Tesla Motors May Go Public in 2008 or 2009
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 02. 7.08
Can't afford a Tesla Roadster? Maybe you can afford a piece of the electric car company. Yesterday, Tesla chairman Elon Musk said: "I would say within end of this year or next year there is a good chance we would go public". He even let the door open to cooperation with other companies. "We occasionally have short conversations with other automakers," he said. This potential partner could be a U.S. company, "but there's a good chance it's not."
None of this is very surprising. Tesla will need lots of money to bring to market its second and third models, the White Star and Blue Star (code names). Each successive model is planned to be less expensive and sell more units. The White Star could be available in 2010 for around $50,000-$60,000, and the Blue Star will be "as affordable as possible" with a goal to move 100,000 units a year (though Musk didn't give a time frame). ::Reuters, ::First Production Electric Tesla Roadster Delivered
I think the blue one looks good.
As long as what is a viable product for a sustainable future carrys a price tag of 50,000 dollars there's a good chance that we won't be seeing too many of these electrics cars around. Henry Ford succeeded in changing the landscape and the independent mobility of his day by creating an affordable product for everyone.
50k. That's nothing. Just look at how many expensive SUVs and cars are all around in any US city.
Especially considering that with an electric car, you have almost no fuel costs...
With a 50k quality electric car, Tesla could sell more of them than they could produce.
Th!nk in Norway + Tesla = Commercial success for high end sports cars and standard commuter cars.
I'm not going to be able to justify to my wife why I need a 50K car. It could fart diamonds, and she would still frown at it. The next model is expected to be for around 30K. Better, but if a car company can come out with a 20K electric car, there would be millions on the road in the blink of an eye.
EVs can be designed very simple with hub motors and no transitions. Think of all the moving parts in a ICE . A hub motor EV only has 4 wheels in the propulsion system! I imagine there is a lot of potential for cost savings, especially on the maintenance when EVs become more mature. Tesla roadsters are going to be pricy because they are hand built. Once there is a large enough market, tooling can be developed to drive down manufacturing costs.
It's going to take more than a low price and wishful thinking to create a viable production car.
Tesla hasn't cracked the difficult part of electric cars, the energy storage. Their tiny light-weight two seater can only go 90 miles before needing recharging, and recharging is not a 2 minute visit to Mr. Electron, but a slow multi-hour event.
There is no way a $50,000 sports car is green no matter what it runs on. Automobile use and production is way too resource intensive for a planet of 6 billion people. Please stop giving free PR to car companies. Let them pay for it. Please focus on real solutions like rail, public transit and cycling.
Uhh, James, you are a dolt, or have some vested interest in straight up lying about the Tesla Roadster. 90 miles...blatant lie or blatant inability to simply read the specs on the car. Shame on you.
Try 200+ miles, dummy.
"Please focus on real solutions like rail, public transit and cycling."
These are cool, but if you think these are the only "real solutions", you need to drink a shot of realism.
Me, I want my cradle to cradle electric car built and run with clean energy.
I don't get it, how is using an electric car better for the environment? Most of the time you are getting that energy from a power plant running off of coal, which has the worst emissions of any fossil fuel. Not to mention, the batteries involved with making this car are probably nearly impossible to dispose of properly. An electric car is only good for a person trying to save money on gas, but with a 50K Tesla, the cost savings may be insignificant anyway. Better fuel efficiency=increased car demand=decreased personal transportation efficiency=greater use of raw materials (including oil that helps make plastics, lubrication, and the roads the Tesla will drive on).
Actually, batteries are recyclable (even worth money), not really a problem.
And even on coal, electric cars still pollute less than a Prius, for example (it's in Tesla's white paper). But at least with electricity, you can clean up the source and make it 100% emission free eventually..
In addition, Fisker Automotive Inc., an Irvine, Calif.-based maker of "green" sports cars, has raised $20 million in second-round funding led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, according to a regulatory filing. The company had announced the deal last month, but without a dollar amount. Fisker previously raised a $5.5 million first round led by Palo Alto Investors. Both rounds were placed by ThomasLloyd Capital. It plans to roll out its first cars in Q4 2009. Should be another great car to check out!
The scary part (to me at least) is that whomever buys controlling interest has the ability to make or break the company. I'd love to invest in Tesla, and will if opportunity arises. But who has more money than big oil? Most nations don't have their money.
The larger format NiMH batteries that could run an EV were bought up by General Motors, who then scrapped (literally) the EV-1 program and sold big oil the rights to the batteries. Is it any wonder that big oil will not allow those very same batteries to be manufactured?
All this said, I'd prefer Tesla stay in private hands as to become BP / Chevron / Exxon / etc Big Oils next casualty.
Does most car owners need to go 200miles per day? It seems like that the technology needed is right here right now. Perhaps it is simply a question of cost? If so, then slap on a 5000 USD tax on ICE cars. Problem solved.
To James Blit: I think your numbers are heinously incorrect... here is the distance between charges from Tesla ...it's not even close to 90 miles.
"Actual range depends on driving style and conditions. During testing of prototypes cars, Tesla Motors has seen between 170 miles per charge for very spirited driving to 267 miles per charge for city driving that makes use of the Roadster's regenerative braking. Our most recent EPA driving cycle tests, conducted November 26-30, 2007, at an EPA-certified facility, resulted in the following numbers:
* 230 mi EPA city
* 211 mi EPA highway
* 221 mi EPA combined (city/highway)
Keep in mind that Tesla Motors is in the midst of final development and testing for the Tesla Roadster. While we are confident in our most recent numbers, the final results will be dependent on the car's specifications at series production. We will update our EPA range numbers once we have fully tested a production Roadster, expected in early 2008."
I myself am truly excited to see the Tesla coming to production. The platform is a bold step towards future thought and possibilities. Being based on an already fantastic chassis will only help as well. As for the fuel mileage issue, I don't think anyone here has even thought of the fact that the Elise gets 22 city/ 25 highway (courtesy Fueleconomy.gov) and has only an 8 gallon tank. I'm no Scientologist but I think that means you can drive further in the Tesla. There's plenty of greenies in this big new world that still like to drive performance vehicles. I' will buy as much stock as I can afford.