Ok, ok, we previewed most of what we knew/know about Tesla's announcement regarding the future plans of the WhiteStar sedan this morning. Our friend Damon is at the ceremony and will be providing us with as many details as he can in very short order. For now, thanks to Engadget, we see that the WhiteStar concept will be called the Model S when it goes into production. Yes, it'll be built in CA and the numbers are awesome at this point: $60,000 for zero tailpipe emissions and 225 miles on a full charge. More soon.

[Source: Engadget]

In a legal suit in the U.S., arbitration is a way to step outside the confines of the court and have the two parties settle their differences by a binding agreement. It is a common step in commercial disputes and is what Fisker Automotive asked a California court for on Tuesday, according to Autoweek. Fisker is dealing with a lawsuit from Tesla Motors over the design of the WhiteStar. According to court papers looked at by Autoweek, there is a hearing scheduled for June 11.

The lawsuit, which Fisker is saying will not delay the introduction of the all-electric Karma plug-in hybrid, revolves around the design of Tesla's upcoming WhiteStar sedan and related issues. Fisker denies any wrongdoing and Henrik Fisker, said, "It's simply a ridiculous suit." Tesla's Darryl Siry had no comment to Autoweek but said, "Our suit is laid out pretty clear." UPDATE: whoops, the Karma is a PHEV, not all electric. Thanks to tankd0g.

[Source: Greg Migliore / Autoweek]

Tell me you wouldn't have tried the same thing?

I found myself in Los Angeles for a quick visit late last week and realized I wasn't too far from the brand new Tesla Motors store. Having read about the opening night gala event and curious about the chic new sales space, I wanted to go check it out. Trouble was, I wasn't close enough to walk, didn't have a car, and have heard too many bad things about LA's public transportation system to see if it was a feasible option for me. Luckily, I met up with Shannon Arvizu (TriplePundit) and she offered to drive the two of us down to the store to take a look at what they've got on display. Didn't take me long to say, "yes." I mean, even if there are have been problems with the development of the car and we're hearing rumblings about ego conflicts among some of the well-knowns who are involved, someone still needs to go and bring back a collection of photos for faithful readers, right? Right.

We headed down to Santa Monica Boulevard and found the well-designed store wedged between a Starbucks and the ING building. There are two Roadsters in the showroom, one in dark blue and the other is the silver VP10 (Validation Prototype 10) that Sam got to take for a test drive back in January. None of the cars in the store are for sale, as they're not the production versions, but that didn't stop a good half dozen customers from wandering in and making serious inquiries about being place on th waiting list in the hour or so that we were there. Between the two cars in the showroom sits a counter and barstools, the perfect place for store employees to talk to potential customers. A coffee bar and some Tesla swag are nearby in case you need either a jolt of caffeine or a fancy Tesla cap. Offices (doors open) and two wonderfully-decorated bathrooms round out the front of the shop.

The back half of the store features a garage bay with room for a three cars. This garage is incredibly clean today, and one thing we can count on is that the cement floor will never stained by a leaky oil pan (well, unless future models do come with the option of a range-extending ICE). The opposing wall houses a quick charger. But what really caught our eyes was a metallic blue Roadster aimed square at a garage door, looking like it wanted to go out. Read on after the jump to find out what happened next.

As we saw with the Bono pic, Tesla Motors representatives took the Roadster to Europe for a little PR&R recently. Well, as Darryl Siry, Tesla's VP of sales, marketing, and service, writes in a new post about the company trip on the "feel" blog over on the Tesla Motors website, there wasn't as much R as he might have liked. So, for those of use who don't mind that Mr. Siry worked more than played on the old continent, let's see what he has to say (oh, and we thank him for his service, of course).

First up, pricing. The 2009 U.S. version of the Roadster will cost $109,000, up from $98,000 for the base 2008 model. A lot of the increase can be attributed to the weakening dollar, Siry writes, because Tesla pays for much of the Roadster in Euros and Pounds. The limited edition 2009 Euro-spec Roadster will cost 99,000 Euros, and is comparable to the fully-loaded 2009 Roadster. For more on the Euro-spec Roadster, look here.

Siry also gets into production of the current Roadsters, and says that Job 3 has been delivered (Martin Eberhard is still waiting for some custom paint work to be done on Job 2) and that production will be ramping up this summer and fall. Siry's got more for you here.

[Source: Tesla Motors]

Click the Roadster for a high-res gallery from the Tesla store opening.

The very first Tesla Motors retail outlet had its grand opening party last night in Santa Monica, CA. We're still waiting for some first hand accounts from the event so if anyone was there and has pics please feel free to share your thoughts. A second outlet is currently being prepared closer to home base in Silicon Valley although we're not sure when that one is opening. During a chat with Tesla Marketing VP Darryl Siry earlier this week, he indicated that production car #3 is now ready for delivery and should be in someone's hands shortly. Car number 4 is the unit that has been shown around Europe this week in Monaco and elsewhere. The first car, of course, went to Chairman and chief fundraiser Elon Musk. That leaves #2, the car destined for ousted company co-founder Martin Eberhard. Martin's car is apparently taking a little longer due to a custom paint job but it should soon be ready as well.

