New Tesla Models Coming Soon - 8/22/08

Tesla plans to expand its range with a plug-in car in 2010.  Tesla’s new model’s underpinnings will be the basis for a new generation of all electric cars.

The new Model S Tesla saloon will be a four door capable of carrying five passengers powered by an all electric drive train.  The new Tesla will be a “ninety percent” design and will be a standalone model separate from the Tesla Roadster.

The saloon will be launched after Tesla finishes a new factory in California in 2010.  They plan to sell 20,000 of the zero emission cars a year.

The Roadster is built by Lotus, but the new saloon will be built on Tesla’s own platform.  It will use lithium ion batteries that can be recharged by any standard wall outlet.  It will be able to hit 60 mph in six seconds using its seamless single gear drive.

The Tesla Roadster uses carbon fiber to save weight, but the saloon will use aluminum for its body and chassis.  This will make the saloon cheaper than the Roadster. 

The saloon will have a more compact lithium ion battery pack design which will be mounted flat on the base of the saloon chassis floor.  This new design will allow for a number of larger spin-off models based around the same Model S platform.  Tesla plans to launch a large Mercedes CLS style and an SUV by 2015. 

The biggest challenge Tesla faces is with the lithium ion battery technology.  The batteries are made in Japan and are very expensive to buy and replace.  The batteries for the Roadster will only last for five years. 

The Japanese companies supplying the batteries promise the cost will get lower and the efficiency will improve as the technology advances.

Back To the Electric Car Index