Martin Eberhard's Tesla Roadster spotted
The moment Tesla founder, Martin Eberhard, has worked and waited for should be arriving very soon, now that his Roadster appears to be looking like new again. Of course, the car should have been delivered already. but in a now-famous stroke of bad luck, a technician used it to kiss the back end of a truck on Highway 101 in California on the very day Tesla claimed it was to be delivered.The members of the TeslaMotorsClub forum who found the photo also report that, according to postings at the official Tesla owners forum, the crash speed was around 10 mph.As such, the car received a new bumper and fenders, indicating that some reports of it being "totaled" were a little overzealous. The above photo bodes well for an impending delivery, and we look forward to hearing how Martin feels about his new custom-painted ride once it is actually in his possession.
UPDATE: According to Tesla, this photo was taken pre-crash. The car is still being re-assembled and should be ready next week. As long as there no more surprises.
[Source: TeslaMotorsClub]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chris 1:50PM (7/11/2008)
Was this car really in a crash? Fact is that there is still no evidence of Tesla delivering a single car to an independent paying customer. the truth about cars doesn't believe Tesla's stories anymore and has started a deathwatch for this company.
Maybe they are just facing production issues, but at this point I'm starting to fear the problem might be bigger than that. Just maybe the Tesla Roadster just can't live up to the specs (especially range) that it's supposed to have. If stories of disappointed clients start to hit the media Tesla would be pretty much done for... I really hope I'm wrong here but if they are for real Tesla should start delivering on the hype already!
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jake 2:27PM (7/11/2008)
I think TTAC is a kind of "special" source. They have started "deathwatches" for other companies too, so that bit is pretty much unique to them. Take their "truth" with a pinch of salt.
Right now the first 25 cars are the "founders'" series, which means they are investors or part of the company, but they did pay the full price for the cars. The next 100 will be the "Signature 100" which is also already paid in full (which would be the "independent paying customers"). They should hit those cars this month judging that they were already on car #15 on June 19, 2008. You have to keep in mind that they don't want too many cars out before the new "powertrain 1.5" is ready to be put in production. They said they will have it ready by car #40 in September, but they might want to move more slowly on the production so less cars will have the old drivetrain (which they have to upgrade for free if the buyer requests).
http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/19/tesla-update-former-ceos-crashed-car-ipo-plans-roadster-s/
On Martin's car, hopefully he will get it soon. I think it was just a case of bad luck, I don't think Tesla is dumb enough to crash the car on purpose, because I don't see how that kind of news would have any benefits for the company.
Robert 5:45PM (8/25/2008)
Chris has some very valid comments here, and I suspect that TTAC is probably correct. We all want clean cars. However, there is a distinct possibility though that Tesla will turn out to be slightly more than a clever investor scam. As environmentalists we should be very careful at this time to not lose credibility by blindly hailing Tesla as the next best thing since sliced bread.
sixftbean 2:22PM (7/11/2008)
Didn't they just show this thing off over at the Field museum in Chicago?
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Doug 2:45PM (7/11/2008)
There were two cars at the Field museum. One red, VP17 I think and the other silver, P4. The red car is the same one that was recently used in NY for test drives. The silver car is the one that was shown as a glider in Monaco and recently delivered to an owner in Chicago.
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/electric.car.green.2.768495.html
Doug 2:30PM (7/11/2008)
It's unclear as to whether that picture was taken before the crash or after repairs. We're hoping the latter. What is clear is that the car is up on a 4-point lift in the photo.
Chris, TTAC is clearly negatively biased, and also severely misinformed. So much so that it can occasionally be an entertaining read. Tesla has definitely delivered cars to several paying customers. But since the first cars all go to investors, it's up to you if you think that counts as "independent". I'm sure Tesla is doing their best to get the cars delivered. I wish them the best success.
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BlackbirdHighway 2:34PM (7/11/2008)
"the truth about cars doesn't believe Tesla's stories anymore"
What a coincidence, I don't believe "The Truth About Cars" stories anymore either.
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BlackbirdHighway 2:49PM (7/11/2008)
When Tesla was claiming a 250 mile range, TTAC didn't believe it.
Fine, they could have reported: "Tesla claims a 250 mile range, but that hasn't been verified, so we don't believe it."
Instead, they just stated that the range was 90 miles. Where did they get that figure? They pulled it straight out of their asses. No mention at all about what Tesla was claiming, as if that was not even relevant.
Then, when called on it, Farago stated some BS about how that was clearly a hypothetical figure. No, it wasn't. Not what I would call real responsible reporting.
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CMiller 3:05PM (7/11/2008)
Chris,
Everything I have heard, they have delivered cars to paying customers already. They are slowing down production for the new drivetrain though. It makes sense to me. Why take delivery of the car when you know it has to get upgraded in 1-2 months. I would rather just wait and get the upgraded model directly.
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Mark Tomlinson 1:17AM (7/12/2008)
Note to future Roadster owners; 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds can be a liability in city driving behind a truck.
A couple of people commented about Tesla slowing down production so they wouldn't have to replace as many drive trains. That is speculation, although it is pretty sound speculation. One thing that is known, however, is that Tesla gave their customers the option of not taking delivery until the new drive train is available, If enough customers opted to delay, that, too, would slow down production.
And some speculation about the silver Roadster, P4, that appeared in Chicago - Nicholas J. Pritzker of Hyatt Hotels is an investor according to the Tesla site. Wikipedea reports that he currently resides in Chicago. So guess who's car that was?
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Chris M 6:59PM (7/12/2008)
Is that the actual colors? Silver with orange stripes? Looks ghastly! There are much better color combinations, why that one?
Well, at least it will be one-of-a-kind!
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sean362880 2:59PM (8/26/2008)
I agree with Chris. Tesla has promised much and delivered little over the past couple of years. I'd take whatever Tesla says with a lot more salt than what you read on TTAC. I'd be shocked if the actual on-the-road range of the delivered cars (if they finally arrive with a working drivetrain) matches the hype.
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Johnster 10:25PM (8/26/2008)
I also agree with Chris. Tesla has over-hyped themselves and under-delivered their on their product and I'm very skeptical about their future. I'm more inclined to agree with TTAC than Tesla.
And what's up Chris reporting he's been permanently banned from posting autobloggreen.com as he reports on TTAC?
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/autobloggreen-bans-reader-for-linking-to-ttac/#comments
If it's true, it's a sad reflection of autobloggreen.com that they don't support spirited debate and a diversity of opinions.