Autoblog

If Tesla has learned anything from the development of the Roadster over the past five years, it's that building a production car that meets present day regulations is a lot harder than anyone in Silicon Valley guessed. The process is filled with all kinds of potholes and having some people on the team with experience navigating those craters can be a big help. During AutoblogGreen's recent conversation with Tesla Chairman Elon Musk, he revealed that the company would have several experienced auto industry people coming aboard soon. The first of those new recruits has now been revealed as Mike Donoughe, Tesla's new Executive Vice President for vehicle development and manufacturing. Donoughe is a 24-year veteran of Chrysler who resigned from his VP post there three months ago, and was instrumental in the effort to redesign Chrysler's mid-sized cars. At Tesla he will be responsible for vehicle engineering for the Roadster and Model S except for the drivetrain. Initially, Donoughe will focus on getting the Model S' engineering and manufacturing sorted out. The Tesla press release is after the jump.

[Source: Tesla Motors, via AutoblogGreen]

Tesla has big plans, and to finance them it plans to raise big money. How? First, with an influx of venture capital that could put 10-percent of the company in VC hands. There has also been talk of an IPO, which Chairman Elon Musk thinks could raise $100 million dollars, and Musk said he plans to take the company public by the end of this year. And to make sure Tesla's coffers are topped up, the company plans to partake in a loan guarantee program offered by the U.S. Department of Energy for up to $200 million.

With a potential $300 million in the bank, not including the initial public offering, Tesla could get serious work done on the Whitestar sedan. Tesla hopes to have the sedan in production by 2010. If you're liking the sound of all this and want to know how you can get some Tesla stock, we recommend buying a Tesla. Musk wants to reward believers, and is trying to figure out how the company can offer customers the chance to legally buy in before the IPO.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Click above for more Fisker-supplied spy shots of the Karma

Isn't it fitting that Fisker Automotive's upcoming series-hybrid sports sedan is named Karma?. After having commissioned Fisker to help design its second product, the Whitestar sedan, Tesla Motors sued Fisker claiming it stole trade secrets that were then used on the Karma. Following that lawsuit, Tesla was then sued by Magna, one of its former transmission suppliers, Tesla's suit against Fisker came several weeks after Tesla themselves were sued by Magna Powetrain who had been contracted to develop a new transmission for the Roadster and now Fisker is slapping the upstart electric car company with its own arbitration suit. That's karma for you, right there.

Fisker will attempt to first derail Tesla's original lawsuit by seeking to have it moved from San Mateo, CA to Orange County, after which it will then try to prove that Tesla is attempting to divert attention away from its delayed all-electric Roadster by suing Fisker. To that end, Henrik Fisker himself called the whole mess "ridiculous" and referred to Tesla's behaviour as "sour grapes". An arbitrator will likely determine whether he's right or not, but until then we lowly consumers must await ramped up production of the Tesla Roadster and the eventual arrival of the Fisker Karma. Thanks for the tip, Doug!


[Source: CNET News]

As we recently reported, rumors have been swirling regarding Henrik Fisker's involvement with Tesla Motors and its upcoming electric sedan prototype known as the WhiteStar. As is often the case, there's apparently some truth to the scuttlebutt, as Tesla has filed a lawsuit claiming that Fisker Automotive is using stolen design ideas from Tesla sourced when Fisker Coachbuild was employed by the young EV automaker for the styling of its sedan.

According to Tesla chairman Elon Musk, "We could not use the Fisker styling. The styling was substandard compared to what he unveiled for his product. He gave us an inferior work product, and it's obvious why." In the process of working for Tesla, the lawsuit contends that Henrik Fisker and a few of his associates stole design ideas and confidential information related to the design of hybrid and electric cars. Fisker has since announced his upcoming Karma hybrid-electric sedan. Tesla seeks to have Fisker Automotive stop using any design ideas garnered from its relationship with Tesla, and any money paid to Fisker Coachbuild returned along with other unspecified damages.



[Source: The New York Times]

Click above for high-res live gallery of the Fisker Karma

A site of which this blogger previously wasn't aware is reporting that the body of the soon-to-be-revealed Tesla WhiteStar sedan was originally penned by one Henrik Fisker. According to Street Import Online, a mole deep within San Carlos has spilled the beans that the designer who recently unveiled his own plug-in hybrid super sedan, the Fisker Karma (above), had previously been contracted by Tesla Motors for its second product. According to Street Import Online, Tesla had backed out of a deal to have Fisker create the body for the WhiteStar electric sedan but kept the design.

We contacted Tesla's Marketing VP Darryl Siry to verify the accuracy of this story, and Siry declined to either confirm or deny the report, which you can interpret however you choose. If the story is true, it may well have prompted Fisker to pursue building a similar vehicle under his own name, which led to the Karma. The WhiteStar sedan is planned as a battery electric sedan, although Tesla has acknowledged that is also developing a range-extended electric hybrid version. Regardless of who actually drew the WhiteStar, Tesla has said it plans to reveal the sedan's design later this Spring after it begins delivering a steady stream of EV Roadsters. Thanks for the tip, Jose!

Update: Our own sources indicate that Tesla is not using the Fisker design for the final car. Other than having four doors and a similar number of wheels, the Whitestar is completely different from the Fisker proposal.

[Source: Street Import Online]

Click to view more images of the Tesla Roadster

With its long-awaited Roadster now heading into production, Tesla is lifting its gaze to the horizon, which may not be all that distant. In a recent interview with CNET, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk revealed that the company will have the design for the anticipated Whitestar electric sedan finalized within this year's second quarter, and have a functional prototype ready before the end of the year.

Musk also confirmed that the electric sedan, whose name could very well change (probably to something that sounds less like a Ford minivan) before it hits the market, will be priced in the $50-60k range, and be produced – likely in Albuquerque, New Mexico – in annual runs of 10,000-20,000 units.

[Source: CNET via AutoblogGreen]

Tesla Motors has been getting a lot of press in recent months, be it from First Drives or the shifts in the company's hierarchy. However, even with increasing oil prices, the all electric market remains a small niche. The limited vehicle range, long charging time and lack of charging infrastructure for those who park on the street have left a sizable chunk of potential customers out of reach. Now it seems that Tesla Motors will no longer alienate the general market with their product lineup. They have announced that the Whitestar Sedan, in development for release sometime around the end of 2009, will be offered with two powertrain options. One choice will be the familiar all electric version with an expected range somewhere between 150 and 200 miles and the other choice will be an extended-range vehicle aka REV.

The REV Whitestar will have the ability to go 40 to 50 miles off a fully charged battery pack. It will also feature a small gasoline engine that will have the task of recharging the batteries while the vehicle is in use. With a full tank of fuel the REV should see a range of 400 miles before it needs a trip to the gas station. Obviously, this is a similar setup to GM's Chevrolet Volt concept. The Whitestar Sedan will be aimed at a different market than the Volt though. Luxury manufactures, such as BMW and Lexus, are the intended competition and fittingly, the REV Whitestar's price will fall somewhere between $50,000 and $70,000 depending on the size of the battery pack.

[Source: CNET News]