Tesla Motors nears mass production

Tesla Motors Co. announced April 2 the arrival and successful test drive of its second-generation prototype electric sports car.  While the 200 first-generation Tesla roadsters that hit the road last year were hand-built prototypes [See "Electric slide?," SIJ. Aug. 2006], the second-generation validation prototypes can be produced at a much larger scale, according to Malcolm Powell, Tesla's San Carlos, Calif.-based vice president of vehicle integration on the company's blog.

Powell says that nearly everything on the car has been tweaked, regenerative braking and traction controls have been added, handling has been improved, and the car now drives more smoothly and quietly.

Thilo Koslowski, senior automotive analyst with Gartner, told Red Herring the second-generation prototype is an exciting evolution. “It’s good to see Tesla is not a one-off type company,” he said. “This shows the company has the ambition to stick around and is committed to making this work. It will allow them to be a real manufacturer, not just an exotic car company.”

According to Powell, the second Tesla prototype is a major step towards mass production. "The prototypes are built not only for their technical development, but also to ensure that our supply chain and manufacturing processes are prepared and ready," he writes. As with Tesla's initial prototype, consumers are already lining up to reserve their second-generation Teslas (a $75,000 reservation fee is required), which will be available in late 2007 once the car has been through sufficient test drives and crash testing.

Meanwhile, British Connaught Motor Co. announced April 5 that it will build the world’s first "green," high-performance hybrid sports coupe at a new plant in southwest Wales. The first consumer models are expected to be delivered in early 2008.