Tesla to show final design

Tesla to show final design, working prototype of Whitestar this year

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

first production Tesla's arrival and test drive

The cars are made in England by Lotus, the batteries are made in Taiwan, and Tesla puts the components together in California. Edmunds got a test drive that you can check out here. The Edmunds review says there is "a slight whine as the motor starts spinning" and the "unassisted steering is heavy at low speeds." We liked the steering when we took a Roadster for a spin. Cars like the Tesla are not meant to stand still and the Edmunds' review continues saying "With 248 horsepower and between 205 pound-feet and 211 lb-ft of torque available from zero rpm to 6,000 rpm, this 2,690-pound roadster accelerates steadily and even quickly as we drive up the steep roads that wind through the redwood trees."The delivery of the first Roadster means that celebs like George Clooney, the Governator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), two members of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, Will.i.am and Google founders, all of whom are on the waiting list, are one step closer to getting their new rides.

Does the airbag waiver mean the Tesla Roadster isn't safe for kids?

Recently, we told you that Tesla got a waiver for advanced air bags for the Roadster. The Roadster "will be manufactured under Tesla's supervision and direction at a factory owned by Lotus" according to a file with regulations.gov. Lotus (which does not sponsor Tesla and Tesla is not a subsidiary of Lotus) got an airbag waiver for its Elise (on which the Roadster is based) and for being a low-volume carmaker. Why shouldn't Tesla get the same waiver? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the DOT (Department of Transportation) agreed and granted Tesla the waiver. We've heard this news already.But what exactly is an advanced air bag? We mentioned it has "sensors in the front seats that adjust the inflation rate of the bags based on passenger weight and position." What's that good for? According to a file with Regulations.gov, "The upgrade was designed to meet the goals of improving protection for occupants of all sizes, belted and unbelted, in moderate-to-high-speed crashes, and of minimizing the risks posed by air bags to infants, children, and other occupants, especially in lowspeed crashes." That's why, as I hope you know, if you drive with small kids you should turn off the non-advanced air bags in their seats or seat them in the back (consult your car's manual for details).So, does this mean the Tesla isn't safe for kids? Not so fast. We are talking about a three-year waiver for a very expensive, limited-run sports car and not exactly a family minivan here. In the file at Regulations.gov it says that "Tesla stated that it is unlikely that young children would be passengers in the Roadster, so an exemption from the advanced air bag requirements that are designed to protect children will not create a significant safety issue. In addition, as with the Lotus Elise, the front passenger seat in the Roadster is fixed in its rearmost position, thereby reducing air bag risks to children and other passengers." Also, in a comment to the waiver, David Nguyen "estimated that, based on Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data, the exemption would not result in any additional fatalities."

Tesla Motors may have an IPO within a year

If Tesla Motors is to move forward with building an assembly plant of their own to build the WhiteStar sedan and other future products they will need a lot more cash on hand. The current venture capital investors don't seem inclined to put up that kind of money so it looks like the company will be going to the stock market to raise additional funds. Speaking to Reuters, Chairman and investor Elon Musk indicated that an initial public offering is likely by the end of 2008 or early 2009. Partnering with other companies is also an option to develop lower cost EV's but when I spoke to Darryl Siry about the subject recently he indicated that that pathway is problematic. Any time multiple companies are involved, it gets harder to make decisions about strategic direction. Musk want the follow-on vehicle to WhiteStar, currently code named BlueStar, to be a more affordable mainstream vehicle with volumes approaching 100,000 annually.

five Tesla Roadsters driving by...

Thanks to a comment by one of our readers, we'd like to present you with a short video of green car nerdvana: five Tesla Roadsters slowly driving through a residential neighborhood. According to the person who uploaded this video clip to YouTube, the first car in this mini-parade of Tesla Roadsters is the actual first production vehicle (the others, then, would be production prototypes, the kind we've taken for a spin) that was delivered to Tesla Chairman Elon Musk. Not a lot else to say here, just enjoy the view. I love the guy who steps off the curb to give the passenger in the fifth car a high five. That's what these cars are all about.

Vectrix and Tesla together? It's not beyond the realm of possibility

With Vectrix's electric scooter's sales extremely disappointing there are plenty of questions about where the company goes from here. One interesting possibility could be a tie-up with Tesla Motors. Besides the price ($12,000!), range and performance are among the other complaints about the two wheelers. Tesla on the other hand has their own issues to deal with. If they do get production of the Roadster kicked off in March as they plan, they will still have only one vehicle to sell in their stores for at least a couple of years until the WhiteStar sedan becomes a reality. Tesla has developed a lot of expertise in the area of electric vehicle performance. If Tesla's engineers were to work with Vectrix, they could potentially make the scooter more appealing to customers. While driving the Roadster recently in California, I raised the idea of some kind of cooperation with Aaron Platshon. Aaron said that the idea was interesting and had been raised before, but no discussions had taken place and none where planned. Nothing is currently in motion, but it's an interesting idea to consider.
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Iron Man Tony Stark gets a Tesla before anyone else does. Must be nice!

So, what's a guy gotta do in order to get on the Tesla preferred customer list? How about becoming a crime-fighting-billionaire-industrialist-and-inventor? It seems as if that would be enough, according to the screen-grab from the Iron Man Super Bowl ad above. The man who is iron has got a Tesla, in addition to some other pricey and less environmentally-friendly exotics. Questions have arisen over at Autoblog as to whether the Tesla deserves a parking spot among the other exotic machinery in Stark's garage. Our response: whatever, dude! Any billionaire worth his money-clip will surely be adding a Tesla to his arsenal of four-wheeled ticket-generators. He likely has a Koenigs-whatever in there too... just pan the shot back out a little bit. But, we digress... we're looking forward to seeing how much screen time the Tesla gets in this box office hit-to-be.