Tesla sets goal of 800 cars in first year

Tesla Motors, the guys with the all-electric sports car, have set a goal of manufacturing 800 cars in their first production year.

Tesla Roadster

(Credit: Stefanie Olsen/CNET News.com)

The company has already taken deposits for more than 560 2008 Tesla Roadsters, according to a spokesman. The cars sell for $98,000 after a recent price hike from $92,000. If they sell all 800, that will lead to revenue of around $76 million, by my math (average price of 95K x 800).

The company has raised more than $40 million in venture funding.

The Roadster runs on lithium ion batteries and can go from zero to 60 in about 4 seconds. Tesla showed off the car for the first time about a year ago. Since then, it has been building operations. The first cars will go to customers in the Fall. Although some cars will come out this year, these will be considered 2008 models.

The battery in the car is made up of a few thousand conventional lithium ion battery cells. Other electric car companies are looking at batteries from start-ups like A123 Systems, which sometimes employ different battery chemistries.

[djsiry]

correction

Mike - what we announced was not an annual goal for units or revenue. We announced that the current plan for the 2008 Model year is 800 units. As is usually the case in the car biz, the next model year comes out sometime in the prior year, usually early fall.