With a 0 to 60 mph acceleration of 3.9 seconds, a 13,000 rpm redline, and the fastest top gear acceleration of any production car tested, combined with an EPA rating of 135 MPG equivalent, the Tesla Roadster is unique in providing super car performance at twice the energy efficiency of the best hybrids.
Tesla Roadster Tesla Motors’ first production vehicle, the Tesla Roadster, is a performance sports car and electric vehicle which emits no exhaust. According to official test results from the Environmental Protection Agency, the car has a range of 245 miles (394 km). The company claims that the Tesla Roadster accelerates from 0 to 60 mph (100 km/h) in less than 4 seconds, and a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h) (limited for safety). The cost of powering the vehicle is estimated at 2 cents per mile.
Prototypes were introduced to the public in July 2006, and the first production models, the 2008 model
Tesla plans to offer home roof mounted solar-photovoltaic systems through Solar City that will offset power used by the home charger, allowing 50 miles (80 km) of travel per day without burdening the power grid, thus making the package “energy positive” for a driver whose average daily mileage is less than that.
Sports sedan – Tesla is also currently working on an announced but unrevealed sedan, codenamed “WhiteStar”, which may be introduced in 2009 as a 2010 model. It is being designed as an alternative to the BMW 5 Series, with an estimated price of $50,000-70,000. WhiteStar is to be built in a new plant in New Mexico.
Future models – Future plans include a more affordable third model. The development and production of this future model, codenamed “BlueStar”, will be funded by profits from the WhiteStar sedan. According to Tesla, if everything goes according to plan, BlueStar will be released in 2012 and cost around $30,000.
Facilities
Headquarters – Tesla Motors’ headquarters are located in San Carlos, California. Much of the development of the Tesla Roadster occurred here.
United Kingdom – Tesla Motors has facilities in England related to the design and assembly of the Tesla Roadster. The Tesla Roadster is currently being assembled by Lotus Cars in Hethel, England.
Taiwan – Tesla Motors has facilities in Taiwan for motor production. These will be used in the Tesla Roadster and the Tesla WhiteStar.
Michigan Technical Center – The Michigan Technical Center, located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, opened January 26, 2007. It is a 19,240 square-foot facility located at 1840 Enterprise Drive. Approximately $47.7 million will be spent on tooling.
The primary focus of the facility is on research & development for future Tesla products. The first priority is the four-door electric sports sedan project codenamed “WhiteStar”. It will be a four door, five-passenger, lightweight, high-performance sedan planned for production around 2009.
BlueStar, the more-affordable third model, will also be developed here.
The region has an existing base of automotive companies, facilities and engineering talent, with thousands of highly experienced automotive experts. Utilizing these existing resources will reduce costly investments for Tesla Motors.
Tesla Motors Assembly Facility (Albuquerque) – Tesla Motors is planning to construct a new plant for mass production of the Tesla WhiteStar in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A total capital investment of $35 million is projected to be spent on the 150,000 square foot plant, which would provide employment for over 400 people. Competition for the plant was intense, as several states including California, Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Michigan were vying for the investment.
This facility will be the world’s first factory dedicated to the mass production of electric vehicles. The company intends to produce at least 10,000 vehicles per year. SunCal, a land development company, has pledged to provide up to 75 acres (300,000 m²) of land next to the initial site at no cost, if Tesla Motors undertakes a major expansion in the future.
Construction was originally planned to begin in April 2007, with completion expected by 2009, including tooling. Tesla Motors has stated that it intends to offer the Tesla WhiteStar for sale in the Fall of 2009.
Service Centers
Service Centers for the Tesla Roadster are planned for the following United States Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles, California
- San Francisco, California
- New York, New York
- Miami, Florida
- Chicago, Illinois
Tesla Motors has stated that it will build additional service centers over the next few years in order to support sales of its next vehicle, the sports sedan currently codenamed the Tesla WhiteStar. “To do 10,000 units for WhiteStar, we need to be in a lot more places,” said Darryl Siry, Vice president of Marketing.
Planning is currently underway for an additional fifteen service centres in major metropolitan locations. There are currently no planned service center locations outside of the United States.
There is minimal maintenance required of an electric vehicle. There are no oil changes and brake maintenance is minor due to regenerative braking. Transmission, brake, and cooling system fluid changes will be required as for gasoline-engine cars.
Partners
Tesla uses several domestic and overseas suppliers and partners.
AC Propulsion – Tesla Motors licensed AC Propulsion’s Reductive Charging(tm) patent, which integrates the charging electronics into the inverter in a way that reduces mass and complexity. Tesla Motors has designed and builds its own power electronics, motor, and other drivetrain components that incorporate this licensed technology from AC Propulsion.
Lotus Cars – Tesla has a significant relationship with Lotus Cars. A design contest was held for the final styling of the Tesla Roadster, then codenamed Dark Star, which Lotus’s design studio won. The Roadster includes several components from the Lotus Elise like the windshield and air bag systems, but neither the chassis nor any of the body panels are sourced from Lotus Cars. The chassis design is licensed from Lotus, based on the Elise chassis, was built using the same Lotus software tools used to build the Elise chassis, and is built by the same Norwegian manufacturer. Similarly, the body panels were designed under contract by Barney Hatt of Lotus Design Studios in cooperation with Tesla, but are manufactured from carbon fiber by third party vendor. Final assembly of the Tesla Roadster is done at Lotus Cars in Hethel, England by both Lotus and Tesla employees.
- Germany – The brakes and airbags of the Tesla Roadster are made in Germany.
- Norway – The chassis of the Tesla Roadster is made in Norway.
- Thailand – The batteries are assembled into sheets for integration into the Energy Storage System by a Tesla supplier in Thailand.
Tesla Energy Group – Interest in Tesla Motors’ battery technology resulted in the formation of a division called the Tesla Energy Group. Think Global is the first customer, placing an order for development and delivery of battery packs for their electric cars. However, Tesla has since put plans on hold due to delays in production and engineering, and Think has accordingly found a new battery supplier, EnerDel.
Tesla Motors is named after Nikola Tesla, a Serbian inventor, electrical engineer and scientist. The principal visionary and inventor of alternating current, Tesla’s designs and ideas changed the world, providing a stable means of delivering electricity over enormous distances; the War of Currents with Edison over this issue went on for years with Tesla and George Westinghouse ultimately triumphing. The Tesla Roadster’s power plant is basically a Tesla three-phase AC induction motor.