First batch of Tesla Motors electric cars sold out

It wasn't too long ago that Tesla Motors had its (admittedly glamorous) unveiling of the forthcoming Tesla Roadster -- you know, the 130-miles per hour battery powered whip that rolls 250 miles on a single charge. While it can't be too shocking to see a few celebrities here and there plop down unspeakable amounts of coin to get their hands on something new, don't tell Tesla that the reaction to its creation is surprising. Less than a month after this extra-green automobile hit the pre-order market, all 100 that were offered up are now claimed. Just doing simple calculations, we're seeing a company that went from next to nil in terms of sales to $10 million in capital quicker than a shipment of crude oil could hit the American shores. Martin Eberhard, the CEO of Tesla Motors, reported that "all 100 are gone," which means those hundred highfaluting individuals that have paid the $100,000 deposit have guaranteed themselves one of the first Roadsters off the production line in 2007. While the buyers may end up paying more than the deposit price when taking delivery, it's fairly unlikely they'll see any partial refunds if the MSRP somehow clocks in under 100 grand (considering the apparent popularity), and we've heard that both of Google's co-founders, as well as eBay's Jeff Skoll, have thrown down for the seemingly coveted ride. There's no word on when Tesla plans to re-open its bank account for the next wave of orders, but if such an opportunity does arise, you should probably call dibs with some level of haste if you plan on shunning those costly fuel pumps next year.

[Dirk @ Aug 16th 2006 9:15AM]

One hundred thousand dollar for an electric Elise?! Petrol getting thát expensive in the US?

[Jason @ Aug 16th 2006 9:31AM]

Great news! Now Tesla can stay in business long enough to release the sedan in 2008/9. What car will they use as a base? Any production carbon fibre sedans out there?

Maybe the upcoming Porsche Panamera sedan? Not for under $50K I guess.. :P

[paulmp @ Aug 16th 2006 9:31AM]

the smug over this may spell the end this time

[Ultim8fury @ Aug 16th 2006 9:35AM]

When they finally launch in the UK, I look forward to slapping down the cash. The ability to run down pedestrians without giving them advance warning of my approach is just too tempting.

[grimace @ Aug 16th 2006 9:37AM]

that last sentence just makes me glad i'm selling my car & usin' public transportation from now on

[Markp.com @ Aug 16th 2006 9:40AM]

Sadly, there are no plans to launch in the UK. We can hope though! Or build our own... ;)

[Jonathan Graft @ Aug 16th 2006 9:56AM]

If it was $20-30 grand, my dad would buy my mom one in a heartbeat.

[tennis guy @ Aug 16th 2006 9:57AM]

.
This isn't really surprising, and selling 100 cars is no big deal. There are still many open questions that must be answered before these guys can be considered to have any kind of success:

1. Can they actually deliver 100 units?
2. Can they turn a profit in the intermediate term once they ramp up?
3. Will the battery system prove safe once these cars get into the field?
4. Will production units perform as well as the prototype?
.
.

[Chocolate Bunny @ Aug 16th 2006 9:57AM]

What do you know? Someone made an electric car that doesn't look like a plastic easter egg and people are lining up to pay for one...

[spil @ Aug 16th 2006 10:06AM]

There is only one thing I don't like about electric cars: how long it takes to recharge them. Any one know how long this one will take? BTW, so true, Chocolate bunny.

[kelly @ Aug 16th 2006 10:08AM]

hate to be the cynic here, but has anyone seen any break down about how "green" this car really is? no tailpipe doesn't mean zero emissions, they're just emitted elsewhere. I just raise an eyebrow when seeing the 6,831 batteries required. there're some stats on their website, but those don't seem to account for the manufacturing costs or expected longevity from what I could tell.

[Charles Taylor @ Aug 16th 2006 10:12AM]

Spil, Wired article I read yesterday said it will take aprox. 3 and a half hours to charge. Not great for road-trips but I imagine most of the new owners aren't going to use them for that kind of travel.

[JAG @ Aug 16th 2006 10:26AM]

I just hope hey are not using Dell (Sony) batteries.

