Production/Delivery Status [Archive] - Tesla Motors Club

Joseph

07-11-2008, 09:35 PM

This is super cool news.

"in addition to sales and service it is the place where all final assembly, tests and preparations are made with each car prior to customers’ delivery. We are pushing forward with planning for our next stores in New York, Chicago, Miami and Seattle."

First of all, the idea of having your car assembled where you buy it is so awesome. It really, truely fits the image Musk gives us in the company blog (Tesla Motors - feel (http://www.teslamotors.com/blog3/?p=58)) where he compares watching a technician service your car to a watching a chef rpepare your food at a restaurant.

I wonder if all the Tesla Stores will have final assembly of the Roadster on-site, at the store. This would be a great idea. At a production rate of ~three cars a day, it may be feasible. I assume final assembly means installing the battery pack. This be a really good idea because that would make the Roadster almost 1,000 pounds lighter during shipping, which I'm assuming saves lots of money for them.

"...they [Roadsters] will keep arriving at the rate of 4 per week (except for the scheduled factory shut down in the last two weeks of August)....In large measure we deliberately limit the production until we install our own born and bred final transmission by mid-September"

I hope it's really, really true when they say the main reason for such slow production is that they're just waiting for Powertrain 1.5. I find it interesting that they are shutting down the factory in late August, and beginning to install Powertrain 1.5 in mid-September. Maybe the two have something to do with eachother? Or maybe Lotus is shutting down the factory? I would find that strange, unless the Roadster is built on the exact same assembly line as the Elise, which I doubt because the two cars are so different. Someone correct if I'm wrong though.

Joseph

07-11-2008, 09:37 PM

Oops...sorry R1. I already wrote a post, quoting some parts of the email, just before you removed it! I don't really think it's bad though, I mean, they know all the info. will leak out anyway.

TEG

07-11-2008, 09:42 PM

mittelhauser

07-11-2008, 10:35 PM

Well there was no request in the email that the information not be shared so I will post my copy. I certainly have forwarded the email to enough folks already that I am sure it will get out somehow. :)

You know of course the saying “Good things are worth waiting for” ... undoubtedly we were trying the truism of this adage longer than warranted, but we have broken the logjam. We are delivering the Roadster to our customers. Already 9 production Roadsters have arrived in California, another 3 arrive this weekend, and they will keep arriving at the rate of 4 per week (except for the scheduled factory shut down in the last two weeks of August). In fact, currently there are 27 Roadsters in various stages of assembly. In large measure we deliberately limit the production until we install our own born and bred final transmission by mid-September, at which time production will start to ramp up leading toward a monthly rate of over 100 cars in December.

From the start we planned a slow production rate for the first several months to allow us time to work out the kinks of production prior to increasing the rate of production. As mentioned above, an important mile marker of our progress is the development and implementation of Powertrain 1.5, which is going smoothly. Already we have prototypes running with the Powertrain 1.5 configuration and we are establishing the manufacturing facility for the gearboxes in our own facilities. The performance of this production configuration is extraordinary.

The Roadster delivery to our customers perfectly dovetails with the Grand Opening of our second Tesla store in as many months. The first was the one in Los Angeles and it’s a huge success, and now the one in the heart of Silicon Valley right near Stanford in Menlo Park. The store in Menlo Park replicates the unique customer experience so successfully present in the LA store and more, since in addition to sales and service it is the place where all final assembly, tests and preparations are made with each car prior to customers’ delivery. We are pushing forward with planning for our next stores in New York, Chicago, Miami and Seattle.

In other news, I have hired Mike Donoughe, an accomplished auto industry executive, as our Executive Vice President of Vehicle Engineering and Manufacturing. Mike spent over 24 years at Chrysler, where most recently, as Vice President of “Project D”, he had been tapped to lead their critical redesign of their mid-size vehicle program. Mike’s addition is an example of my commitment to build a world class team at Tesla, combining the best of what Silicon Valley and Detroit have to offer, to build this company into the next great car company. Keep an eye out for additional news on this front.

On behalf of Tesla employees world wide I would like to thank all of our loyal customers and assure you that we do our utmost to justify the faith that you have shown.

Ze’ev Drori

mittelhauser

07-11-2008, 10:36 PM

Apparently an August holiday is SOP at the Lotus factory.

Lotus Factory closed in August? - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community (http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f3/lotus-factory-closed-august-3799/)

Heck, it is standard for basically ALL of Europe. Almost all business (except some tourism) shuts down for parts of August. Nothing newsworthy there in the least...

