bet we will have a viable, AFFORDABLE, all-electric car option (if not several) within three years. "Big Oil" better be investing heavily in battery technology and electric generation - or they'll be going the way of the same dinosaurs that got them where they are today.
Bryan Smith 4:16PM (9/26/2007)
I hope manufacturers succeed in making electric cars, I would love to own one! I think they will within the next 10 years, and I'm optimistic that plug-in hybrids will be an excellent solution for most drivers.
My point is that for the last 50 years people have been making all kinds of ridiculous allegations that Big Oil is holding back electric cars, and it's absurd. Making an electric car with the range and affordability of a gasoline car is technologically difficult There were also allegations that Big Oil killed a carburetor that got 100 mpg!
Oil companies want to sell oil, but car companies want to sell cars, and they don't take their orders from oil companies. And who exactly is this mysterious "Big Oil"? Is it just American oil companies, or is it OPEC, or is it the numerous state-owned oil companies around the world? Are they all in on it? That's a lot of people involved!
If a car company could make a practical and affordable electric car that consumers want, they will manufacture it, and no oil company will stop them.
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Dave S. 5:42PM (9/26/2007)
Yeah! Bring on the electric cars! Because electricity is free, environmentally pure and comes out of that plug in the wall!
I'm also excited about the continuing progress on ethanol and biodiesel. Because vegetables grow from the ground, they're also free and environmentally pure!
Who says TANSTAAFL? That's old thinking!
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