[chris @ Aug 16th 2006 10:26AM]

oh damned, I was about to place an order too! right after I win next weeks lottery :D

for road trips, a small trailer with a generator should do just fine (and you'd need a trailer anyway to carry more than a couple shirts). On a strait highway trip this should do a bit better than 250miles because the downhills will be a higer speeds and so the regenerative braking will be more effective, so I'd think about 3.5-4 hours per charge assuming 70MPH average. the generator might not even have to run all the time, and shouldn't burn more than a gallon an hour under full load (which it wouldn't be all the time), so that's at least 70MPG at average highway speeds.

[Andy @ Aug 16th 2006 10:36AM]

You get up in the morning, have breakfast, go to your garage, leave the SUV and the Benz where they are and take your bright red Ferrari for a quick ride down the coast. You stop over at a cute little restaurant and have lunch, take a stroll on the beach and drive back home - taking the scenic route, hugging the serpentine curves. You leave the car in front of the house, dress in something less casual and hit the club scene, impressing everyone with a car that sounds different and pulls looks. You pick up a cute chick, offer to drive her home, share some coffee at a late night diner, get your kiss goodnight at the doorstep, drive home, put the Ferrari in the garage - and you haven't even made 150 miles. So now tell me - where in this lifestyle does anyone worry about mileage? How is replacing a bunch of batteries every 3 years (if they use the cheap stuff, otherwise it's like a decade) more expensive than the sum of three annual inspections at the ferrari garage? Tesla is doing the right thing. They're not marketing this to families yet because there's no strong consumer base to facilitate a sinking price. They're marketing it to the well-to-do, which might as well go for the tesla, thereby becoming the consumer base for further development... if there hadn't been thousands of people in the eighties going for too heavy, to silent and too weak cellphones, we wouldn't live in a world today where everyone has one, and can get one for less than 20$, brand new.

[JD @ Aug 16th 2006 10:52AM]

So tell me again GM why there is no market for electric vehicles, but there is a (supposedly bigger) market for Hummers?

And Kelly, you're right. There are still concerns about eletric vehicles. Not so much exhaust, but what to do with the batteries once they expire and electricity from the public power grid isn't much cleaner than gas (coal and nuclear power plants for example).

However, you CAN get off the grid. Solar and wind power is very doable if you are already willing to spend $100K for a car. Also batteries CAN be recycled. Again, if people are willing to cough up a $100K for a vehichle, I'm sure they won't mind spending a few thousand on recycling costs.

[aeo @ Aug 16th 2006 10:54AM]

Hmm... "all 100 are gone" doesn't specifically indicate that the cars were sold per-se. "Gone" could mean that they all burned up Dell style, or were given away, or were stolen by OPEC.

[Ben Hobbs @ Aug 16th 2006 11:00AM]

On a serious note its great to see these rich guys spending on something that although still isnt good for the environment may lead to production of more sensible cars that are.

[Tim Burns @ Aug 16th 2006 11:00AM]

3.5 hour charge time, 100,000 mile plus battery longevity.

They also already have implemented plans for the recycling of those batteries.

"hate to be the cynic here, but has anyone seen any break down about how "green" this car really is? no tailpipe doesn't mean zero emissions, they're just emitted elsewhere. I just raise an eyebrow when seeing the 6,831 batteries required. there're some stats on their website, but those don't seem to account for the manufacturing costs or expected longevity from what I could tell."


This vehicle produces only hot air when driving as an emmission. The batteries will be recycled. The only problem I see is the rubber your laying down on the road and the tires being replaced.

[E85 Fuel @ Aug 16th 2006 11:11AM]

Great to see technology pioneers putting up the money to buy one of the first Tesla roadsters, which will hopefully lead to the mass production of electric vehicles and teach the major automakers a lesson in the process.

[TeslaMotors @ Aug 16th 2006 11:11AM]

You may want to correct your tags, you have them as "Telsa" instead of Tesla.

