Tesla Roadster Sets Record for EV Range

The Global Green Challenge in the Australian Outback featured a new world record for distance by a production battery-powered vehicle. Simon Hackett, owner of a 2008 Tesla Roadster, made it a whopping 313 miles, shattering the previous range record, Tesla says.

The Roadster, which uses only a lithium-ion battery pack to power it, had three miles left on its charge when it crossed the finish line in South Australia. This beat the previous distance record for an electric vehicle of 241 miles set by another Roadster in April, as well as the 244 miles the car managed on the EPA test cycle.

As a sports car, the Roadster is capable of leaping from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, but obviously Hackett and his passenger couldn’t have tested that on this trip if they wanted to maximize their distance. They are better men than most: on an empty Australian highway, I doubt I’d be able to resist the temptation to test the Roadster’s driving performance.

While the Roadster’s $100k-plus price remains prohibitive for most, Tesla serves as an example that battery-powered cars can achieve impressive range.

2010|Tesla|Roadster

2010 Tesla Roadster: Through Ian's Lens

Nikola Tesla is best remembered for being at the forefront of electrical engineering at the turn of the 20th century. Forget the cheesy early 1990s hair-metal music references, Tesla was a groundbreaking inventor who helped create the alternating-current electric power system, and he’s also one of the first pioneers of wireless communication, more commonly known as the modern radio. His mark on modern science is indelible and indisputable. What a perfect name for an electric car company.

The 2010 Tesla Roadster’s body design is based on the Lotus Elise with a couple of unique differences. To offset the electric engine and drivetrain weight, Tesla uses carbon fiber body panels wrapped around an aluminum frame. My favorite angle of the Tesla Roadster is its profile because it reminds me of the new Ferrari California with inklings of Ford GT and even some slight Porsche lines.

Besides the lines and interior of the Roadster, the logo and badge designs are gorgeous pieces unto themselves. Tesla spared no expense when designing a brand that will hopefully be around for a long while. Check out more photos below and an interview with the owner of this beauty here. 

Q&A With a Tesla Owner

For all the hype they’ve received, plug-in electric cars like the Mini E and Tesla Roadster have made only slight inroads among U.S. drivers. California-based Tesla — and its Roadster that retails for $109,000 — is among the more prominent examples, with the likes of talk-show host Jay Leno and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger seen taking a spin in it.

What’s it like to actually own one? Carl Walters of Palatine, Ill., took delivery of his Tesla in July. We spoke with Walters — a 74-year-old retired electrical engineer who admits he’s not a sports-car guy — about his ownership experience thus far. Read on for excerpts.

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. 

Bank of America to Finance Tesla Roadster

The all-electric Tesla Roadster comes with a hefty $109,000 price tag, but Bank of America hopes to put the Roadster within reach of more than just the wealthy.

Bank of America will finance the purchase of Tesla vehicles for qualified borrowers. These customers will be eligible for a loan of up to 75% of the car’s value and will have up to five years to pay it off.

OK, so we really meant, “Bank of America hopes to put the Roadster within reach of the kinda-still-pretty-wealthy, too.”

Ken Bensinger of the Los Angeles Times helpfully points out that a 75% loan means you will effectively end up having to put down $30,000 once you account for sales tax and registration fees (though he’s assuming you’re an L.A. resident). The $7,500 tax credit won’t kick in until tax season.

Then all that’s left is to make your payments — with monthly interest, which at an annual rate of 5% could have you spending an extra $12,000 on a Tesla.

Still, if you really want a Tesla Roadster but don’t quite feel comfortable laying out $100 grand in this economy, that Bank of America loan might be your ticket.

Bank of America to Finance Tesla Roadster Purchases (Los Angeles Times)

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.

Tesla to Open Chicago Dealership This Spring

Upscale electric-car maker Tesla announced it will open its first dealership outside California this spring in Chicago. The company is still trying to build enough of its Roadster to meet original orders, and has plans to launch a less expensive electric sedan later this year.

Chicago seems like an ideal place for the sedan to take off, as we see countless high-end sedans commuting into the city, where Cars.com is based.

However, speaking as locals, we’re curious as to why Tesla chose the River West neighborhood to open its shop. While the location at 1053 W. Grand is large enough for the company’s needs, it’s not a part of the street that gets walk-by traffic, nor is there plentiful parking anywhere nearby.  

In fact, driving that stretch of Grand heading toward downtown you wouldn’t even notice this building. The only benefit would be that perhaps people passing by on the Kennedy Expressway — especially the Ohio offramp which heads straight downtown — would see a billboard or signage and have their interest piqued.   

A location in the trendier West Loop, with its many restaurants and shops, would have seemed like a more natural fit to us.

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