Update: We now have images from the store opening in the gallery. Among the famous folk in attendance were Quincy Jones, Jenny McCarthy and Jenna Elfman.

You know how it goes, when there's smoke... Tesla Motors is reportedly suing Fisker Automotive for stealing inside design ideas. As rumors indicated earlier this week, Henrik Fisker apparently was hired by Tesla to style their upcoming Whitestar sedan. The styling was not to Tesla's liking, either by accident or on purpose - likely depending on who you ask -- so Fisker's designs were rejected. At that time, Tesla claims that Fisker and some associates took what they learned from Tesla and started their own project, which was unveiled recently, ironically enough, as the Karma sedan.

We should point out that it's too early to know where the truth lies when it comes to this story. Tesla is suing for the money it paid Fisker for design work along with unknown damages. There's been no response as of yet from Fisker. We'll surely be keeping you up-to-date when we find out more.

[Source: The New York Times]

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a report on how the decline in the value of the U.S. dollar against almost all other currencies is prompting car makers to take a new look at exporting vehicles built here. Almost as an aside deep within the article it was mentioned that Tesla has decided to shift production of their battery packs from a factory in Thailand to their home base in San Carlos California. According to Tesla VP Darryl Siry, the exchange rate wasn't the primary reason for the change. The logistics of shipping 1,000lb battery packs halfway around the world were the primary concern. The energy storage system represents a significant portion of the cost of the car and having that sit on a boat from half way around the world just didn't make sense.

The 6,831 lithium ion cells in each pack are sourced from suppliers in Taiwan and will now be shipped directly to the U.S. where the packs are being assembled. Cars for U.S. delivery are being shipped from England sans energy storage system which gets installed when the cars land here. Once the cars arrive in the U.S., the battery is installed. Similarly, when European deliveries begin next year, the packs will be installed locally prior to delivery. With the current slow assembly rate, the packs are being assembled at the San Carlos headquarters. As production ramps up, they will likely move that process to a larger facility.

[Source: Wall Street Journal, Tesla Motors]

After recent speculation that Tesla Motors would be launching European sales earlier than planned, VP Darryl Siry confirmed the news today. Apparently the combination of the declining dollar and a change in European homologation rules has prompted the change. The Roadster is assembled in England at the Lotus factory and virtually all major components are sourced outside the U.S. As a result, the Roadster wouldn't benefit from the lower cost of an American product that results from the weak dollar. However, since the company does business in dollars, selling the car to European customers at a Euro price would yield higher revenues for the company. The homologation rules change that takes effect in April 2009 means that the company can essentially get the Roadster certified once for sale throughout the EU. Shortly after that rule change and presumably after the first 1,000 or so cars that have been ordered already have been delivered, Tesla plans to start European deliveries with a special edition model similar to the first 100 units reserved here for those that paid the full price up front. The initial euro models will get tagged at €99,000 or about $155,000, a bit more than they cost here.

{Source: Tesla Motors]

The great hope for lithium batteries is their energy density. With six times the energy capacity of lead acid, and two to three times that of the Nickel Metal Hydride chemistry used in every hybrid and all-electric cars such as the Toyota RAV4 EV, they offer promise of longer range zero-emission driving with less weight.

The problem has been a tendency of some lithium chemistries to heat up and burn. The Sandia National Laboratory has been using its expertise to test the various types to ascertain which will perform to standards required for use in plug-in vehicles. The Department of Energy is funding the FreedomCAR program to put the batteries, supplied by manufacturers, through the paces. Nails are driven through the batteries, and they are overcharged and subjected to extreme heat.

As reported at Azonano.com, the results have been extremely positive. "Lithium-ion batteries, generally found in laptop computers and power tools, have greatly improved over the past few years," says Peter Roth, lead researcher for Sandia's FreedomCAR battery efforts. "In fact, they have improved so much that we expect to see them in hybrids later this year and possibly even in short-range plug-in hybrids within two years."

With Tesla Motors poised to begin delivering its fully certified lithium-powered Roadster by the dozens within a month or so, it looks like Sandia's expectations are to be exceeded.

[Source: Azonano.com]

Way back in October 2006, while I was doing some research in Hawai'i, it hit me that the islands were the perfect place for a full-in electric car revolution. While the EV market hasn't produced the cars we'd like to see quite yet, it's still painfully obvious to me that powering a state full of electric cars using nothing but wind, wave and solar power seems more likely in Hawai'i than most other places (note that some of the renewable energy sources, like geothermal, are culturally complicated).

Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard is somewhat on the same page. He recently gave a talk at the Focus Green lecture series on Maui that touched on Hawaiʻi's drive to become a sustainable state, and that means lots of renewable energy. Martin suggested to the local audience that they turn clean energy generators into tourist destinations - who wouldn't want to see the Hawai'i wind farms? If you'd like to see the slides from the presentation and read more about the talk - which included mention of local high school student's EV conversions - check out the Tesla Founders blog.

[Source: Tesla Founders blog]

Click above for a high-resolution gallery of the 2007 Toyota Prius Touring.

The New York Times Wheel's Blog has posted an interesting question along with a lousy answer. The question is: what is the car of the decade? The writer goes on to suggest a few selections, namely the Tesla Roadster and the Porsche Cayenne. We'll happily just dismiss the Cayenne from our list and move on. At some point, history may look back at Tesla and consider their initial offering, the Roadster, to be the most significant vehicle of this decade, but a much more obvious choice would have to be the Toyota Prius. Few would argue that the Prius almost single-handedly ignited the wave of hybrid cars (sorry, Insight), and whether or not you believe that hybrid vehicles make fiscal sense, the fact is that hybrids sell and nearly every manufacturer now has at least one to offer. All of this has taken place in the last decade and it has molded today's automotive landscape for the foreseeable future, as even those automakers which have chosen not offer hybrids are considering other fuel-saving alternatives in order to compete.

Now that we've discussed a few options, we'd be interested to hear what our readers think. Any Cayenne takers? No? OK, how about between the Tesla or the Prius? You certainly don't need our permission to name you personal favorite.

[Source: NY Times Wheels Blog]

California Air Resources Board's important meeting that will decide on the fate of the Zero Emission Vehicle Program (aka the ZEV Mandate) takes place Thursday (background here and here). As one of the big players in the electric vehicle space, Tesla Motors certainly has an interest in how the vote goes on the 27th. To explain his company's point of view, Tesla Motors President and CEO, Ze'ev Drori, published a letter to CARB on the Tesla website today (it was sent to CARB on the 18th). He will also attend the meeting to deliver his message in person.

Drori's main message is that the proposed changes to the the ZEV Mandate, which would reduce the amount of pure electric cars the automakers would be required to make. Instead of 25,000 in 2014-2017, the revisions call for a 90 percent drop and claim that battery technology is not available yet to produce that many EVs. Drori, who knows at least a little about how to build an EV, says such a change could "make a mockery of CARB itself." For his detailed explanation of why CARB might be making this huge mistake, read his letter.

[Source: Tesla Motors]

One of the enduring issues related to battery-powered cars is what becomes of those massive batteries when they reach end of life? As one of the first companies to utllize large-scale lithium ion batteries, Tesla is addressing this problem even before they start series production. In the latest entry on the company blog, Kurt Kelly talks about the battery recycling plan including a description of the pack's construction. The 6,831 individual cells are spread among 11 modules, each of which can be individually replaced if their capacity to hold a charge drops too low. Once modules or packs are declared no longer useful, Tesla has a recycling plan set up with KBI/Toxco. Tesla will ship expended modules to Toxco for dismantling and reuse, recycling. Kelly gives a full rundown of the process.

[Source: Tesla Motors]

The Tesla Roadster has arrived and the company's Whitestar follow-up project is under development, but Tesla's looking for a little help with its third car, and it's reportedly turned its eye toward Motown. On Wednesday, Tesla president Darryl Siry told Greentech Media at Piper Jaffray's Clean Technology and Renewables Conference in New York City that the third vehicle from carmaker -- expected to be a compact sports car costing $30,000 to $35,000 -- will be "high volume" and that the company wants partnerships with Detroit's "Big Three" American automakers for its production.

Another bit of Tesla news is that the amount the company is looking for a $75m to $100m investment from a "large Series E" equity fund this summer, and it was also confirmed that Tesla recently got a $40m investment through a bridge loan.

Hmmm. Does this Big 3 talk mean Tesla is trying to sell itself? Siry says "[being purchased] is not our desired outcome."


Related:

• Tesla to show final design, working prototype of Whitestar this year
• Videos of the first production Tesla's arrival and test drive
• Does the airbag waiver mean the Tesla Roadster isn't safe for kids?

[Source: Greentech Media]

Click image for photo gallery

Ready for the Whitestar? CNET is, and recently interviewed Tesla's co-founder, Elon Musk, about the eagerly-anticipated next vehicle from Tesla Motors. Elon says some things we know - the electrically-powered sedan will cost between $50,000 and $60,000 and is estimated to sell 10,000 to 20,000 units a year. He also reveals that the name might change and that the design will be finalized by the second quarter of 2008. A working prototype should follow by the end of the year -- big news, indeed. Musk mentions the "default location" or "most likely" location for the Whitestar production plant is Albuquerque, which, based on earlier reports, is not surprising. Check out the complete conversation between Elon Musk and CNET's Michael Kanellos here.


[Source: CNET]