Chris Paine has the best adventures. He had his somewhat niche documentary film Who Killed The Electric Car? turn into a national sensation and then he got stopped by the cops hours after getting his Tesla Roadster. Granted, those aren't exactly the same thing, but they both make for a great tale.

Here's what happened: cruising through LA the night he got his electric sportscar, Paine saw a Los Angeles Sheriff patrol car pull behind him on Ventura Boulevard. The lights started flashing and Paine was worried his "acceleration experiments" might have drawn their attention. Instead, it was the new car's lack of plates that caught the cops' eyes. That's when the officers noticed that they hadn't pulled over just any LA speed car, but an electric vehicle instead. Read their excited response to finding out just what they'd caught over at the Revenge of the Electric Car blog.

[Source: Revenge of the Electric Car]

When the Detroit automakers went to Washington to press their case for financial assistance to get through their current cash crunch, the hope was to get $25 billion from the $700 billion fund that was set up to bail out Wall Street. The Bush administration was having none of that however, and by the time the CEOs headed home, the only idea that was getting any traction was to free up the money that had been set aside in the 2007 Energy Bill to fund development of more efficient cars. The Detroit 3 however, were not the only ones eyeing that pot of money. Tesla Motors is just one of groups applying for low interest loans from what is known as the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Incentive Program (AVTM) fund. In a new post on the Tesla Motors blog, Vice President of Business Development Diarmuid O'Connell doesn't express an opinion one way or the other on whether Congress should help Detroit. However, he does make it clear that the Silicon Valley EV company doesn't believe the AVTM fund should be used as the source of the bailout. The same finance market issues that have put the Detroit companies in jeopardy have hurt Tesla's plans to raise cash to pay for new manufacturing facilities and development of new vehicles. Tesla needs a piece of that pie.

[Source: Tesla Motors]

Uh oh. Rumors suggest that Porsche isn't all that impressed with the all-electric lithium-ion powered 911 from longtime tuning company Ruf. Not that the German automaker is giving up on electric sportscars completely or anything... in fact it's quite the opposite. Porsche is developing its own electric machine without the help of any outside companies, at least in the traditional sense. According to Tesla Motors, officials from Porsche have stopped by to take a good long look at the Roadster. It seems that they were interested enough to place an order for one of the $100K-plus electric sportscars, though Porsche will have to wait its turn just like everyone else that has put down their deposits. One can only assume that the car will be put through its paces, compared with models from the German automaker's own stable and summarily taken apart bit by bit just to see how it all ticks. Sounds like we won't be waiting too long for a Porsche versus Tesla run 'round the 'Ring after all.


[Source: Inside Line]

Brabus is a German tuning company best known for its work on cars from Mercedes-Benz and Smart. At the Essen Motor Show later this month, the company will show off its latest handiwork for none other than the Tesla Roadster. Those who get bored with the near silent hum of the electric motor will now be able to get a new "Space Sound Generator" that provides simulated audio tracks including a V8 engine, a race engine or various synthetic futuristic sounds like "Beam" and "Warp." Visual "enhancements" include a matte white paint finish, LED running lamps in the front air intake and the always classy under-body neon lightning. Since the electric sports car doesn't provide Brabus the option of extracting more power out of the engine as tuning firm typically does, the only real functional enhancement is a new wheel and tire package. Pirelli P Zero Nero tires are wrapped around 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels. Brabus would also be more than happy to take your money to do whatever level of customization you desire to the Roadster's interior, as well. Now, there's just that pesky problem of actually getting a Roadster.


[Source: Brabus]

Note to Tesla Roadster owners in California: your purchase entitles you to a rebate of $5,000 from the California Air Resources Board, better known as CARB. Martin Eberhard, one of the first men to get his hands on a Tesla and one of the founding members of the company, has just received his confirmation letter in the mail that he'll be getting the rebate. Other vehicles also get CARB rebates, but the Tesla Roadster is the only highway-capable electric vehicle that qualifies for the maximum rebate of $5K.

To qualify for this particular rebate, you must first take delivery of your car and register it properly in the State of California. After that's complete, you can apply for the rebate directly. For his part, Martin says that he wasn't aware that his Roadster qualified for any CARB rebates. Any Tesla owners who care to comment on whether they were informed of or have received the rebate can do so in the comments.