[kaybee @ Aug 16th 2006 11:13AM]

@Ben Hobbs: Good for the enviroment should be a relative term. Otherwise almost everything we do would not be good for the enviroment. The Tesla is at least as good for the enviroment as the H1 is bad.

but I agree, here's hoping this will lead to more cars with even better enviromental specs.

[terrondus @ Aug 16th 2006 11:53AM]

"hate to be the cynic here, but has anyone seen any break down about how "green" this car really is? no tailpipe doesn't mean zero emissions, they're just emitted elsewhere. I just raise an eyebrow when seeing the 6,831 batteries required. there're some stats on their website, but those don't seem to account for the manufacturing costs or expected longevity from what I could tell."

Kelly, if you go to their website they do the math for you. Even if the source of electricty is from burning coal power plants...which is more inefficient than internal cumbustion engines, the electric car still is more "green" than the average car. I haven't checked out the website for awhile, but they also compared the tesla roadster to the prius and the tesla is 2 times more efficient than the prius. That is 200% increase in efficiency. And, if they can continue to improve battery technology then their efficiency will clearly outpace that of cars and hybrids.

[Asher @ Aug 16th 2006 12:07PM]

That's nice. Now make one that anyone can afford with the running cost and reliablity of a Honda Civic.

And the market for this car and a Hummer is pretty much the same...rich people with money to burn on cool toys.

[trout-101 @ Aug 16th 2006 12:19PM]

"So tell me again GM why there is no market for electric vehicles, but there is a (supposedly bigger) market for Hummers?"

Because gas is still cheap even at $3.00 a gallon. Besides selling a 100K sports car is not the same as being able to produce an affordable car under 35K with all the infrastructure needed.

Besides people that bought the H1 at areond 100K are the same people that would tebd to buy the Tesla. Both are realy just status symbols, of wich there is alwasy a market.

If you just look at some of the numbers, GM reports that it delivered 6,991 Hummers in June 2006 for a CYTD of 39,786. Compare that to the EV1's total production run of only 1,117.

Doe that mean there is no market for electric cars? No they are just still to expensive for the average consumer.

[Frankenstein Black @ Aug 16th 2006 12:19PM]

GODSPEED TESLA MOTORS! YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARDS!!
The existing regenerative braking and future solar option will make this an energy positive, worth repeating “ENERGY POSITIVE VEHICLE”. Oh, and don’t forget the extremely reduced maintenance cost (sorry my mechanic friends) since these are less complex, sealed electric motors, kinda like what factories run on, non stop for decades.
I APPLAUD YOU FOR BREAKING THROUGH THE CURRENT GRIP OF “GLOBAL ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT” IMPOSED BY OUR OIL BARRON OVERLORDS. KUDOS!!

[badnegro @ Aug 16th 2006 12:48PM]

@Jonathan Graft "If it was $20-30 grand, my dad would buy my mom one in a heartbeat."

If it was $20-30 grand, my dad sell my mom and buy one in a heartbeat...

[Redman @ Aug 16th 2006 12:56PM]

Good for Tesla.

But say goodbye to your mechanic? Ya right. I can't remember the last time I had a car in the shop for engine problems. Of course I buy American, and for the most part American engines are bulletproof. It's all the parts that come from China that give me problems. Brakes, AC compressors, interior panels, radio, etc. Things that you'll also have on an EV.

[Ben Hobbs @ Aug 16th 2006 1:22PM]

My point was that 100,000 left in the bank would be better for the environment than buying one of these cars, but swapping a luxury car purchase out for one of these would be better for the environment.

[Will @ Aug 16th 2006 1:36PM]

I wonder how much coal it takes to power the electric plant that powers the grid that powers the outlet where you charge this thing?

That being said, this is a huge step in the right direction since electricity can be generated in many other ways besides coal fired power palnts. The majority of people keep bending over and letting the oil companies give it to them. Hopefully this will encourage a revolution, and we can have "green" vehicles that people want to drive, and can afford.