-Jon

doug

07-11-2008, 10:57 PM

Heck, it is standard for basically ALL of Europe. Almost all business (except some tourism) shuts down for parts of August. Nothing newsworthy there in the least...

-Jon
Thanks, I appreciate the clarification.

Do you think you can repost the photo?

mittelhauser

07-11-2008, 11:05 PM

Thanks, I appreciate the clarification.

Do you think you can repost the photo?

http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data.php?data_name=menlo_shopcars

WarpedOne

07-12-2008, 02:02 AM

I would find that strange, unless the Roadster is built on the exact same assembly line as the Elise, which I doubt because the two cars are so different. Someone correct if I'm wrong though.

Actually, that is true. Roadsters and Elises are build on the exact same assembly line. I don't have a link handy but it was stated so by some TM stuff. Lotus can make 2 Elises, 1 Roadster, 3 Elises, 2 Roadsters, etc coming down from the line one after another. Assembly is highly manual work though.

dpeilow

07-12-2008, 03:26 AM

Heck, it is standard for basically ALL of Europe. Almost all business (except some tourism) shuts down for parts of August. Nothing newsworthy there in the least...

-Jon

While it is true that much of mainland Europe tends to shut down for a simultaneous summer holiday/vacation, this is not really true of the UK. If Lotus do it, they are an exception. Also don't forget the Roadsters body panels are made in France.

doug

07-12-2008, 09:42 AM

I assume final assembly means installing the battery pack.Whereas it used to only mean the battery pack, I believe final assembly now means installation of the entire powertrain. That means battery, motor, transmission, probably also the PEM.

I wonder if all the Tesla Stores will have final assembly of the Roadster on-site, at the store. This would be a great idea. At a production rate of ~three cars a day, it may be feasible.
That's an interesting idea. Certainly every service center should have the technical expertise to do that, since they may someday need to repair/replace a part of the drivetrain. The Menlo Park shop makes a lot of sense, though. It's pretty big, has lots of service bays (http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=q77cg44tjxgf&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=8035100&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1) (used to be a Chevy dealership) and is only a 15 minute (http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=1050+Bing+St,+San+Carlos,+CA+94070&geocode=&dirflg=&saddr=300+El+Camino+Real,+menlo+Park,+ca&f=d&sll=37.501964,-122.245045&sspn=0.037315,0.074501&ie=UTF8&z=13) drive down El Camino from their San Carlos HQ. Also, probably after initial installation there's some testing and verification they do that they'd want to keep consistent for the time being. When production is in full swing, and gliders start coming in by boat across the Atlantic, it may make more since to have the drivetrain installed on the east coast for non-California customers.

Cobos

07-12-2008, 09:44 AM

As a useless piece of information I might add that the common summer vacation is true as well in Norway though then it's the 3 last weeks of july. But generally everything is slow during the entire summer in Norway as you've got mandatory 4 weeks of vacation and 3 weeks of those has to be done simultaneously during summer.

Cobos

doug

07-12-2008, 09:53 AM

Actually, that is true. Roadsters and Elises are build on the exact same assembly line. I don't have a link handy but it was stated so by some TM stuff. Lotus can make 2 Elises, 1 Roadster, 3 Elises, 2 Roadsters, etc coming down from the line one after another. Assembly is highly manual work though.It is really labor intensive. I've posted this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpY7t2SV2GE&eurl=http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/video/1179-lotus-factory-tour.html) elsewhere (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/video/1179-lotus-factory-tour.html) but I think it's relevant here also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpY7t2SV2GEThe video shows the Elise assembly. Much of the Roadster assembly is similar.

Kimbal Musk posted some pictures of his car (P5) during glider assembly on his blog (http://www.kimbalmusk.com/weblog/2008/07/my-tesla-is-jus.html).

http://www.kimbalmusk.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/11/cimg4414.jpg

If you pay attention, you can see this very same room in the video.

doug

07-13-2008, 01:03 AM

Tesla Motors - think (http://www.teslamotors.com/blog2/?p=62)

http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data.php?data_name=bai_drori
Update on Production and Delivery of Cars to Customers
by Ze'ev Drori
President and CEO
published Saturday, July 12th, 2008
The following update was sent by Ze’ev Drori to Tesla customers yesterday.

