Keeping the pot on boil: Tesla releases more Model S photos

Tesla Model S zips around a track using only electrons

Up until now, I have been skeptical of electric-only cars. For the most part, these vehicles have been cramped, expensive affairs with high price tags and limited driving range.

Catch a slideshow of the Tesla Model S by clicking here.

Time marches on and we are beginning to see real progress in this field. Tesla first came to the market with the Lotus Elise based Roadster and it was an impressive performer but was still priced much too high and had very limited functionality. While I still believe that plugin hybrids are the next logical step, electric only cars such as the forthcoming Nissan Leaf and Telsa Model S prove that you no longer have to be Ed Begley Jr. to live the electric car dream.

This Model S will start at about $50K (after tax incentives) and will offer a standard range of 160 to 300 miles depending on the battery pack chosen. The Model S will offer seating for up to 5 adults and 2 child seats.

"Model S doesn't compromise on performance, efficiency or utility -- it's truly the only car you need," said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. "Tesla is relentlessly driving down the cost of electric vehicle technology, and this is just the first of many mainstream cars we're developing."

The Model S, along with the Nissan Leaf, are steps in the right direction. However, I am still dubious of any car that does not have a range extending gasoline engine. This concern is less if the range is truly 300 miles, but anything below 160 miles would make me quite nervous. We will have to see where the economy and gasoline prices are when the Model S debuts in late 2011.

For more info: Visit Tesla Motors website.

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NUMMI is no match for Tesla

NUMMI's future is very cloudy

With Toyota's overcapacity issues, Pontiac Vibe assembly over and General Motors out, the future of Fremont, CA's New United Motor Manufacturing Inc (NUMMI) is very, very bleak.

Catch a slideshow of NUMMI in this link.

One hope held by some Bay Area locals was that upstart Tesla, which just received a large helping of Federal loans, could make a home at NUMMI. However, those hopes were dimmed with the announcement of Tesla's new Palo Alto digs for the assembly of its powertrains and corporate headquarters.

Tesla still needs a facility to build its Model S , but the company says that NUMMI is far too large.

"We need about 500,000 square feet for our plant and NUMMI is 5 million" says Rachel Konrad, a spokeswoman for the electric-car company told Automotive News. "The auto industry isn't the only segment of the California economy that has been struggling. We have a lot of mothballed plants to choose from. There are some aerospace and chip factories around here that have closed."

Some cruel irony for NUMMI has been the fact that the cash for clunkers program has upped demand for the Corolla, causing Toyota to hire new workers at NUMMI temporarily to meet demand.

Most reports have it that Toyota will end production at NUMMI by March 2010. The plant is Toyota's only UAW facility and it operates in a high cost area. However, there are a few things to consider. California is extremely important to the company and Toyota must weigh any backlash carefully. Also, Toyota's new president, Akio Toyoda, spent part of his early career running the facility that was opened by his father. California is trying to sweeten the pot for Toyota as well, with all sorts of tax breaks, loans and even cheap electricity.

No matter the costs, emotions, rallies and incentives, Toyota will likely make its official announcement that it is pulling the plug on NUMMI by the end of August. The impact of losing 4,500 workers and countless related jobs is a hard reality for a state rocked by economic turmoil and a town that has also lost the Oakland A's.

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Cha-Ching! Ford, Nissan and Tesla expected to receive advanced technology government loans

According to Associated Press sources, the Energy Department will announce on Tuesday that Ford, Nissan and Tesla will be receiving loans from a $25 billion fund setup to help the development of fuel-efficient vehicles. GM and Chrysler have been excluded from the first round of funding because of a stipulation that the loans only go to "financially viable" companies. Although the program is not limited to electric or hybrid technologies, all three companies have electric vehicles either in production or in the works.

The loan program was created in 2007 legislation but not funded until last fall. According to the official rules of the application process, the loans are intended to help with the costs of reequipping, expanding, and establishing manufacturing facilities in the United States to produce advanced technology vehicles, and components for such vehicles. These vehicles must provide meaningful improvements in fuel economy performance.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu is scheduled to make an official announcement on the loans in Dearborn, Michigan.

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French Property + Tesla Roadsters = Match Made In Heaven?

A real estate development called Welcome in France is offering a free Tesla Roadster with every purchase of one of its homes in a new ecological luxury-housing development on the outskirts of Paris. The development will use solar panels, geothermal energy, and its own water treatment facility, among other things. The story hails from our friends over at Le Blog Auto.

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