Tesla Hires Chrysler Exec to Become VP of Engineering and Manufacturing
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.11.08
Tesla Motors Gains Credibility
Making cars is hard, and Tesla is trying to improve its luck by hiring Mike Donoughe, a former Chrysler executive who has shown in the past that he can get things done. He will become Tesla Motors' Vice President of vehicle engineering and manufacturing. Mr. Donoughe could have got a job at any car company, so it's a good sign that he thinks the future is in electric cars, and it's also a vote of confidence for young Californian electric car company.
Next Step: Model S
And Tesla will need all the smart people it can get if it wants its next electric car, the 4 doors, 5 passengers, built-in-California 'Model S' sporty sedan.
Donoughe said in a statement:
"I joined the Tesla team because I am enthusiastic about Tesla's objective to integrate their disruptive EV technology into mainstream automobiles. Tesla is creating vehicles that appeal to customers looking for environmentally sound & energy efficient solutions without compromising on functionality and performance. I look forward to contributing to these efforts as a part of the Tesla team."
We sure hope you can help Tesla make it happen!
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Can't wait to see what the model S will look like
Perhaps Mr. Donoughe can help to explain to the folks at Tesla that the average family can't really afford $60,000+ for a simple 5-passenger sedan, no matter how 'green' it is.
It's nice to have companies out there like Tesla pushing new technologies, but they just don't have the volume or manufacturing capacity to make their vehicles cost-effective for mainstream consumers. Real progress in electric vehicle technology is going to have to come from the major auto makers. Until then, cars like this are just going to be show-pieces for the Hollywood types.
Uh... is that a gas cap I see in that pic?
Wrong. The Next Step is actually manufacturing and delivering the first model. Nobody in the press is reporting responsibly on this company, who have promised a lot, but have yet to deliver on it. The Tesla Roadster has not been delivered to any customers yet, nor has anyone been able to independently verify the claimed range.
"Wrong. The Next Step is actually manufacturing and delivering the first model."
No kidding, fail to do that and comparisons to Zap will come out.
They have driving models of the Tesla, so can't be much longer (I hope)!
"Perhaps Mr. Donoughe can help to explain to the folks at Tesla that the average family can't really afford $60,000+ for a simple 5-passenger sedan, no matter how 'green' it is."
Compare it to the competition, and the Tesla's are inexpensive. The Roadster kills some ferraris for a fraction of the price, and the Model S is probably going to smoke BMW M5s.
You have to debut a new tech upmarket. The first cell phones were not sold in Wal Mart.
"Uh... is that a gas cap I see in that pic?"
Probably where you plug it in.
"Compare it to the competition, and the Tesla's are inexpensive."
Not really. The Tesla Roadster is (literally) an electric Lotus Elise, but it's around $50,000 more expensive. That's a much better direct comparison than something like a Ferrari F430, which is in a different league in almost any measure. I'm in the market for an Elise, which gets good mileage for a sports car incidentally (low 20s), but I'm not willing to pay a $50k premium for some batteries and an electric motor. $20k? Maybe.
If I had posted first, I would have said my usual "queue anti-Tesla wingnuts".
All of you have just elected NOT to buy stock when they go public. That's fine.
"The Tesla Roadster is (literally) an electric Lotus Elise, but it's around $50,000 more expensive. "
Does the Elise do 0-60 in about 4 seconds? Is it cleaner than a Prius?
And since half the point of getting an exotic sports car is the exclusivity and how much attention you get, is the Elise anywhere near as exclusive and head-turning as a Tesla?
I don't think so.
Bottom line......this car is for a hyper specific market segment. Still, it, and others in its class, totally rock!
"Does the Elise do 0-60 in about 4 seconds? Is it cleaner than a Prius?"
Elise SC 0-60 mph: 4.4 sec. We still don't know what the Tesla is good for, because they still haven't delivered a working transmission. Is the Elise as clean? That depends on how we account for all the Li-ion batteries in the Tesla, but I wasn't arguing that it was cleaner, I was arguing that the Tesla is not inexpensive compared to comparable cars.
"And since half the point of getting an exotic sports car is the exclusivity and how much attention you get, is the Elise anywhere near as exclusive and head-turning as a Tesla?"
I would disagree. The Elise isn't exactly a common sight. Apart from ones owned by people I know, I've only seen a handful on the road in my life. I think it's better looking, but that's a matter of personal preference. I like the Tesla, I find it very appealing. I'm just not willing to pay that much premium for an electric drivetrain.