You know of course the saying “Good things are worth waiting for” …

Tesla starts delivering Roadsters as production ramps up, hires hotshot engineering exec - Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/12/tesla-starts-delivering-roadsters-as-production-ramps-up-hires/)

Ze'ev Drori offers up another Tesla production update - AutoblogGreen (http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/07/13/zeev-drori-offers-up-another-tesla-production-update/)

doug

07-18-2008, 02:43 PM

Tesla Motors - hear (http://www.teslamotors.com/blog5/?p=60)

http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data.php?data_name=bai_jacobs
Flying the Glider: Roadster Owner Ken Jacobs Tours Assembly Plant and Test Track
by Ken Jacobs

published Friday, July 18th, 2008

...

I was amazed to see that it is entirely a manual process. No robots. No power tools. Just simple screwdrivers and wrenches and some pulleys mounted from above to hoist heavy components. The Roadster is clearly a hand-made vehicle, with a lot of love and personal attention given to each vehicle as a result. The main assembly line in Hethel has 12 stations, at each of which the workers have 43 minutes to do the work required to move the car along. Each station has 2 or 3 guys working on a phase of the assembly process, whether it’s integrating the pre-built chassis with the frame, installing the wheels and brakes, the windshield, the body panels or the seats.

At each step, the technicians must be very aware of the specific car they are building, and whether it is a Tesla Roadster or a Lotus Elise. The Roadster and the Elise are different vehicles, of course, and have many different parts, even though they share the same assembly line. The workers ensure that each Roadster gets the right Tesla parts, installed to Tesla specifications for such things as the proper torque levels for tightening bolts, etc. At the end of the line, after 12×43 minutes (about 8 hours), something very much like a Lotus Elise or a Tesla Roadster will emerge.

The Lotus assembly line was specially modified for the Roadster, to accommodate the installation of the 900-pound ESS (”energy storage system”), the car’s battery. The original intent was to ship complete and drivable Roadsters from the UK to the US. This has now changed. My understanding is that when Tesla begins installing powertrain 1.5 in new Roadsters, it will be done in California. Thus, everything but the battery and powertrain will be installed in Hethel. The resulting so-called “glider” is then shipped to California (about 5-6 weeks by boat, I’m told). For each battery, 6,831 lithium ion cells are sent from Japan to California, where the battery is built. This change saves Tesla shipping costs, and makes the Roadster a “California car”. The Tesla Store about to open in Menlo Park will do the final installation of the battery and powertrain.
...

http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/het_lead.jpghttp://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/het_assm.jpghttp://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/het_paint.jpg

dpeilow

07-20-2008, 02:29 PM

This is interesting

Glyn told us that the latest glitch in the production of the Roadsters was a need to change the supplier for the body panels. Tesla was simply not getting the required quality. By now, this problem has been fixed, and the plant is currently ramping up production with body panels from the new supplier.

I wonder how much of the program delay this caused?

DDB

09-08-2008, 05:28 AM

For those with any inside info, has Tesla ramped up production yet with drive train 1.5? It's September, and I haven't heard a peep. Aren't they supposed to hit the 100 per month mark shortly?

WarpedOne

09-08-2008, 07:06 AM

>> Aren't they supposed to hit the 100 per month mark shortly?

They've said December.

GSP

09-08-2008, 03:22 PM

The way I read it, they said November:

Tesla Motors - think (http://www.teslamotors.com/blog2/?p=59)

Not a big difference. Like DDB, I thought it was sooner.

GSP

DDB

09-08-2008, 06:42 PM

"This new powertrain configuration is planned to be inserted into the production schedule in September, at about the 40th car"...

Answers that question; thanks GSP.

Still some time till we get more drivers giving reviews (other than Martin). I'll keep saving my pennies.

Dogtown

09-09-2008, 04:23 PM

Still some time till we get more drivers giving reviews (other than Martin). I'll keep saving my pennies.

That is where I am at as well. I can't get out of my head that the reason for all the delays of Martin's car was so they could go over it with a fine tooth comb. I'm not convinced that all the cars have the same build quality. I'm waiting to see more reviews from real customers.

DDB

09-10-2008, 06:43 AM

That is where I am at as well. I can't get out of my head that the reason for all the delays of Martin's car was so they could go over it with a fine tooth comb. I'm not convinced that all the cars have the same build quality. I'm waiting to see more reviews from real customers.

More than likely I'll end up with a Volt; but it may very well end up with the first available EV for delivery that is practical...I figure it's 2 years from now regardless.

vfx

09-10-2008, 07:42 AM

I'm not convinced that all the cars have the same build quality.

It's been said that it will take 300 or so cars to really get all the bugs out. :redface:

tomsax

09-10-2008, 10:01 AM

Tesla released production and 1.5 drivetrain info yesterday.

