Tesla Talk

Popular Mechanics test drive report

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:22:30 -0600

Ben Stewart over at Popular Mechanics' auto blog took the Tesla Roadster for a test drive at Pebble Beach. In addition to some nice photos, he has some interesting comments about secondary noises that are still being ironed out:

The downside of a relatively silent powertrain is that other sounds naturally get amplified. Stuff you'd need a trained ear to hear on a regular car. On this prototype we could clearly detect the chassis bushings squeaking. Our co-pilot, Mike Harrigan, Tesla's VP of Sales and Service tells us that those noises are being addressed now. The second round of cars, the Evaluation Prototypes, should be nearly squeak and creak free.

He also mentions that the Roadster was locked in second gear for the test drive but doesn't say why -- anybody know? Link

Exclusive Tesla Roadster photos from Concours d'Elegance

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 02:02:39 -0600

We were able to take some great Roadster photos at the Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach CA today. Here is the first set of photos, more to come! We also got some great information on the Roadster from Tesla staff that we'll post shortly. (Did you know the Roadster's battery weighs 800 pounds? Or that the motor should be able to live for at least 400,000 miles?)

Note: the labels on the charging station are hard to read here, but say "READY", "GROUND FAULT", "SMOKE DETECTED", "CABLE STRAIN", and "CHARGING FAULT". The label at the bottom of the unit says "ACE Charging Station" with the number "154" below it. The knob has two positions, "ON" and "OFF".

Concours d'Elegance photos on Flickr

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 13:07:23 -0600

Photos from the Concours d'Elegance show have been coming in steadily on Flickr. Click here to see them. We will be showing some exclusive Tesla Roadster photos from the Concours later today! In the meantime cruise over to Flickr to gawk at the incredible array of vehicles. Autoblog has a nice array of photos from the Tour d'Elegance, including a shot of the Tesla Roadster, here. Update: LiveJournal user rabitguy has posted some great photos from the Concours, including several pictures of the Tesla Roadster. See them here and here (second link contains Tesla photos). Update: Kevin Yu has posted a nice set of photos from the Concours, and has some Tesla shots in there. See them here. (via motorpulse) Update: Autospies has posted several Tesla photos. Shot of Roadster, and the color chart display, here. Full photo gallery from the Concours d'Elegance, including several Roadster photos, here.

Tesla wallpaper released!

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 17:40:49 -0600

Unless you go back and re-read the comments on the Tesla Motors blog daily, you could easily have missed the small comment that was posted today below Martin's latest post, announcing the availability of Tesla Motors wallpaper! Hurrah... go out and get it while it is hot. It makes me wish I had four monitors :)

First 100 Tesla Roadsters sell out

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 13:45:35 -0600

Good news for the company, all 100 of their available first round of Roadsters sold out. That's 63 vehicles sold in under 30 days since the July 19th unveiling; a pretty nice clip for the first set of vehicles (not to mention the first $10 million in revenue) -- most startups would kill to get their first $10 million in orders booked in under 30 days from demo'ing their v1 product! Link

Tesla Roadster showing in Pebble Beach

Mon, 14 Aug 2006 09:00:28 -0600

The Tesla Roadster is showing at the Tour d'Elegance in Pebble Beach, CA on Thursday this week! If you can't make it on Thursday, it will be showing at the Concours d'Elegance until Sunday, August 20. Tickets start at $150, so it isn't exactly cheap, but the show is a pretty amazing lineup of concept and collector vehicles. Link