Tesla Roadster on sale in Canada as of... today, deliveries start in Q4 '09
by Sebastian Blanco on Mar 3rd 2009 at 7:30PM 
Click above for more images of the Tesla Roadster testing in the snow
Canada has not always been the friendliest territory for electric cars, but that's changing. After the Tesla empire officially expanded to Chicago yesterday, the company has announced it will join the northern rush and is now ready to take orders in Canada. Canadian buyers will have to wait until the fourth quarter of 2009 to actually get their cars, but they should feel free to sign up for the $109,000 electric car whenever they feel like it. Oh, and that's the U.S. price; the cost for Canadians will be set later this year) The first deliveries will be made out of upcoming Tesla "regional centers" in Seattle and New York, but Canada-based stores are in the works.
In the announcement of the Canadian sales, Tesla highlights one big difference between American and Canadian Roadsters: the electricity used to power the vehicles is much more likely to be clean up north:
Canada and Norway are the only two countries worldwide where 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.
Click here for some fun video of the Tesla Roadster undergoing ice testing, and see more images of Roadsters in the snow here.
Gallery: First Drive: Tesla Roadster
[Source: Tesla]
PRESS RELEASE:
Tesla begins selling cars in Canada
Electric vehicle maker expects Canada to become unique showcase for Roadster
March 3, 2009
SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tesla Motors Inc. will start selling cars in Canada today, and the automaker will begin delivering cars to Canadian customers starting in the fourth quarter.
Tesla is the only production automaker selling highway-capable EVs in North America and Europe. The Tesla Roadster competes with any sports car in its class for acceleration yet is twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius.
Canada is uniquely positioned to become a premier showcase for Tesla, which has delivered more than 200 cars to U.S. customers. Canada and Norway are the only two countries worldwide where 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.
"As they have already for Americans and Europeans, we're certain Roadsters will quickly become the automobile of choice for Canadians who refuse to compromise between performance and the environment," said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. "We have heard from many enthusiastic Canadians over the years and are quite eager to sell there."
Initially, Tesla will deliver cars to Canadian customers through regional centers in Seattle and New York. These retail and service facilities will open in the first half of this year. Eventually, Tesla hopes to open facilities in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.
Canadian Roadsters will comply with all national and provincial safety regulations for mass-produced, highway-capable vehicles. 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.
About Tesla Motors
San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla Motors manufactures electric vehicles with exceptional design, performance and efficiency, while conforming to all North American and European safety, environmental and durability standards. The Roadster, which has a 0-to-60 mph acceleration of 3.9 seconds, is the only highway-capable production EV for sale in North America and Europe. Tesla will unveil its all-electric, zero-emission four-door sedan, the Model S, on March 26, and expects to begin selling them in late 2011.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
remy 7:38PM (3/03/2009)
Good thing this is a summer car, I dont think this would do great in -25 celcius mornings..for many reasons.
Reply
Enigmatic 7:54PM (3/03/2009)
Yeah, I live in Winnipeg where in January temps sometimes hit -40. Batteries definitely get a beating over here. Pick-ups and SUVs are a much more practical choice for us considering our snow laden streets, but then again the taxi's here are exclusively Prius' and they seem to manage fine.
MikeW 8:47PM (3/03/2009)
Isn't the Tesla the most extreme rear biased weight distribution car on the market 35/65?
But what kind of tire can you find for the front axle? (rear is good)
Michael Kostukov 5:58PM (3/04/2009)
The Tesla was tested extensively in extremely cold environments of Sweden and does just fine in -25C. You have to remember that the lithium ion batteries used in Tesla are not affected by the cold as strongly as the lead acid batteries in regular cars. In fact, LiFePo4 batteries don't care if it is -30C or + 30C- I can attest to that after riding an electric bike through the winter in Toronto.
mcampasini 8:18PM (3/03/2009)
109k! give me a zr1!
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CarbonBlack 8:22PM (3/03/2009)
The ZR1 is a great car, but it wouldn't be a very good car for those cold winter climates.
RWD is Amazing.........on dry warm roads!
mcampasini 9:51PM (3/03/2009)
dude i dont live in canada i was just saying for the money give me a zr1.
CarbonBlack 10:06PM (3/04/2009)
Oh.....
I misunderstood
-Nick
ij70 8:21PM (3/03/2009)
One of my Da's favorite quotes is from novel by Ostap Bander called 12 Chairs. It goes like this:
"Money in the morning, chair in the evening.
Money in the evening, chair in the next morning."
So Tesla wants money now, will deliver "chair" in 6-9 month. Good business model if it works :-)
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John Graham 8:24PM (3/03/2009)
It's a shorter wait time than a Ferrari.
tankd0g 9:00PM (3/03/2009)
That's probably what people who put down deposits 4 years ago thought, lol.
jake 1:46AM (3/04/2009)
@tankd0g
Wasn't the car unveiled mid 2006 and deposits taken late 2006? So it's more like 2-3 years for the initial customers and for the 2009 customers it'll be around 1 year, since at the current production rate (20/wk in delivery, gradually ramping to 30wk) they should get their cars at the end of the year or early 2010. They delivered at least 200 cars already and seem to have around 1000 to go, going by the amount of orders they gave recently.
Yes, it's a lot more than just a couple of cars delivered. They are going full bore with the Roadster production.
XGM 8:34PM (3/03/2009)
It was almost -50C up here a while ago, im sure the batteries will get me out of my driveway and about 2 blocks down the road with those temps... Too bad its not always summer here.
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David S. 8:38PM (3/03/2009)
Um, does it have a heater? And if so, how? And how-much does it reduce the distance you can get on a charge?
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mcampasini 9:54PM (3/03/2009)
thats a damn good question.
RITmusic2k 11:23AM (3/04/2009)
On the other hand, they'll probably be able to recharge faster with all that juicy 600V power they have up in Canada.
Greg 8:43PM (3/03/2009)
I was in Edmonton a couple of weeks ago and remarked that with all of the outlets available already in so many parking lots for engine block heaters (including the spots at my hotel), that they're going to have a problem with people charging electric cars for free at some point.
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Mike P. 8:47PM (3/03/2009)
Yeah.. the thing is: if I get stuck out in the weather with a regular car, I can always find a gas station or get a friend to bring me some gas. But with the Tesla... I'm hooped.
Then again, 99% of customers probably won't be using this as a daily driver, making this a non-issue. And there goes making their "statement" about their carbon footprint...
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tankd0g 8:58PM (3/03/2009)
If there are any customer's, I have to wonder just what they would do with these things in Canada. No good for a daily driver, useless as a track car. Does it fit on the mantel in the living room?
Mike P. 9:02PM (3/03/2009)
Uh... cruise through your West Vancouver neighbourhood, cruise along Robson Street, cruise through Stanley Park... and whatever the equivalent show-off spots are in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal... etc.
I have to say, for a weekend driver, I'd rather have an Elise. Which is not bad on gas, itself. But, I suppose it doesn't make the same "statement".