Tesla Motors - Press Releases (http://www.teslamotors.com/media/press_room.php?id=968)

The EPA range got boosted to 244 miles, they have delivered 27 cars, and they expect to ramp production up to 40 per week by early 2009.

Edit: the press release is being discussed on this thread: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/tesla-roadster/1629-tesla-motors-selects-borgwarner-production-new-gearbox-tesla-roadster.html#post12493

FLXX

09-15-2008, 01:09 AM

6 months after production start, how many car have been built and how many delivered?

WarpedOne

09-15-2008, 04:04 AM

IIRC built/delivered count is currently around 24 - 27.
They are building 10s car per week now.

graham

09-15-2008, 05:11 AM

Yes, they have finished delivering the Founders Series, and this week they are beginning to deliver into the Signature 100 Series. This week the cars that are being manufactured in England are starting to get the new power train (which should show up for delivery in 6 weeks or so).

Joseph

09-15-2008, 01:45 PM

The way it works out, it seems that all the powertrain 1.0 cars are for the founders series, and that all the powertrain 1.5 cars are for the signature 100.

graham

09-15-2008, 02:59 PM

The way it works out, it seems that all the powertrain 1.0 cars are for the founders series, and that all the powertrain 1.5 cars are for the signature 100.

This is mostly true. There is a lag between what gets built and what gets delivered. I understand the first handful of Sig 100s (maybe a dozen?) will have the old powertrain -- those which have been built before this week, but not yet delivered. Supposedly they have about 50 cars now in some stage of being in the middle of being built -- most of which will have the new powertrain. Once they deliver everything that has been built before this week they will be 100% on the new powertrain.

FLXX

10-01-2008, 05:09 AM

Where are we standing? Is the Signature 100 series built? Is Tesla now able to raise their production speed. How many cars have been produced by today?

TEG

10-01-2008, 07:39 AM

I don't know for sure, but I recall hearing something like 27 "Founder Series" delivered already, plus ~50 Signature 100 built already (not all delivered yet). I would guess that perhaps all the Signature 100 customers get their cars before Christmas.

Again this is just a very rough estimate based on limited recollection of some quotes I read various places.

doug

10-01-2008, 08:23 AM

From tomsax's blog (http://www.saxton.org/tom_saxton/2008/09/tesla-motors-seattle-road-show.html) on the Seattle town hall meeting last Friday (9/26/08):

Signature #38 has entered production and they have delivered into the first few Signature 100 owners. The production rate is about ten per week. They expect to step that up to twenty per week by the end of this year. The first batch of the 10-per-week production will arrive in California next week and they will begin installing drivetrain 1.5 in those vehicles.

TEG

10-01-2008, 10:47 AM

19 Electric Car Players Pitch San Francisco Earth2Tech (http://earth2tech.com/2008/09/30/19-electric-car-players-pitch-san-francisco/)

where is the (SF) mayor’s own electric car, Tesla Roadster No. 51? “I just got a call,” he told us. “It’s coming in a few weeks.”

chimpanzee

10-01-2008, 12:33 PM

I might be putting in an order soon, in which case I would be ~ #1201. I was told that expected delivery would be 9/09. $60K down, balance due when color selection comes about in 4/09.

Does this sound realistic? 1200 Roadsters mfg'd & delivered by Sept 2009? Drivetrain 1.5 still hasn't had a full Durability/Reliability run (at least publicly disclosed)?

I want to "play with the Technology". Maybe another option is to convert an existing car (sports car, small SUV, etc) to EV, & experiment with an Xtrac multiple speed gearbox. Like JB has done at Tesla, develop my own digital PEM.

Kevin Harney

10-01-2008, 01:16 PM

chimpanzee

10-01-2008, 05:33 PM

The plan all along has been 600 MY2008 and 600 MY2009 so yes that seems reasonable. Many have discussed that here and that plan was deemed quite reasonable.

It is my understanding that DT1.5 has been fully tested and and is due to start being installed in cars VERY soon if not already. I think it may be being installed after car 38 if my recollections are correct. So 1200 would be fine...

"the plan", "my understanding". Hmm.

They've made/delivered 38, & they intent to ramp up to 1200 by next Sept?? Man, I think that's a big jump, especially for a 1st production line. They've never been in this territory of big production #'s.

I never heard anything concrete from the Death Valley test, & where are the #'s for a Durability/Reliability test? One more snafu with transmission, that's it. People have a finite patience threshold.

