Tesla Wants to Rewrite the Rules with Model S Battery

The Tesla Model S sport sedan will be available in late 2011 with a battery-pack options that offer a 165-mile and 230-mile range, but that’s just the beginning, according to J.B. Straubel , Tesla’s chief technical officer. A year into the launch, Tesla claims it will have a battery option with a 300-mile range on a single charge.

Many electric-vehicle designers have major doubts about this number. To put it in perspective as to what a breakthrough a 300-mile-range battery pack would be, consider that the typical EV battery is expected to get around 20 kilowatt-hours. Straubel says the 300-mile-range battery pack will get 85-95 kwh.

Tesla’s would be the biggest battery pack on the market, and it would push well past what people think is possible with the packs, given the current technology. Tesla is working with experimental high-density cells to make it happen, but skeptics say that a pack with that range would weigh 1,000-1,800 pounds and cost as much as $45,000.

Tesla has announced a Model S base price of $57,400 (with a $7,500 federal tax credit), and Straubel told Design News that he predicts the battery pack will cost “in the ballpark” of $18,000. He also notes that battery technology has been improving at a rate of 8% a year, and the possible energy density has doubled since 2000.

We look forward to seeing if Tesla can make good on that promise because whether it pushes the price of a Model S up into the $75,000 range or not, it could also send battery-pack technology leap-frogging forward.

Tesla Model S: One Whopper of a Battery Pack (Wheels)

Tesla Opening Seattle, Chicago Stores in Weeks

Tesla, maker of a $100,000 electric roadster and an upcoming all-electric premium sedan, announced today that new retail outlets in Seattle and Chicago will open July 25 and Aug. 7, respectively.

Both locations will offer rides in the Tesla Roadster during their grand openings. Earlier this summer, Tesla opened outlets in London, where it will build right-hand-drive cars, and in Manhattan.

We assume that with the purchase of a storefront in Chicago, the company will replace the huge pest-control billboard that graces the building next door, which is visible from the highway as shown here in a Google image. Because we commute past it every morning, we can assure you there’s no Tesla signage in place yet and the building looks pretty much as it does in the picture. 

Ford, Nissan and Tesla to Get Green Government Loans

The Energy Department will loan money from a $25 billion retooling fund to Ford, Nissan and Tesla. The money is meant to help the automakers develop and produce cutting-edge green vehicles.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu will eventually decide how much each company will receive, but Ford has applied for $5 billion in loans by 2011, while Tesla wants $450 million. Nissan has announced it has been approved for a $1.6 billion loan.

Ford plans to invest $14 billion over seven years in developing advanced technologies, and will use the government loan to finance that effort.

Ford has said it will bring a battery-electric van to the market by 2010, a small electric sedan by 2011 and a plug-in electric vehicle by 2012. We previously reported on how Ford plans to convert a truck plant to build the electric Focus and what that will mean to Ford’s lineup.

Tesla Model S Electric Sedan Prototype Unveiled

Out in sunny California, the media got its first look at Tesla’s second all-electric car, the Tesla Model S. Already projected to cost $57,400 before a $7,500 tax credit, the automaker has now revealed more details about the Model S. Besides the reveal of the overall design, we’ve learned that the battery pack will have a range of 300 miles and, more significantly, can be replaced in a short amount of time, by the owner. The company says doing so will take no longer than filling up your car with gas. Charging time will remain eight hours, with a partial, quick charge taking 45 minutes.

The car seats seven, but two of its seats are just jump seats in the rear compartment. Car blog Jalopnik has a full gallery of the car you can see here. Besides the Jaguar-meets-Aston-Martin exterior, the interior looks very upscale covered in Alcantara (an option on the production version), with a large LCD touch-screen.

Tesla Model S Sedan Priced at $57,400

When it comes to thinking strategically, you’ve got to hand it to Tesla.

Take its Model S all-electric sedan, which follows on the heels of its successful Roadster. The Model S was originally envisioned as going for around $60k, but Tesla has just announced that it will start at $57,400. If you throw in the federal tax credit of $7,500, the price drops to $49,900, allowing Tesla to promote the Model S as an under-$50,000 vehicle.

Tesla will also argue that the vastly reduced cost of charging the car versus traditional gas fill-ups will add to an owner’s savings and allow the Model S to compete with cars that have much lower price tags.

More details are expected on March 26th when Tesla officially unveils the vehicle. And what do you know? Coincidentally, that’s the same day Toyota lifts the media embargo for reviews of the 2010 Toyota Prius.

Pretty savvy, Tesla.