[Source: Tesla Founders Blog]

Ten people are scheduled to be let go from Tesla Motors UK at its Hethel facility in Norfolk. The UK facility is the starting point for Tesla Roadsters, which see their first light of day outside the Lotus factory where the guts are welded and bonded together from aluminum. In the interest of sounding a bit more palatable, the official reason for their departure is that they have been "made redundant." Note to automakers, we know what that means... just be honest. While ten people doesn't seem to be a big number, it actually represents a fifth of the total number of workers employed by Tesla Motors at that facility. For those who like to keep track of such things, that places the workforce at 40 persons, which, for those who aren't so good at math, is down from 50. The good news is that Tesla Roadster production is not expected to be affected.


[Source: Autocar]

It's not all bad news for Tesla today. With the lawsuit with Fisker now over and done with, Tesla can get back to focusing on making and delivering vehicles. One way to get more Roadsters out the door is through an injection of $40 million in convertible debt financing that was recently approved by the company board. Last week, Elon Musk said the company was sitting on around $9 million and was about to close a round of funding worth $20 million.

So, what is "convertible debt financing"? Entrepreneur.com says it's "simply a loan (a debt obligation) that can be turned into equity (stock ownership), generally upon the occurrence of future financing" and is a good way for start-ups to raise money. Musk likes the process and said in a statement that, "Forty million is significantly more than we need. However, the board, investors and I felt it was important to have significant cash reserves."

UPDATE: added Tesla's official announcement after the jump.

[Source: Reuters]

This past April, the troubles between Henrik Fisker (of Fisker Automotive) and Tesla Motors resulted in a lawsuit. Tesla filed the suit against Fisker Automotive accusing Fisker of stealing insider information (he did some work on the design of the Tesla Whitestar/Model S sedan) for his own company. In May, Fisker asked that the suit be sent to arbitration and that happened in June. The arbitration court has now decided the case in Fisker's favor.

Fisker Automotive said the ruling "completely vindicates" Fisker. In a statement, one of Fisker's lawyers, Thomas Newmeyer, said, "The finding by the Arbitrator says it all. My clients have been completely vindicated of any wrongdoing." Tesla's Darryl Siry told AutoblogGreen that the only comment the company is the same one he gave Autoweek: "We disagree with the ruling, and we're focused on producing and shipping cars to our customers." They'll be able to do that $40 million in convertible debt financing announced today. More on that in a bit. Thanks to rs for the tip!

[Source: Autoweek]

Tesla Motors and it's man in charge, Elon Musk, have had to make some tough decisions these past few weeks. The announcements made by Musk indicate that cash is getting tight, leading some to speculate that the company won't be in business much longer. Not so, says Tesla. Musk has reportedly personally guaranteed that the fledgling automaker would deliver all Roadsters to customers that have placed deposits, saying, "I have the means and wherewithal to do so. So people should have absolutely zero concern about their deposit." While the Roadster's production is moving forward as planned, the automaker's Model S sedan has been delayed by at least six months.

Tesla Motors has also just announced that it is close to closing on its latest round of funding to the tune of at least $20 million. As of right now, Musk suggests that the automaker currently has about $9 million in funds with which to operate, a figure that some point to when suggesting that Tesla's on the financial ropes. Musk discounts those rumors, saying that $9 mil is plenty for now and that more funds will be coming from past company backers in the very near future. Of course, we'll be watching the situation closely, but it appears that rumors of the company's death are more than a bit premature.

[Source: Tesla Motors, Reuters]

There's no doubt that the Tesla Roadster is a fine performance car. We've driven one (actually, two) and are therefore qualified to say that it's one mean green machine. The acceleration of an electric car is something truly inspiring to witness, with its torque coming on strong right when the accelerator is first pressed, and the Tesla's got the wattage to continue putting that power down for the full 1320. Proof positive of the Roadster's quarter-mile performance came from a recent trip to the Wednesday Night Drags at Infineon Raceway in California. An Autoblog reader was present for at least one of the orange car's passes down the drag strip and witnessed a time of 12.7-seconds. Anything under 13-seconds in the quarter is quite good and this performance puts the Roadster in firmly in Ferrari territory and bests the Lotus Elise that the Roadster shares many components with. We're not sure if this car was driven by someone from Tesla or if its a customer car, or whether it has the latest version 1.5 drivetrain installed. Thanks for the tip, JP!