An Xtrac development partner (offroad) went thru several cycles of prototype/race/post-mortem (lots of breakage over 2007 year) to develop a 2008 tranny which has scored 1st, 3rd, 1st. They are 2nd in points going into the Baja 1000, looking to take home the points championship. They started out with an Xtrac tranny with a Formula 1 style clutch pack (7" diameter), & beefed it up to withstand offroad abuse. The latter is similar to the shockload of a Roadster w/AC Induction Motor (instantaneous power, severe shockload to tranny). Apparently, there is a near-solution for a Roadster 2-speed Xtrac, with some modifications (cross-over technology transfer from offroad to pavement). The Durability/Reliability test has been done in offroad racing. Beautiful demonstration of the power of Interdisciplinary Science. I've been in touch with those parties (VP of Xtrac, owner of offroad partner), & it's simply a matter of writing a proposal to do the technology transfer. That's where I would get involved, getting a Roadster & doing the mods.

Imagine the performance with JB's PEM modification (complete overhaul from analog to digital), plus a 2-speed.

Tim M

10-02-2008, 06:04 AM

"the plan", "my understanding". Hmm.

They've made/delivered 38, & they intent to ramp up to 1200 by next Sept?? Man, I think that's a big jump, especially for a 1st production line. They've never been in this territory of big production #'s.

Chimp,

What Kevin is refering to has been extensively discussed here and other places. Its not conjecture or speculation. Also, the roadster glider is built on the same line that builds the Elise. So when you say "they" meaning Tesla, you should consider that it is Lotus building the glider. Does Lotus have the ability to build at this volume? Yes, they do.

Kevin Harney

10-02-2008, 07:58 AM

And that production rate is just 25 /week (give or take a couple cars for factory down time and holiday breaks)I am quite sure Lotus can handle that ... this is not a huge stretch by any means of the imagination.

graham

10-02-2008, 09:34 PM

I just received the email stating that my color kit is on the way, and that I need to lock-in within the next 12 days.

Only 6 weeks ago they told me my lock-in date was going to be "December", and with that I was assuming late December. They have obviously ramped up faster than they were expecting only a few weeks ago.

I have no idea how I will come up with all the rest of the cash in the next 12 days. Perhaps I should buy a lottery ticket tonight...

jsnable

10-02-2008, 09:59 PM

Me too, though I have 22 days. I asked for an update on my production slot just this week and it had moved up to the low 500's. I also asked about when the balance is due, and that is 3 months prior to production, which is scheduled in March. So you may still have another couple of months... I'm not sure why the lock-in is so far ahead, but will be asking - it might be a glitch in the system for all I know.

Jay

FLXX

10-03-2008, 02:20 AM

I appreciate that all the threads about production have been put together into one. The first months were disappointing but it seems that production is ramping up now! Curious when the first car will shop up on ebay. I´m still looking for one, so if anyone here wants to get rid of their delivery, let me know! :biggrin:

graham

10-03-2008, 05:57 AM

Me too, though I have 22 days.

Err, yes! I misread my email. I have 22 days as well. I wonder how many people they are mailing color kits to this week.

SteveF

10-03-2008, 09:46 AM

Add me to the list. I got my e-mail yesterday, also with a lock-in date of Oct 24th. So sounds like a bunch of us got this notice. I am thrilled, to say the least.

SByer

10-03-2008, 10:03 AM

I received the e-mail as well, same 22 day time frame. Shoot, two years after that first deposit, it's starting to get real...

vfx

10-03-2008, 11:39 AM

tomsax

10-03-2008, 12:01 PM

I believe Tesla is moving up the lock-in dates, so you can't assume three months from lock-in to delivery.

Is there a recently stated relationship between lock-in date and start of production? I doubt it since Tesla can't predict how quickly production will ramp up, there are too many external dependencies for them to be sure they can get to a certain production rate until it happens.

graham

10-03-2008, 12:51 PM

Can this be right?

How can SBuyer #534 , SteveF #536, Graham #525 and Jay #? be so early in the lock ins?

The mid 500s are going to deliver in late January? Not March or May?

I wonder if Tesla is cash poor and are fudging the months a bit?

Well, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that we are all moved up to the upper 400s by now. But your point is very valid.

To be accurate: They have not asked for money in their email. They just have merely asked for color/option lock-in.

I have emailed them asking if the balance is still due at lock in, and if the delivery date has also moved up 2 months as well. I hope if delivery is still not for another 5 or 6 months from now, they will not require full payment yet.

SteveF

10-03-2008, 01:46 PM

Can this be right?

How can SBuyer #534 , SteveF #536, Graham #525 and Jay #? be so early in the lock ins?

The mid 500s are going to deliver in late January? Not March or May?

