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Remember a few dozen years ago when we heard the first batch of 100 Tesla Roadsters had sold out? Us neither, but we’re assuming those were heady days. Since then we’ve seen delays, setbacks and untimely retirements, but Tesla Motors claims it finally has the car under production, and is naturally taking orders for the 2009 run — 900 cars have been reserved so far. Despite the concrete language in this press release, we’ll believe it when these silent beasts start hitting the road. And run our cycling-asses down.

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Source: Paul Miller

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Filed under: Transportation

Tesla Motors sure has been doing a lot of explaining about its all-electric Tesla Roadster since it first announced it way back when, and it’s now aiming to clear up what it says is another common misconception about the car: that it’s a converted Lotus Elise. According to Tesla’s Darryl Siry, the total number of shared parts between the cars is actually “under 7%,” and that “if you were to try to convert an Elise to a Tesla and started throwing away parts that aren’t carried over what you would basically be left with a windshield, dashboard (complete with airbags!), front wishbones and a removable soft top.” He does admit, however, that the remaining pieces (particularly the dashboard and steering wheel) are so noticeable that they give drivers the impression of an Elise, as we’ve seen in some of the road tests of the vehicle. If you’re still not convinced, you can find Siry’s full, lengthy explanation at the read link below.

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Source: Donald Melanson

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Filed under: Transportation

Tesla VP of Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Service, Darryl Siry, set the record straight on the whole airbag wavier thing: in case it wasn’t already clear, the Roadster does indeed have driver and passenger airbags. The waiver was regarding the fact that currently “front passenger airbag does not vary its deployment based on the weight of the passenger,” and thus needed the waiver not unlike other boutique automakers (he cites the Ferrari F430 as an example). Of course, this misunderstandings and misinformation might have been mitigated if Telsa just addressed the issue at the time (instead of waiting a month after the fact); we can only hope their non-metaphoric airbags don’t take as long to deploy.

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Source: Ryan Block

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Filed under: Transportation

Tesla VP of Sales, Marketing, and Service, Darryl Siry, set the record straight on the whole airbag wavier thing: in case it wasn’t already clear, the Roadster does indeed have driver and passenger airbags. The waiver was regarding the fact that currently “front passenger airbag does not vary its deployment based on the weight of the passenger,” and thus needed the waiver not unlike other boutique automakers (he cites the Ferrari F430 as an example). Of course, this misunderstandings and misinformation might have been mitigated if Tesla just addressed the issue at the time (instead of waiting a month after the fact); we can only hope their non-metaphoric airbags don’t take as long to deploy.

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Source: Ryan Block

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Filed under: Transportation

Apparently when you’re saving the planet with an all-electric car, there’s no need to kill yourself over safety. The Tesla Roadster has been granted a waiver in regards to advanced air bags by the NHTSA, since the “public interest is served by encouraging the development of fuel-efficient and alternative-fueled vehicles.” Standard air bags are still included, and Tesla apparently tried to comply with the advanced requirement, but told the NHTSA that it’s in the hole financially, and would have to cancel the planned sedan and “ultimately have to terminate its operations” if forced to go through with the fancy air bags. All 2008 Roadsters have been pre-sold, and Tesla is supposed to start delivering the cars in Q1 2008.

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Source: Paul Miller

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It’s shots like these of the Tesla Roadster getting pwned passing those federal safety tests that make vast government bureaucracy worth it, don’t you think? A full gallery over at AutoBlog.

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Source: Nilay Patel

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It’s been a long time coming, but Tesla Motors CEO and co-founder Martin Eberhard is now saying that the company’s first batch of all-electric Tesla Roadsters will “definitely ship” by October or November of this year. That’s a bit later than the the summer release that had been anticipated, but that date apparently had to be pushed back after the company was forced to change transmission vendors. This latest delay also follows a slight scaling back of range targets earlier this year, although neither set-back seems to have been enough to get any of the 600 or so buyers already lined up to ask for their $100,000 back. According to Reuters, Tesla plans to make 1,000 2008 model year cars, which you’ll soon be able to check out a dealership likely not near you. After that, the company the company plans to produce a five-passenger sedan dubbed the “White Star,” which it says will sell for between $50,000 and $65,000, although likely not before the 2010 model year at the earliest.

[Via Motor Authority]

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Source: Donald Melanson

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