The December issue of Road & Track should be turning up on magazine racks and in mailboxes momentarily including a segment on new and future cars. Parts of it have already turned up online including this rendering of what they think the Tesla Model S will look like. Unfortunately, the reality of actually laying out, print and shipping paper magazines mean that they the content was generated weeks or months ahead of last week's announcements at Tesla.

Nonetheless, it's an interesting take on what the car might look like. The overall proportions are probably about right given what we've heard about the car. Some design elements have been carried forward from the Roadster including the general shape of the front air intake, the headlights and the air vents along the rocker panels behind the front wheels. The Model S will have a coupe-like profile for its four-door body, along with a rear hatchback like the Porsche Panamera. We won't be seeing the real thing until at least next March at Geneva and maybe longer depending on what happens in San Carlos over the next few months.

[Source: Road & Track]

Image removed at request of photographer. To view the image, visit BusinessWeek.

The very first official teaser shot of the upcoming Tesla Model S has just turned up on BusinessWeek. As we all know by now the second car scheduled to come from Tesla has been delayed by at least six months into sometime in 2011. However, before most work on the new car was put on hold last week, the design had been largely finished. That's new Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen lifting the veil on the Model S rump. The car will be a four door fastback with a hatch which should prove to be an interesting sales challenge in the U.S. market. We know that Tesla has been using Dodge Magnum body shells as powertrain mules for the Model S and the Tesla is expected to be a similar overall size to the now discontinued wagon. Unlike the Roadster with its carbon fiber body, the Model S will be constructed largely of aluminum to help bring the cost down closer to the $60,000 target starting price. According to Tesla SVP, Darryl Siry who tipped us off to this photo, the car won't be shown publicly until next spring, possibly at the Geneva Motor Show. That's about a year later than we originally expected to see it. Let's hope the company survives long enough to get it out on the street.

[Sources: BusinessWeek, Darryl Siry]

Click above for high-res gallery of Tesla Roadster v1.5

Last January we landed an exclusive first drive of the Tesla Roadster. We were impressed, but well aware that the particular two-gear model we drove that wet afternoon wasn't identical to the version set to land in customers' hands later in the year. Last week, we were invited back to briefly test drive a genuine production model with the latest transmission and software updates (aka "powertrain 1.5"). Check out our round-two impressions after the jump.

The Tesla Roadster validation prototype No. 11 made a trip up the coast from California to Seattle recently for a bit of publicity before the company opens its Seattle-area store sometime next year. VP 11 has version 1.5 of the powertrain and made a splash in the Pacific Northwest, including on Microsoft's campus.

Zak Edson, Tesla's senior manager of member services, posted yesterday about the "four-day sales and marketing blitz" and said that 80 people - potential customers and media - got to drive the car. Part of Tesla's interest in expanding to Washington state is the tax offer for greener vehicles - including a sales tax exemption for hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles. You'll have to hurry to get a discount on your Model S, though. The tax is set to stop at the end of 2010. There's more, including a list of local news bits about Tesla's NW appearance, over at the Tesla Feel blog.

[Source: Tesla]

The lead mouth-piece at Top Gear, the incomparable Jeremy Clarkson, has a mixed record when it comes to greener vehicles. He did great with a round trip from London to Edinburgh in an diesel Audi A8, averaging over 33 mpg. However, his more recent encounter with the electric G-Wiz ended less favorably. The UK daily The Independent is reporting that on the next series of the best car show ever created, Clarkson will try again with battery power. This time around he will be going a little more upscale as he is to sample the Tesla Roadster. We checked with Tesla's SVP Darryl Siry to find out which version of the Roadster that Top Gear would be driving, drivetain 1.5, 2-speed or interim single speed. Siry was unaware of the British report. He confirmed that Tesla had been in contact with Top Gear producers but nothing has been scheduled or confirmed yet. He did tell ABG that "You can bet it will be with our best foot forward," implying that when the test happens it will be with the upgraded drivetrain 1.5.

Clarkson's a fairly big guy so it will be interesting to see how he fits in the car when the drive does happen. He will no doubt be pleased with the performance of the Roadster, and it will be interesting to see what kind of range the Top Gear crew will be able to muster when the Roadster is driven in their usual manner. It will also be interesting to see what self-improvement recording the Stig listens to as he takes to the track in the Roadster. Thanks to Jamie for the tip!

[Source: The Independent, Tesla Motors]