[big E @ Aug 16th 2006 2:34PM]

I've got to say, I'm pretty excited about this car. Sure it's expensive, but we've got to start somewhere. Now, I'm not planning on buying one, but eventually, if this model turns out to be solid, they'll drop in price. I think the big thing is that they run off electricity, are that is independent of how that electricity is made. That's pretty cool.

I should mention, there are a lot of questions/concerns mentioned here that are answered/addressed on Tesla's Web site, such as battery recycling and cost of unit-of-energy of coal vs. gasoline. Sure their site is biased, but it does have some good info on it.

[Luke @ Aug 16th 2006 3:20PM]

I'm glad to see this. Let's face it, is there anywhere reading this comment who wouldn't want one of these if they had the money?
The mobile phone comment above was good, if it wasn't for the yuppies who everyone hated using mobile phones in the 80s we wouldn't have the cheap, tiny phones we have now.
Also, word is that batteries beats hydrogen, because you need about 3 times the energy to make the hydrogen than you get from burning it. See here for info:
http://www.thewatt.com/article-901-nested-1-0.html

[war.c @ Aug 16th 2006 3:31PM]

i have seen one of these cars 3 or 4 times here in toronto. it was near the indy race weekend so it may have been a part of that.

it was at the intersection near my work, i was having a smoke and this shiny red car pulls up to the light and caught my eye, upon closer inspection i couldn't tell what kind of car it was, at first it thought it was a lotus then i thought it was a ferrari by the shape of the logo on the hood, but it lacked a horsey. then when it pulled it away it didnt make a SOUND, even as it rounded the corner and sped away.

i was like WTF until yesterday when i found out that about the tesla. makes you wonder about the safety factors of roads filled with next to 'silent' cars.

anyways, i want one.

[Andy Atkinson @ Aug 16th 2006 4:59PM]

I know I saw an interview with Larry or Sergey once where they said something to the effect of "no one at Google better flaunt their cash by buying an expensive car" and indicated that they still drove old cars. I thought it was interesting that the article mentions Google co-founders specifically. Did anyone else see this or can they provide a link?
Kudos to Tesla for making it 100,000 and not 1,000,000. As others have pointed out, demand remains high, but apparently R&D costs are still too high and production is too low to produce a 50,000 electric speedster. Hopefully the initial sales indicate increased production, auto models, and lower prices, more R&D into battery safety. Another thing I'm waiting to see is a "Battery infrastructure" where the BP on my roadtrip has a 50lb. battery pack I can "swap out" into my trunk (think of the propane tank model).

[Dan Waylonis @ Aug 16th 2006 6:23PM]

One interesting point about charging the car is that if it done at off-peak hours, there's tremendous excess power (At least in CA, according to http://www.caiso.com/outlook/SystemStatus.html).

[Daniel @ Aug 17th 2006 2:54AM]

This is a really big deal.
Thank you to all the people with money who bought one.

[Davide Rivola @ Aug 17th 2006 3:40AM]

I hope that in the future something like the EEStor techonology could be available:
http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2006/01/eestor_ultracap.html

A car recharged in few minutes. And a "solid state" battery with very high recharge cycles. This could be the disruptive technology needed by electric car!

[etc. @ Aug 17th 2006 5:39AM]

check out this hybrid Mini from British PML, although not fully electric, it is 640hp, 0-60 in 3.7 secs, and does 80mpg. The best thing is, since they use in-wheel motors, ANY current production car can be fitted with these.

http://news.hspn.com/articles/570/1/PML-Builds-640hp-Electric-MINI

[Graham @ Aug 17th 2006 5:46AM]

Does cars are Awesome!! They Piss off the Terrorists!!
Don't You Americans Get it !!? No Oil Money ... NO MONEY for THEM!!Btw I'd rather the pollution be concentrated on one area rather then EVERYWHER ONE GOES>....

[W.ll.am @ Aug 17th 2006 11:48AM]

"but has anyone seen any break down about how "green" this car really is? no tailpipe doesn't mean zero emissions, they're just emitted elsewhere"

As the electric cars / hydrogen cars make their way onto the stage so too does clean energy such as wind towers and solar power.

