tesla

Daimler grabs Tesla stake in electric-car push

German automotive giant Daimler has invested in electric-car company Tesla Motors and plans to use Tesla's battery packs in its Smart electric car due later this year.

At a Tuesday press conference held at the Daimler museum in Stuttgart, Germany, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Daimler management board member Thomas Weber said the contract between the two companies calls for joint collaboration on the Smart electric car and future models.

Daimler has invested a "double-digit million-dollar sum" to acquire about a 10 percent stake in California-based Tesla, Weber said.

"We are about to combine the best … Read more

You, too, can rock a singing tesla coil

If you've never seen a singing tesla coil, an 8-foot-tall mash of circuitry and electronics that matches firing lightning bolts to the beat of DJ music, you are seriously missing out.

These days, your best bet might be to catch Austin, Texas, troupe Arc Attack as it plays events like the anime festival Metro Con in Florida. Or, if you happen to be in Abu Dhabi, you might be able to see the group do its electric best there.

If you can't hop an A380 to the United Arab Emirates, however, you can still get your singing tesla … Read more

There's an electric car in your future

Change tends to come slowly in the automotive industry, but the pace of electric car development has picked up fast. Major automakers are promising electric cars for sale to the public by 2011 and earlier. Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Ford are all moving ahead, forcing other automakers to get on the ball.

Current battery technology makes a range of 100 miles the magic number to hit, so this first batch of modern electric cars may struggle to gain wide acceptance. But as people find the cost of ownership to be far less than their old gas guzzlers, the popularity of these … Read more

When Dave met Elon...and his Tesla Model S

Tesla Motors' Elon Musk has a friend in David Letterman.

Musk, the CEO and product architect of electric car maker Tesla Motors, was a guest on the "Late Show with David Letterman" Wednesday night. Also making an appearance on the set was the prototype Model S electric sedan, which made its first trip to New York this week.

But even though Musk and the Model S were the main event (well, after actress Jennifer Garner), Letterman did most of the talking. Actually, "complaining" might be a better word.

Letterman is frustrated, downright irritated, that electric motors, … Read more

Report: Free Tesla for Parisian green-home buyers

If you love Paris and the environment, and you have a boatload of money, this could be your dream home.

A real-estate company called Welcome in France is offering a free Tesla Roadster with every purchase of one of its homes in a new ecological luxury-housing development on the outskirts of Paris, according to a report.

The development will use solar panels, geothermal energy, and its own water treatment facility, among other things, French car blog Le Blog Auto reported, but it's still under construction, and buyer interest has been slow due to the economy.

The Tesla is a … Read more

'Late Show' with the Tesla Model S

If you're eager to see more of Tesla's upcoming sedan, the Model S, tune in to "Late Show with David Letterman" on Wednesday night. Tesla CEO Elon Musk will be a guest on the show, using the platform to tout his company and the promise of electric vehicles.

What's big and green? None of the carmakers in X Prize contest

Large automakers are sitting out the Progressive Automotive X Prize competition for the time being, despite the green marketing opportunity.

No big auto companies are competing for the privately funded $10 million prize.

The X Prize money will be awarded in 2010 to a team that develops a vehicle getting at least 100 mpg that wins a series of races designed to simulate real-world driving conditions.

Vehicles that don't use gasoline must get the energy equivalent of 100 mpg.

Tesla Motors Inc. entered an electric vehicle in the mainstream category, which covers vehicles that meet strict performance rules. India'… Read more

EV Innovations Inizio and Wave (video)

EV Innovations unveiled its own planned line of electric vehicles, starting with two models, the Wave and Inizio. The latter of the pair aims to be a Tesla Roadster competitor.

But with less range, less power, and a bigger sticker, we're not sure if Tesla has to worry about the EVI Inizio just yet.

Tesla: More than 500 takers for Model S

Correction: This post misstated the timing of the Washington, D.C., Tesla event. It took place Wednesday evening.

More than 520 reservations for the Tesla Model S have been made since the all-electric car's debut on March 26, Tesla Motors announced Wednesday.

Since the car isn't slated for production until 2011, and Tesla is still waiting to hear if it'll be getting a $350 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to build the car's California production plant, the company is not technically taking orders.

Instead, the carmaker says it is taking refundable $5,… Read more