Ze'ev Drori offers up another Tesla production update
Over on the Tesla blog, company CEO Ze'ev Drori has posted another production update for all you fans of the Roadster. Some time back, Tesla made the decision that the Roadsters would be shipped from the Lotus factory in England as gliders -- complete cars without a drivetrain. The first couple of production units had their battery packs and motors installed in the workshop at the company's San Carlos headquarters. As work has proceeded on preparing the second Tesla store in Menlo Park for opening, the final drivetrain installation work has been shifted to the dealership service bays. According to Drori, nine production Roadsters have now been shipped to California, with at least three of those having been delivered. In total, 27 cars are now in various stages of assembly. The upgraded motors, electronics and transmissions that comprise drivetrain 1.5 are scheduled to be installed in cars for delivery beginning in September. After that, the company hopes to ramp up production to the rate of 100 cars per month by the end of the year. At that rate, they'll probably need a bigger workspace than the Menlo Park shop to finish drivetrain installations.
[Source: Tesla]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
BlackbirdHighway 4:33PM (7/13/2008)
I'm so not clear on this.
ABG: nine production Roadsters have now been shipped to California, with at least three of those having been delivered
Tesla: Already 9 production Roadsters have arrived in California, another 3 arrive this weekend
So, is the nine including the ones that were already previously delivered to customers, or is this a new batch? When ABG says three have been delivered, do you mean to California, or to the customers?
I read the Tesla update as saying that on top of the handful (4 or 5, I think) that are already in customers hands, another twelve are now in California getting the motor and batteries installed, to be delivered to customers soon. Not clear if that includes Martin E's car, which is supposed to be completely repaired and finally delivered to him sometime in the coming week.
I guess the important thing is that cars are getting to customers. I don't expect we'll hear about this over at TTAC, since it doesn't fit with their claim that no cars at all have ever been delivered.
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tankd0g 10:50PM (7/13/2008)
Whether Tesla has in fact delivered 3 or 4 or 12 cars to non-Telsa execs is irrelevant. They still come with the broken/disabled transmission until September, and they still don't have one to replace it with so September is a bit optimistic. You can also bet your ass that swapping transmissions in all those cars is going to slow things down at the assembly bays quite a bit. Personally if it was my money on deposit, I would have walked away from this fiasco long ago.
a.brien 8:17PM (7/13/2008)
There is only 2 compagnies actually producing green cars, tesla and eco-fueler. I admit i would know how much eco-fuelers and tesla have been sold to help displace some petrol that is consumed actually by nearly one billions conventional cars, millions of airplanes, millions of ships million of trains, lawnmowers,
radio-controled small airplanes, race cars, oil heating, small , medium, big trucks, field tractors and machineries and cigarette
lighters.
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CMiller 7:54AM (7/14/2008)
a.brien,
Everything has to start somewhere. I agree that only a handful of EVs are not going to make a huge difference, but if people start to releize that an EV is a vaiable option for them, they will start to demand them. Once they start to demand them, other car companies will hopefully releize there is money to be made and start producing more.
Yes things will still have to run off ICEs, but there are other options to help cut back on the amount of those also. There are hybrid buses that are already being used. Also does isn't the cigarette lighter in your car electric? ;)
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porschedevotee 5:13PM (7/14/2008)
It's fun to watch the work on the dealership progressing. I can't wait until they start moving cars in! Maybe I'll try to get a job there :)
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Manoj 12:12PM (7/15/2008)
Why so much fuss about each Tesla getting produced and delivered. I do not think the $100,000 Tesla car is any practicle solution to green the autos.
I would like to look at news only if they produce those in 1000s, till then there seems to be too much crazyness for each Tesla, its color its owner when it will be delivered and all that crap.
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