Tesla talking about future product plans with Brit magazines, no SUV coming
Tesla's SVP of marketing Darryl Siry has been on another sales tour of Europe filling in the magazines over there on the company's future product plans. For the most part there was nothing new that we haven't already reported on here over the past year. The upcoming Model S (formerly known as WhiteStar) will not be sharing a platform with any existing vehicle. That doesn't mean every single component of the car will be completely bespoke. It wouldn't make financial sense to build every single part just for this one car, so parts like brakes, steering hardware and perhaps even some suspension bits will be borrowed from other cars. According to Siry, the Model S design is about 90 percent done.
For the Model S and future programs, Tesla's engineers have reconfigured the battery pack to make it more practical for different body configurations. The Roadster's pack is upright and sits in the middle of the car behind the passenger compartment. For the new car, a low-slung pack that fits under the floor will be used. When we contacted Siry he declined to comment on whether Tesla would continue to use the laptop type cells for the new pack or switch to one of the new larger format cells being designed for automotive use. The under-floor setup mirrors the configuration being used by many other EV manufacturers. Continue reading after the jump.
[Sources: AutoCar, CAR, Tesla Motors]
This setup will allow the platform to be used for other future configurations. Contrary to what is being reported by AutoCar, Tesla has no plans to build an SUV or CUV off this architecture, although it would be possible to do so. Siry showed design sketches of the Model S to both AutoCar and CAR although he has declined to let them out of his hands, so we won't get to see them until we get in the same room again. Based on what they were told, AutoCar got the impression that Tesla was building a coupe-like four door (similar to the Mercedes CLS) by about mid-decade.
In fact, according to Siry, that car is in fact the Model S which is scheduled to launch production in 2010 (hopefully going more smoothly than the Roadster launch). The Model S will actually be a coupe-like hatchback with a base range of 160 miles and optional larger battery packs taking the range to 220 or 300 miles. Contrary to what CAR is reporting, the Model S was never going to be built in Mexico. The original plan was to build it in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Tesla recently changed direction and will instead build a factory somewhere in the San Francisco Bay area closer to its San Carlos headquarters.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Serge 1:06PM (8/19/2008)
Adding an option for shorter range battery pack (and lower price) is good news.
Hopefully the next announcement will be about employing newer generation lithium batteries that charge fast and are safer, thus reducing cooling system complexity.
2010 is going to be an interesting year with Model S and Volt hitting the streets.
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meme 1:45PM (8/19/2008)
With 160 miles as the default pack size, they're pretty much going to be forced to change chemistries. Heck, asking people to change battery packs every five years on a vehicle of this price when the pack costs tens of thousands would be bad enough. Asking them to change it every 3-4 years or so, which is what 160 miles would entail? That's simply unacceptable.
They must be looking at a different chemistry. The big question is which.
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jake 2:25PM (8/19/2008)
Yes I see this also. I found this site:
http://www.plasticlabels.ca/index_files/compareEVbatteries.htm
There are probably some good guesses there. LiFePO4 seems like the most likely. There are some cheaper ones that can get 2000 cycles. It might weigh more, but then again they don't require the cooling system so it might end up weighing the same, and besides 160 miles means there is less capacity too. 2000x160 = 320,000 miles. On the other hand, 500x160= 80,000 miles.
Joseph 10:06PM (8/19/2008)
This kind of sounds like a car that is trying to be everything. It's a hatchback (utility) yet it's coupe-like (sporty) and at the same time its batteries under the floor of the car (which might make it sit a little bit higher) Some cars do these things and look very awkward....but if they can get it right, it should be great.
We've known for a while that the car might be a hatchback of sorts, but this confirms it. I'm a bit surprised that they didn't play safe and make a sedan that they know most people will like.
And a note on Darryl saying that the design work is 90% done: the first 5% and the last 5% take the longest. But what does "design" entail? Does that include a prototype? We've already seen a Dodge mule running around, will there be a prototype by the next time we see it?
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Scatter 5:31PM (8/19/2008)
Yay to no SUV! We don't need them.
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Bill D. 7:07PM (8/19/2008)
"According to Siry, the Model S design is about 90 percent done. "
Of course, it's always the last 10% that takes the longest...
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GoodCheer 11:25AM (8/20/2008)
Yeah... we always used to say:
The first 90% of the project takes half the time, the next 9% takes half the time, and the final 1% also takes half the time.
;-)