If produced, the Tesla Model S will be the first mass-produced highway-legal all electric car.
(Credit: Tesla Motors)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 $5,000 reservations to get in line for the anticipated $50,000 car (the price after receiving a $7,500 federal tax credit).
If it does go into production, the Model S will be the first mass-produced highway-capable car to run entirely on electricity.
The working prototype of the Model S was unveiled last week in Los Angeles. An East Coast premiere took place on Wednesday evening at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
The Model S, which can go 0 mph to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, has an electronically limited speed of 130 mph and can be recharged from any 120V, 208V, or 240V outlet. The car will be offered with a range of 160, 230, or 300 miles per charge, depending on which battery the buyer chooses, though Tesla has not yet said what the price difference will be for each package.
While the company has faced a mountain of start-up hardship, including a battle over trade secrets, a class action lawsuit, and a major leadership change, it has so far been able to deliver 320 of its Roadster models, its all-electric luxury sports car.
Time Magazine has named 23andMe, one of the first consumer genetic testing services, its 2008 Best Invention of the Year.
(Credit:
23andMe)
23andMe, named for the 23 chromosome pairs every human has, set itself apart from other DNA-testing services, because "it does the best job of making them accessible and affordable," according to Time.
The company offers a $399 DNA test that includes an ancestry analysis, and a health analysis. The health analysis tests for about 90 predispositions ranging from what eye color you'll probably pass on to whether you're likely to get arthritis someday.
Customers are sent a kit by mail that includes a test tube to spit in for the saliva sample and registration materials to log in online. Once the sample is registered and mailed to 23andMe, customers can expect results in about 4-6 weeks.
The company was co-founded by Linda Avey, a biopharmaceutical industry veteran with a background in biology; and Anne Wojcicki, an entrepreneur with experience in healthcare investing and a Yale University degree in biology.
Wojcicki's husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has an additional reason to be proud of Time Magazine's list. The Tesla Roadster, an all-electric sports car made by Tesla Motors, was named runner-up. Brin has given some financial backing to the struggling company.
Other inventions that made it into the top 10 include Hulu.com, the video-streaming site that legally offers free TV shows and movies online; NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter; and the Large Hadron Collider.
The full list of all 50 inventions Time Magazine has named noteworthy for 2008 will appear in the October 31 issue, but it's already been posted to Time's Web site.
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