Along with the peek, $350 Million in DOE funding heading their way should get them back on their feet.
Wayne Gerdes
CleanMPG Feb. 12, 2009
Tesla Model S Sedan unveiled... slightly
Tesla is still planning on building a facility to manufacture the luxury sedan BEV called Model S based in part off their award winning Roadster in the heart of Silicon Valley.
The Model S is Teslas five-passenger luxury sedan and powered by a large lithium-ion battery pack. It is expected to have a base price of about $60,000 and achieve 240 miles AER while still offering performance beyond the realm of any ICE equipped sedan. The first sedans will likely roll off the assembly line in 2011.
To that end, on March 26th at the Tesla design studio located within the SpaceX Rocket factory, Tesla will unveil a street-drivable prototype of the Model S four door sedan. The Model S objective was to create one of the most functional, intuitive and beautiful vehicles on the road. Tesla Roadster customers and select VIPs invited to the event will have an opportunity to judge for themselves firsthand whether Tesla has succeeded.
DOE Funding
Regarding funding, Elon Musk, Chairman of the Board, Product Architect and CEO was excited to report that the Department of Energy informed Tesla last week that they may disburse funds from the $350M Model S loan application within four to five months. The Obama administration has thankfully made it a top priority to move quickly on the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program, as this will both generate high quality jobs in the near term and lay the groundwork for a better environment in the future.
This will keep Tesla on track for production to start in 2011. As a gesture of gratitude for their early support, Roadster owners will receive a $10,000 discount off the price of the Model S Signature series and automatically be first in line for the sedan.
Eagles may fly, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines (with 1 known exception)
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