As well, taking the responsibility from the hands of the many and placing it in the hands of the few make for higher accountability. Cars won't be the pollution to stop any longer and the factories that do spew toxins into the air will be the ones to forced into stricter guidelines placed by the government which will be forced by voter pressure.

The only real problem I see with adopting this is long road trips. But batteries are making steady advances in capacity so perhaps 2010 isn't such a dream.

[Manu Sharma @ Aug 17th 2006 2:51PM]

Battery range isn't likely be an issue for roadtrips when EVs are prevalent. Here's why:

Imagine "battery filling stations" that let you fill in your battery container with fully charged batteries. You can choose to leave your spent batteries for charging, to be picked up on the way back.

Or you can carry them with you and deposit the picked up batteries at another filling station when these are spent. Good business for the filling stations too.

[Michael F. Hollander @ Aug 19th 2006 12:59PM]

The second 100 cars are now available for sale. Several cars are on display this weekend at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The note in the article about capitalization misses the point. In addition to the deposit, the company has completed three rounds of investment capital, led by Chairman Elon Musk, a co-founder of Pay Pal, to the tune of $60 million. No additional investment is being sought at this time. It's well recognized environmentally that it's much easier to clean up stationary sources than mobile sources. For the person who asked, Sony has not been qualified as a battery supplier to Tesla Motors.

The battery charging system is built in to the car. Any 110V outlet can be used to re-charge the car. A charging station designed for home use allows a quick recharge and can be set to provide charging in the middle of the night. Most power companies allow time-based pricing that allow you to pay less for power used during off-peak periods.

The Lithium-ion cells are designed to last at least 100,000 miles and are recyclable, just like the batteries in your cell phone.

For more complete information, please visit http://www.teslamotors.com

[Michael F. Hollander @ Aug 19th 2006 1:08PM]

Oh yes, the person who said he saw a car in Toronto may have seen another electric vehicle. As far as we know, there has been no testing in Toronto to this point.

The Energy Storage System on the Tesla Roadster is a sealed container including appropriate safety equipment as well as the Li-ion cells.

The intent for the Roadster is to be the first of several cars made by Tesla Motors. Future cars are expected to include a sedan, which will be designed to sell for less than the price of the roadster.

[Chris @ Aug 27th 2006 7:09AM]

GM and other mainstream car manufacturers have failed and continue to fail in their responsibility to protect our planet by supplying vehicles that significantly reduce emissions. I guess most peaople know that the average car today has less gasoline efficiency than the Ford model "T". Our Government is indifferent to the impact of CO2 emissions on our planet and the affect it has on habitats and the lives of everyone. Did anyone else see the film - "who killed the electric car"? "Green" issues needs greater attention. I applaud Tesla and love the product - who wouldn't want to drive a Tesla roadster? Who wouldn't want to have a clean, efficient, non-gasoline dependent, non-Midas dependent car that has low wmissions? One concern I have of the Tesla roadster is the high use of carbon fiber - this raises the question of how environmentally friendly that material is. Carbon fiber cannot be recycled and must be ground-up for destruction. That said, if the price was within my budget, I would have no hesitation in buying a zero emissions vehicle. Gas electric hybrids are a sham and force dependency on the prevailing business model - dealer service etc. in fact they provide a better business model for the car manufacturer due to the complexity of gas/electric systems al;ways ensuring the owner will come back to Toyota/Honda whoever for servcice and repair.

When can I buy a Tesla four seat vehicle at less than $30k and when are Tesla holding an IPO?