By way of update (not sure if it answers any questions), my original number was 536, but I was told a couple of weeks ago that this was a "waitlist" number. My new "actual number" was quoted as 482. And at that same time a couple of weeks ago, I was given a "late March" delivery estimate. Perhaps there is still some confusion over delivery dates versus start-of-production dates.

SteveF

10-03-2008, 01:49 PM

I have emailed them asking if the balance is still due at lock in, and if the delivery date has also moved up 2 months as well. I hope if delivery is still not for another 5 or 6 months from now, they will not require full payment yet.

I would be VERY interested in TM's response to your questions, as well, if you don't mind sharing when you hear back from them!

lorencc

10-03-2008, 02:21 PM

I'm number 180-something and I locked in my choices over a month ago.

Delivery is probably somewhere around the first of next year.

They haven't asked me for the remainder of the balance yet (and I haven't volunteered it either).

graham

10-03-2008, 06:27 PM

I would be VERY interested in TM's response to your questions, as well, if you don't mind sharing when you hear back from them!

It looks like we lock in colors / options now, but we do not pay for the car until 3 months prior to delivery

My current number is now #471. This puts my delivery estimate (all subject to change in either direction) in May. Which would make my balance due in Feb if I am understanding it all correctly.

Apparently while the balance is due ahead of time, taxes/fees etc are paid upon delivery.

jsnable

10-03-2008, 08:35 PM

Hi Graham,

Extrapolating from a recent email exchange I had with TM, your car is likely scheduled for early March production, and the balance is due 3 months prior to that. I'd expect right around December 1 for you - I'm around the 15th at slot 513 (and "mid-March" production)... Delivery is around 6 weeks by ship, plus another 2 weeks to install the drivetrain components.

Jay

graham

10-03-2008, 09:02 PM

Ah, that makes sense. I was misunderstanding that payment was to be 3 months before delivery, not 3 months before they start building it. Big difference.

Stewart W

10-08-2008, 10:09 AM

For those with any inside info, has Tesla ramped up production yet with drive train 1.5? It's September, and I haven't heard a peep. Aren't they supposed to hit the 100 per month mark shortly?
*******
I inquired directly to Tesla and they provided me a current status. Recap below..

as of 10/8
>delivered 34 Tesla Roadsters.
>production recently ramped up to 10 cars per week
>32 customer cars currently in the various factories in Hethel England
>Average production of about 35 – 40 Roadsters a month will likely remain the norm into the New Year.

Kevin Harney

10-08-2008, 02:42 PM

So by the end of the month it is very likely that they will surpass Tuckers record :)

That is exciting !!

graham

10-08-2008, 02:55 PM

I should have mentioned that the reason they have pushed up the color lock-in date so much is that they think there is a chance they can ramp up production even faster than this. If that happens it would be unfair to ask the buyer to choose colors with so little warning.

Tdave

10-13-2008, 05:43 AM

My current number is now #471. This puts my delivery estimate (all subject to change in either direction) in May. Which would make my balance due in Feb if I am understanding it all correctly.

That's not consistent with the info I've received from Tesla.

I'm #795. I was told last month that that means "our best estimate puts delivery at mid May. Balance payment will happen 3 months prior to the build of your car, so 4 months prior to the delivery date."

So for #795: Balance due mid-January. Delivery mid-May.

(Unless things have changed during the past 4 weeks).

graham

10-13-2008, 08:02 AM

That's not consistent with the info I've received from Tesla.

I'm #795. I was told last month that that means "our best estimate puts delivery at mid May. Balance payment will happen 3 months prior to the build of your car, so 4 months prior to the delivery date."

So for #795: Balance due mid-January. Delivery mid-May.

(Unless things have changed during the past 4 weeks).

Yes, I misunderstood the gap between payment and delivery. I was under the impression that the balance was due 3 months before you receive the car. It seems more like the balance is due 3 months before they start building the car.

Definitive information from Tesla that I have received: I am #471. My color picks need to be locked in by Oct 24. My balance will be due in Dec.

All other dates of when the car will get here have been me extrapolating (sometimes erroneously). I must say I don't quite understand how they plan to be at a production rate where they take money for #471 one month and #795 the next. I will be very (pleasantly) surprised if I receive my car one month, and Tesla_Dave the next.

Tim M

10-15-2008, 05:07 AM

Dave and Graham,

At 645, I sit almost in the middle between the two of you. I have ways been told my balance would be due "around the end of the year." That sort of make sense from the info you guys have been batting around. I've also been told delivery around April, so I would expect Graham's car before May.

