Updated at 1:35 p.m. PT with corrected information on the supply arrangement and additional details.
Tesla Motors has signed a deal to supply power train components to Daimler for an electric version of the German auto giant's Smart mini-car, called the Electric Smart EV, which is expected to be available within two years.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, announced the deal at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Tuesday. On Sunday, Tesla unveiled a higher-end Sport version of its Tesla Roadster electric sports car.
Tesla will supply the battery pack and on-board charger for 1,000 Electric Smart EVs, a company representative said on Tuesday. Musk told told The Detroit Free Press that Tesla has been working on the deal for about a year and a half.
Tesla showed off the power train and battery pack of the Tesla Roadster at the North American International Auto Show this week.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET Networks)"If the 1,000 vehicle fleet makes sense and the economics are compelling, that will expand to tens of thousands of vehicles per year," Musk was quoted saying. Daimler "sees the electric Smart as being a large percentage of EV (electric vehicle) sales."
Tesla is ramping up production of its first car, the Roadster, while looking to earn money through its power train business. Daimler is its first auto manufacturer customer.
A deal between Tesla and Daimler had been rumored for months.
In August, Financial Times Germany reported that the supply agreement was for electric Smart cars planned for a pilot to test lithium-ion battery Smart cars and a network of charging stations in Berlin, Germany.
For all you well-heeled auto fanatics, there is good news: Tesla Motors has made a faster car.
The luxury electric carmaker on Sunday lifted the curtain on the Tesla Roadster Sport at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Tesla said it has begun taking orders for the $128,500 sportscar, which will be available in late June.
The Roadster Sport has a bit more zip off the line than the original rocket-like Roadster, Tesla's first electric car favored by tech tycoons and Hollywood types.
The Roadster Sport: this Roadster goes to 11.
(Credit: Tesla Motors)The Sport accelerates from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds, leaving the original $109,000 Roadster (zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds) a few steps behind.
The Roadster Sport is notable for another reason than performance: the powertrain in the car will be the same used in the Model S, a four-door electric luxury sedan Tesla intends to start making in 2011.
Also at the auto show, Tesla Motors rival Fisker Automotive is expected to unveil the production version of the Fisker Karma, a plug-in hybrid luxury sedan expected to be available by the end of this year.
Fisker Automotive on Monday is also planning on show off a new concept car, reportedly called the Sunset.
Rather than focus solely on muscle cars, embattled U.S. automakers General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler touted a coming generation of electric vehicles at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Ford on Sunday detailed a multi-prong electric car strategy, saying it will have an all-electric commercial van by 2010, an all-electric passenger car by 2011, and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012.
GM vice chairman Bob Lutz drives up in an extended-range electric Cadillac concept car, the Converj.
(Credit: GM)The firm, which is healthier financially than GM or Chrysler, partnered with Magna International to develop an electric passenger car that can go 100 miles on a charge from lithium-ion batteries. Ford will add hybrid versions of existing cars, including the Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan.
To help establish consumer interest in electric cars, Ford said it is partnering with utility Southern California Edison to test a fleet of plug-in vehicles and has established partnerships with city governments in China to promote sustainable technologies and cities.
Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of global product development, told the Associated Press the automaker expects to start selling 5,000 to 10,000 electric vehicles annually.
General Motors on Sunday showed of a concept Cadillac Converj which will be able to drive 40 miles off lithium-ion batteries. It will be outfitted with the same extended-range electric powertrain planned for the Chevy Volt.
The interior of the concept car, the Chrysler 200C EV.
(Credit: Chrysler)GM also introduced a four-door "mini car" called the Chevrolet Spark, originally a concept called the Chevy Beat, which will be available in Europe in 2010 and in the U.S. in 2011
On Monday, GM is expected to announce that it will begin manufacturing car batteries in Michigan, according to reports. Japanese and Korean manufacturers have gotten the upper hand in car battery production, prompting auto companies and politicians to call for programs to encourage U.S. lithium-ion battery manufacturing.
Toyota at the auto show said that it will bring a small all-electric car to market in 2012 and test plug-in hybrid Priuses with lithium-ion batteries later this year.
Chrysler, meanwhile, at the auto show on Sunday showed a concept electric sedan called the 200C EV with a streamlined interior dashboard. The company also plans to have an electric edition of its Jeep Patriot as well.
Toyota Motor Sales announced an expanded commitment to electric vehicles on Saturday, disclosing plans to manufacture an all-electric city car by 2012 and a wider fleet of gas-electric hybrids.
At the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Toyota showed off a concept car called the FT-EV, a battery-powered four-seat compact car. Although it's concept car, Toyota said it will release an "urban commuter" electric car in 2012.
Based on an existing car sold in Japan called the iQ, the FT-EV runs entirely on batteries and has a range of about 50 miles. Like many all-electric cars planned for release in the next few years, the FT-EV is designed for commutes and short trips, potentially as a second car.
In a statement, Toyota Motor Sales' group vice president of environmental and public affairs Irv Miller said that even though gasoline prices have dipped substantially in the past half year, the auto industry should focus on fuel-efficiency.
"We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel, as well as new concepts, like the iQ, that are lighter in weight and smaller in size. This kind of vehicle, electrified or not, is where our industry must focus its creativity," he said.
A number of auto companies, including Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Think, plan to bring out small all-electric cars in the next two years. The commitment of Toyota--maker of the iconic Prius hybrid car--adds more validity to the small electric commuter car category.
Toyota's FT-EV, a concept car that will be the basis for an all-electric commuter car due in 2012.
(Credit: Toyota)Still, Toyota said the the gas-electric powertrain of the Prius represents its "core" technology because it can be used with larger vehicles.
On Sunday, the company said that it will move up its previously announced plan to test plug-in hybrid cars using lithium-ion batteries. Current Priuses use Nickel-metal hydride technology but most auto makers are pursuing lithium-ion chemistry for an upcoming wave of electric cars.
At the end of 2009, it will begin testing a fleet of plug-in electric Priuses using lithium-ion batteries. Of the 500, 150 will be made available to U.S. customers for lease.
Toyota's goal is to sell one million gas-electric hybrids a year in the early 2010s. It will have 10 new hybrid models in that time, including the third-generation Prius and the Lexus HS250h, both of which it introduced this week in Detroit at the NAIAS.
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