Tesla Unveils Model S Electric Sedan

Tesla Motors, Inc. of San Carlos, California on March 26, 2009 announced that it is taking orders for an all-electric family sedan that carries up to seven people and travels up to 300 miles per electric charge.


















Tesla Model S Electric Sedan at the SpaceX rocket factory, Hawthorne, California, March 26, 2009. See "Up To Speed" in the Los Angeles Times for an associated article and more photos.

The Tesla Model S carries an onboard charger that can recharge the battery packs in as little as 45 minutes. The battery pack also is designed to be changed out in less time than it takes to fill a fuel tank on a similar gasoline-powered vehicle. As battery-pack swap and charging stations become more widespread in the new energy economy, drivers can expect to travel as far and as fast in electric vehicles as they can in gasoline-powered vehicles.


















Tesla Model S Prototype

The standard Tesla Model S goes from zero to sixty miles per hour in under six seconds and will have an electronically limited top speed of 130 miles per hour. The Model S will not require routine oil changes, and has fewer moving and breakable parts than cars powered with internal combustion engines. The Model S operating cost is about five dollars for each 230 miles traveled.

The anticipated base price of the Tesla Model S is $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500. The company has not released options pricing. Three battery pack choices will offer a range of 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge. This pricing is consistent with Tesla's long-term plans to produce highway-capable electric vehicles at increasingly lower prices as the EV technology develops. Tesla's efforts are focused on accelerating the electric car revolution, according to Tesla Chairman and Chief Executive Elon Musk. Tesla was selected in January 2009 to make batteries and chargers for Daimler's Smart EV.


Daimler Smart ForTwo Electric Vehicles























The Tesla Roadster

Tesla is the only production automaker already selling highway-capable electric vehicles (EVs) in North America or Europe. With 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, the Tesla Roadster outperforms almost all sports cars in its class yet is six times as energy efficient as similar gasoline-powered cars and delivers 244 miles per charge. The Roadster, Tesla's first model, has a base price of $101,500. Tesla has delivered Roadsters to about 300 customers, and has nearly 1,000 additional customers on its wait list.