Tesla Chairman Says His Company, Daimler to Launch Two Affordable EVs Soon; He Also Says Next-Generation Roadster Will Have Four Seats and Optional AWD
By Scott Doggett June 2, 2009
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
Tesla Motors and partner Daimler AG plan to launch two plug-in electric vehicles in the near future. And Tesla on its own will be replacing the current-generation Roadster -- its first car -- with a larger, four-seat sports car in 2013, company chairman, product architect and CEO Elon Musk said in a freewheeling e-mail exchange Monday night with Green Car Advisor.
Tesla and Daimler, working as partners, will come out with not one but two new plug-in electric vehicles in the next few years, starting with the already announced Smart EV roadster (pictured) late this year, followed by another affordable, zero-emissions electric vehicle. That second EV has never before been discussed publicly.
Additionally, Tesla will independently replace the current two-seat Roadster with a larger, four-seat sports car sometime in 2013, Musk said, adding that that vehicle will be available in hardtop and convertible models, and with rear-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive.
With regard to the Smart EV, Musk disclosed that Tesla and Daimler "have been working on an 'everyman' car for over one and a half years. It is the Smart EV and the first of those vehicles will be on the road by the end of this year."
Final pricing on the battery-electric Smart car "is up to Daimler, but I know that this car will cost a lot less than $30,000 once it achieves mass production. The reason we originally started working with Daimler was because we saw this as the fastest path to putting affordable electric cars on the road," Musk said in the interview by e-mail.
Very Hush Hush
Daimler has been real-world testing Smart EVs in London for a year and a half, but not until last month did the German automotive giant disclose that it was working with Tesla Motors.
Musk (pictured) said that in addition to the Smart EV, "there is also another major vehicle program that we will be doing with Daimler and that was part of the investment deal and would also fit into the 'everyman' category."
He said that both Daimler and Tesla alluded to that vehicle in their joint May 19 news conference in Stuttgart, "although it didn't get picked up much. [We watched the entire conference live via Webcast and didn't pick up on it, so go figure.] Details will probably be announced around the end of this year."
The deal to which Musk referred was the strategic partnership, announced May 19, formed between Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz and inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile, and Tesla, the Silicon Valley newbie that remains the only automaker currently producing highway-capable battery-electric cars sold in North America.
As a condition of their partnership, Daimler acquired a 10 percent equity stake in San Carlos, California-based Tesla. The deal will provide Daimler with advanced lithium batteries, a seat on Tesla's board of directors and the know-how needed to bring an electric car to market as quickly as possible.
Taking on the Turbo Carrera
Regarding the Tesla Roadster replacement, Musk said he'd "like to be very clear that we are not working on it right now." Instead, he offered information on "where I see the next-generation Roadster going."
That direction would have the new sports car built off the core Model S platform, so it won't come out until a year or so after the Model S sedan, Tesla's second model, starts production in 2011, Musk said.
Musk, who owns a Porsche Turbo Carrera in addition to a Tesla Roadster, said the only reason he drives the Porsche "is that it has two backseats for my kids, otherwise I would only drive the Roadster."
He said the Porsche feels slow to respond compared with the Roadster, particularly when passing at highway speeds. "It is worth noting," he said, "that our Roadster beats the Porsche GT3 on the Top Gear test track. The Roadster Sport, due out next month, will do even better."
Musk described the next-gen sports car from Tesla as being a four-seater, like the Turbo Carrera, but with backseats that are 20 percent larger than those of the Porsche. The backseats will be capable of handling someone up to 5 feet 6 inches tall in comfort, Musk said, adding that the trunk space will be nearly twice that of the turbocharged Porsche.
The Roadster replacement hasn't an internal code name yet, Musk said, let alone a name for public consumption. He said the vehicle's chassis and final assembly will be made by Tesla at the same undisclosed -- and possibly still undetermined -- California location as the upcoming Model S sedan.
LEAVE A COMMENT