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31st July 2006

Now that the first performance electric car manufactured by the Californian firm Tesla Motors has been unveiled, it has been announced that the final assembly of the Lotus Elise platform-based car, whose design team was led by Lotus Design Studio’s Barney Hatt, will be undertaken by Group Lotus at Hethel, near Norwich.

Celebrities in attendance at Tesla’s recent California launch included Hollywood producer Richard Donner, ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, PayPal co-founder (and Tesla Motors Chairman) Elon Musk, Jeff Skoll of eBay, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

According to preliminary figures, the electric Tesla Roadster offers the equivalent of 135 mpg and a range of 250 miles on a single charge (roughly triple the range of previous series-produced electric vehicles), a combination heretofore unseen in a mass-produced electric vehicle, due to its lithium-ion Energy Storage System. The Tesla Roadster is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in about four seconds. The car has a range of up to 250 miles (EPA Highway) on a single charge.

Using a two-speed electrically actuated manual transmission, the Tesla Roadster's power comes from a 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction motor. The motor is controlled by a ‘Power Electronics Module’ (PEM) which also controls the inverting direct current to 3-phase alternating current, charging and braking systems.

The Roadster's Energy Storage System (ESS) provides power to the entire vehicle, including the motor. It includes: 6,831 lithium-ion cells, a network of microprocessors for maintaining charge balance and battery temperature, a cooling system, and an independent safety system designed to disconnect power outside the enclosure under a variety of detectable safety situations.

The Tesla Roadster comes complete with its Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSE), a home-based charging system, which features an automatic safety disconnect system and can charge the Tesla Roadster in approximately 3.5 hours. An optional mobile charging kit is also available.

Tesla Motors co-founders Eberhard (CEO) and Marc Tarpenning (VP, Engineering) brought together a team of automotive industry people and Silicon Valley electronics and software engineers to develop the Tesla Roadster to life. Research and Development for Tesla Motors is located at the corporate headquarters in San Carlos, California and in the UK. Motors are manufactured at Tesla's facility in Taiwan, and final assembly for the Tesla Roadster is in the UK.

Eberhard and Tarpenning provided the early funding for the company, and were joined in 2003 by Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, who is the major investor in the company and serves as company chairman.

Musk worked with Eberhard and Tarpenning to attract more investors and approach venture capital firms, and in June 2006, Tesla Motors announced that the company had secured an additional $40 million in financing led by Musk and VantagePoint Venture Partners, one of the largest CleanTech investors in the Silicon Valley.

Deliveries of the Tesla Roadster are expected to begin next summer. Tesla reportedly hopes to sell around 1,000 units a year at a price of about $100,000.

Tesla Motors was founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning to create efficient electric cars for people who love to drive. The chairman of Tesla Motors, a privately held company, is Elon Musk, who has led or co-led all three rounds of investment resulting in $60 million in funding. Mr. Musk has been instrumental in both corporate and product development at Tesla Motors.

The company currently employs over 80 people, including teams in California, the UK and Taiwan. The background and experience of Tesla Motors's employees mirrors the vehicle itself, drawing from diverse expertise in the electronics, automotive and software industries.

(www.teslamotors.com)