Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve recently had the chance to get closer than ever with the Model S, taking off the covers from a rolling prototype and gazing longingly at the fingerprints on its giant, Tegra-powered 17-inch central display inside. Now Tesla is showing what else is inside — inside the sheet metal, though. Tesla and its VP of Vehicle Engineering, Peter Rawlinson, have taken the time to release three videos showing the construction and development of the car, giving us a tantalizing view of the frame.

Looking at the above picture the amount of cross-bracing on the front structure is impressive, resulting in what should be a very twist-averse chassis that loves being slung through the twisties. What remains to be seen, however, is how well it will hustle the weight of its battery pack around. We’re just going to wait for a test drive to find out.

Continue reading Tesla shows us what the Model S looks like on the inside (video)

Tesla shows us what the Model S looks like on the inside (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll get this out of the way up front: no, we didn’t get to drive it. In fact we didn’t even get to sit in its creamy white seats, a tragedy that we’re still a little sensitive about. But we did get to open the door of the Tesla Model S, testing out the trick powered door handles that motor themselves out after a touch and then, when the door is closed, zip back flush to the sheet metal. It’s a nice detail, one that we think would probably lose its ability to inspire wonder after about a week. But, for now, it’s cool. Check out a video of that and other details below.

Continue reading Tesla Model S is bundled up at CES, we unwrap it (video)

Tesla Model S is bundled up at CES, we unwrap it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The path to availability for cars of the future is one wrought with roadblocks, potholes, and indeed IEDs — increasingly expensive developments. This was most recently seen with Fisker’s Karma getting a price boost up to $95,900, a hefty jump over initial $80,000 estimates, but Tesla is taking this chance to give new reassurances that its Model S sedan’s price of $57,000 is comfortable. That’s largely thanks to smaller Li-Ion batteries, which are similar to those used in laptops and, according to Musk, will be swappable as a single unit. This type of batteries are much less expensive to produce than the large, monolithic packs used in the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt, about $200 per kWH vs. $750 for Nissan’s. That’s cheap enough for Tesla to assure that it can still make a profit on the Model S, despite its cost being set at roughly half that of the Roadster. Will that still be the case when it hits production in 2012? We can’t wait to find out.

Update: Defendor commented with a link to this CNET article in which Elon Musk indicates the battery pack will be swappable too. The post was updated to mention this.

Tesla assures $57k Model S will be profitable, sexy looking too originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Jan 2011 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay, so executives at Panasonic probably aren’t in any big hurry to get ahead in the long, long wait for a Model S, but a $30 million gift could probably get ’em just that. Panny has this week sunk quite a few bills into Tesla by way of a common stock purchase, and while the two have expressed fondness for each other before, this kind of investment doesn’t happen without a serious tie-up being in the works. Of course, Panasonic just so happens to be the planet’s leading battery cell manufacturer, and as of now, it’s being called Tesla’s “preferred lithium-ion battery cell supplier for its battery packs.” So yeah, you know where to look first when things start overheating, melting or spontaneously erupting in flames.

Continue reading Panasonic sinks $30 million into Tesla, begs for an earlier Model S build

Panasonic sinks $30 million into Tesla, begs for an earlier Model S build originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 03:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla Motors is pretty proud of the fact that it decided to recall 439 Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 vehicles after a single one saw “a short, smoke and possible fire behind the right front headlamp,” but a fire hazard in every one of 439 shipping products isn’t exactly a ratio to be boasting about. At any rate, nearly a third of its 1,300 vehicles sold are affected by the recall, which “involves the 12v low voltage auxiliary cable from a redundant back up system that provides power to various systems, including the headlamps, taillights, turn signals and hazard lights, and airbags in the unlikely event the primary 12V power fails or drops below a minimum threshold value.” The repair involves checking the routing of the 12V low voltage auxiliary cable and installing a protective sleeve over it, and it should take around an hour to complete. Unless, of course, you’re the Tesla owner residing on the north shore of Kauai. Yeah, we’re talking to you… Mr. Guy with “TESLA” on his Hawaii plate.

[Thanks, Jim]

Continue reading Tesla recalls 439 Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 electric cars due to fire hazard

Tesla recalls 439 Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 electric cars due to fire hazard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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