Wouldn't ya think?

Tim

Kevin Harney

10-15-2008, 06:07 AM

Anybody know if we have hit the magic Tucker number of #51 yet ? We should be close ...

vfx

10-15-2008, 08:32 AM

Anybody know if we have hit the magic Tucker number of #51 yet ? We should be close ...
One of the recent articles said that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's car is number #51.

EncycTEGpedia Brown can probably give you the link.

TEG

10-15-2008, 08:37 AM

19 Electric Car Players Pitch San Francisco Earth2Tech (http://earth2tech.com/2008/09/30/19-electric-car-players-pitch-san-francisco/)

And where is the mayor’s own electric car, Tesla Roadster No. 51? “I just got a call,” he told us. “It’s coming in a few weeks.”

Kevin Harney

10-15-2008, 10:29 AM

I had read both of those and put them together to be right about now.... that is why I asked...

tomsax

10-15-2008, 10:37 AM

At the Seattle-area owners town hall on September 25th, we were told that next week (week of Sept 29th) they would start receiving cars exiting from the 10/week production rate and would start installing drive train 1.5, and that it takes each car about two weeks to go through the installation and testing process. So, I'd expect that they would start delivering 10 cars per week starting at the beginning of this week, give or take, beginning in the low Signature 100's.

Has anyone received their Roadster with drive train 1.5?

doug

10-15-2008, 01:12 PM

This is from two days ago:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/2938890616_953d3e16ba.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/2938890616_953d3e16ba_b.jpg)

Miller

10-15-2008, 01:18 PM

That's a lot of Roadsters...

graham

10-15-2008, 01:34 PM

Further updates from Tesla: I have been trading voice mails and emails with my sales guy there.

Previously the color lock-in date was tied to the balance due date. Also previously the 50% deposit was 100% refundable up until the "lock-in date". I wrote to ask if those things were all still tied together. After my color lock-in date on Oct 24, would my $50,000 deposit no longer be refundable? Or was it still up until my balance due date?

His reply: They are changing things for the 2008s. Now all money will be due upon delivery of the vehicle, and deposits will be refundable all the way up until that point.

Additionally, he mentioned that the balance-due date (the original lock-in date) was supposed to be 3 months and 1 week from delivery of the car, not 3 months from beginning to build the car. (essentially 5 months before delivery)

I am waiting for his reply (again) but I think that means since my lock-in date was Dec, car #471 will be delivered in the March-April time frame, not May. This time schedule is probably different between the 2008s and the 2009s which perhaps led to the confusion of the length of time between payment and delivery.

I wonder if that means I can catch the California $5000 tax credit expiring March 31...

vfx

10-15-2008, 08:11 PM

I wonder if that means I can catch the California $5000 tax credit expiring March 31...

Sounds like the magic time to get a Tesla delivered is between Jan1st and March 31st. That way you get to rebates!

graham

10-15-2008, 08:52 PM

Tesla called me earlier this evening. They confirmed that my balance and taxes are due upon delivery. I tried to pin him down on a delivery date. He now claims May with the build beginning in March

Back to no tax credit for me.

Oh, and for those interested, my color kit arrived in the mail today.

SteveF

10-24-2008, 04:16 PM

Just in case anyone still doubts that Roadsters are being delivered at an ever-faster pace (10 cars per week is the current claim), I snapped this picture with my phone yesterday around noon at the Menlo Park store. There are at least 11 cars visible in this shot, with a few more I couldn't squeeze into the frame.

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/attachments/tesla-roadster/90d1224890087-production-status-menlo-park-store.jpg

The faster they go, the sooner they'll get to mine!

jsnable

10-24-2008, 06:57 PM

doug

10-25-2008, 08:51 AM

With so many Roadsters there on the floor, I wonder if drivetrain installation and vehicle verification is becoming a bottleneck.

FLXX

10-25-2008, 02:25 PM

I was in earlier in the week to have a final look at colors and counted about 30 total between the main service floor, outside, and back service bay. I should have paid more attention to the tags on the cars - the highest number I remember is 39, which would be 66 total (assuming 27 Founders' cars). I would guess that they will be nearing the 100 delivered mark very soon.

Jay

I hope that they can really ramp up the production now. The already late production start was announced March, 19th. Now, 31 weeks later....the result isn´t very impressive...how many cars have been delivered yet, 35?

stopcrazypp

10-25-2008, 04:04 PM

With so many Roadsters there on the floor, I wonder if drivetrain installation and vehicle verification is becoming a bottleneck.

