Gizmodo: whitestar

Tesla Sues White Star Ex-Designer for Sabotage

matt buchanan — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:45:00 EDT

Tesla Motors, maker of the much hyped (and well reviewed) electric Roadster is suing Fisker Automotive, the outfit behind fake vroom-y Karma, for stealing Tesla's design and trade secrets. Supposedly, this pushed the sale date for Tesla's four-door sedan, White Star, back six months, to 2010. Henrik Fisker (the eponymous founder) was hired by Tesla to design White Star. Tesla alleges he took the $875,000 contract, sabotaged Tesla's project with sub-par work, and then made off with their secrets and designs, using the money to launch his rival electric car effort.

To fill the design gap and move things along, Tesla got some of the guys at Lotus to step in and massage the body design. Man, I thought people designing green tech were out there to help people and keep us from dying in crazy "Day After Tomorrow" freak weather. Not you know, actively undermining each other for their own selfish benefit. Capitalism at its finest. [NYT]

Tesla Branches into Gas-Electric Hybrid Market

Haroon Malik — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:00:00 EST

Tesla plans to enter the gas-electric hybrid market, with the first range extended vehicle (REV) to hit the streets by the end of 2009. Their all electric models negate the use for a gas motor entirely, but by adding a gas motor they will be able to produce hybrid vehicles with better performance.

Essentially, the new REVs will have a battery that is continually charged whilst the car is being driven. The range of the battery is usually around 40-50 miles, but this is charged by the gas motor's output during a journey, which extends the longevity, (hence the name.) The modification will be made to the Whitestar sedan, which will be able to achieve 150 - 200 miles on a single charge, using this technique. The Tesla Roadster will be capable of a similar distance, but it does cost the best part of $100, 000. The Whitestar REV will be expected to retail around $50,000 - $70,000, depending on customization options. [CNET]

Tesla Opening Electric Car Dealerships This Fall

Adam Frucci — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:00:00 EDT

If you've been waiting for your chance to buy a hot, hot Tesla electric car (such as their Roadster or Whitestar), good news. The electric car company is planning on opening 5 dealerships around the country this fall.

If you live in NYC, Chicago, Florida, Northern California or Southern California, you're in luck. They hope to open more dealerships soon after, as they're able to pump out more product. Is this the start of the age of the mainstream electric car? We sure hope so. –Adam Frucci

CNET [via Mobile Mag]

Tesla Whitestar Electric Sedan: 4 Doors, Half the Price of the Roadster

Brian Lam — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 18:21:37 EST

Tesla's plans for Whitestar, the sedan version of their electric roadster, are coming along nicely. Head honcho Elon Musk, just announced of a New Mexico factory that'll start construction no later than April 2007. The best part? The 4-door will not only haul more people, but will cost half of the $89,000 roadster. What performance remains after the car is fitted to a heavier chassis, and components are slashed out to lower the price, is yet to be disclosed.

When are the first hack-shops coming together for the mechanically simple electric cars? And when will Tesla tackle the minivan segment? All that torque has to be useful for hauling around today's McNugget-fed preteens.–Brian Lam

Tesla EV [Treehugger and Dvorak]