[Craig @ Sep 1st 2006 3:54PM]

"refilling stations" as described above will not be needed as advances in battery technology allow for fast charges.
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2005_03/pr2901.htm


"But say goodbye to your mechanic? Ya right. I can't remember the last time I had a car in the shop for engine problems." (from Redman above)
When was the last time you had your oil changed, belts tightened, fluids replaced, ect.etc. Tesla says: "We feel confident that the only service your Tesla Roadster will require for the first 100,000 miles is tire and brake inspection. But we’ll be happier to see you once a year or every 25,000 miles or so, just to check in. " (from their faq)

[jack marchand @ Aug 29th 2006 7:02PM]

If Tesla Motors Inc. is going for Big Time the same quick convenience to 'refuel' like
today is a must and consideration for 'standard size and voltage'swap battery stations will be
needed and participation by all nations is essential to simplify and minimize the costs
of its infrastructure. Then Saft, Exide, G.E., Westinghouse and thousands of others like
them can enter the fray globally then we will 'go places'.With a possible global Maglev
network in the not too distant future see, http://trllions.topcities.com , more planning
and input to interface the EVs in them is a must. High speed will be tomorrow's need and
at a much cheaper cost. Jack Marchand

[jack marchand @ Aug 29th 2006 7:28PM]

If Tesla Motors Inc. is going for Big Time the same quick convenience to 'refuel' like today is a must and consideration for 'standard size and voltage'swap batteries will be needed and participation by all nations is essential to simplify and minimize the costs of its infrastructure. Then Saft, Exide, G.E., Westinghouse and thousands of others like them can enter the fray globally then we will 'go places'.
With a possible global Maglev network in the not too distant future see, http://trillions.topcities.com , more planning and input to interface the EVs in them
is a must. High speed will be tomorrow's need and at a much cheaper cost. Jack Marchand

[OntarioRocks @ Sep 30th 2006 8:59PM]

On MSNBC with Alex Witt on Saturday, SEP 30 9:45am eastern, Lou Ann Hammond, CEO of carlist.com, said the Tesla electric roadster only gets 150 miles per charge.

I first thought Lou Ann misspoke, but Alex Witt challenged her on the fact that 150 miles per charge wouldn't take you very far and Lou Ann didn't correct the 150 miles per charge number to the correct 250 miles per charge that is correctly reported on carlist.com

http://www.carlist.com/wabc_radio/180806/180806.html

"John Batchelor and Lou Ann Hammond talk to Tesla Motor's CEO and founder, Martin Eberhard.
Tesla will display their $100,000 electric vehicle at the 56th Annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

The Tesla Roadster boasts the equivalent of 135 mpg and a range of 250 miles on a single charge. The first "Signature One Hundred" vehicles, that go 0-60 in 4 seconds, sold out in three weeks. "

On the Tesla website, 250 miles per charge is listed as a frequently asked question:
http://www.teslamotors.com/learn_more/faqs.php

"Range depends on driving style and conditions. On the EPA highway driving cycle we expect 250 miles on a charge."

Why was this reported incorrectly? Will a correction be made?

[codystaub @ Oct 26th 2006 3:44PM]

Well at the people bashing the Tesla for just putting the polution elsewhere...where I live in Idaho our power is mostly (like 80-95%) hydroelectric (dams), wind power, and a little nuclear. The only fuel-fired power we get is for shortages (which is pretty minimal in such a low-population area). In that situation, doesn't that kind of ruin the whole putting polution elsewhere theory? Don't you think in the future other places will adopt such technologies for power?

[john @ May 15th 2007 11:58AM]

This company has the only brains around. It blows away Ford motor company, chevy, and all the rest. This man is a GENIUS.!!! He gave the people what they wanted and I say lets back this company by sales. Lets all show the corporate jerks at Ford, Chevy, and the rest, what this new Tesla can do. Anyone with BRAINS, like the owner of Tesla will market something that SELLS.!! and will sell something with STYLE. Ford, Chevy, toyota, they have nothing new except a cardboard box, that looks like the rest of the cardboard boxes out there. TESLA IS THE FUTURE and I'm laughing at the other car companys out there, they have no style, no brains, no imagination, and no COMMON SENSE. TESLA...you guys have it going on. KEEP up the GREAT work, and BLOW away your brainless competitors. I LOVE YOUR NEW ROADSTER. JOHN H. OH..if I ever get the money..my ford will be crushed, and I'll buy one of yours, just can't afford a 100k right now, but I'll be patient. OH..I HATE MY FORD IT SUCKS..