Yeah I'm wondering that too; I have no doubts Lotus can churn out 10 gliders a week but I have doubts that TM can do 10 (or more if they are still a little behind) drivetrain installations and vehicle verifications in a week.

Kevin Harney

10-30-2008, 01:56 PM

Any word on the number of Roadsters delivered now ? I would think #51 should come with some fanfare but none of the other major numbers have come with fanfare so why would i think that ... :rolleyes:

graham

10-30-2008, 02:08 PM

So this article from Forbes last Friday says "About 50 cars":
Tesla Cuts 20% Of Workforce - Forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/10/24/tesla-elon-musk-tech-science-cz_rb_1024tesla.html)

Who knows how accurate that number is. That is the most recent number I have seen published recently.

graham

10-30-2008, 06:22 PM

I heard this afternoon from John at Tesla. He claims:

We have delivered about 45 cars. I can say with pretty high confidence that by next week we will be at about 55 and will be pretty consistent at about 10 cars per week here on out for the rest of the year. So, by next week we will be well past Tucker.

doug

10-31-2008, 12:25 PM

I stopped by the Menlo Park store yesterday for the first time in a while. Things seem to be moving along there. Sig#28 was on the showroom floor and Sig#52 (sans drivetrain) was visible from the shop window. They perhaps had up to Sig#60 (glider) on the premises. That day a few cars left on a truck to get delivered to New York and Miami, and a some more gliders arrived.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/2989880008_8d7479db98.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/2989880008_8d7479db98_b.jpg)http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/2989026485_29390d6a6e.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/2989026485_29390d6a6e_b.jpg)http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/2989881756_97e400ba90.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/2989881756_97e400ba90_b.jpg)

They certainly have a lot of cars to drive around:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/2989028185_3248983e40.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/2989028185_3248983e40_b.jpg)

Laurent

10-31-2008, 01:41 PM

Production seems to be taking forever. My car is still many months away. :frown:

At least I got my license plates today (TESLA RS), I put them on my minivan for the time being. I could be wrong but it feels a little bit quicker now :biggrin:

doug

10-31-2008, 07:45 PM

By the way, I meant to mention that the VINs on the recent cars indicate a US manufacture, where all the previous ones indicated UK.

tomsax

11-01-2008, 12:18 PM

I was quite surprised to learn that Tesla delivered the first two drivetrain 1.5 vehicles to customers yesterday (not counting P1, of course). I had been wondering why we hadn't heard from a single owner about the drivetrain 1.5 experience. That explains it.

doug

11-01-2008, 12:51 PM

Well they had said they'd switch to 1.5 after the first 42 or so cars, so that sounds about right. When I stopped by the MP store on Thursday, I was told the cars they were currently working on were getting the 1.5 drivetrain. It didn't occur to me to ask when they planned to do the 1.0 to 1.5 conversions.

tomsax

11-01-2008, 01:49 PM

They also said they would start installing drivetrain 1.5 in vehicles in September, so it surprised me that it took a month for them to deliver the first one to a customer.

TEG

11-01-2008, 06:11 PM

It seems like some new VPs showed up with 1.5
I am guessing that that they decided to put the first few 1.5s in demo and press cars before moving on to customer cars.

j-g

11-02-2008, 06:19 AM

graham

11-02-2008, 08:24 AM

Based on the conversations I have had, #47 should be there. But I haven't seen it specifically. Maybe someone who lives closer can swing by this weekend and take a picture.

doug

11-02-2008, 10:47 AM

I would like to know if anyone who has recently been to Menlo showroom can verify that #47 is on site and possibly post a photo. Living in Florida, I rely on the sporadic photos that appear on this thread for information. Been waiting 2+ years and agonized over color combination-radiant red with black/gray interior.

Yeah, I would bet that it's there but doesn't have it's battery pack yet.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/2989027035_f9ca2713b5.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/2989027035_f9ca2713b5_b.jpg)
(click on the photo for a larger image)

The number on the windshield is the Signature #. You can plainly read off 52, 44, and 51 in this photo. Perhaps that's your car in the back on the left. I might have a chance to stop by there again in the next few days to take a better photo for you. Or maybe the folks at the store would be nice enough to do it. They realize how eager people are to get their cars. I can imagine the excitement, anticipation, and anxiety you must be feeling. I did see some odd seat color combinations, but black and grey sounds reasonable. Dark grey?

graham

11-02-2008, 10:55 AM

The number on the windshield is the Signature #. You can plainly read off 52, 44, and 51 in this photo. Perhaps that's your car in the back on the left.

I think doug is correct. If you click on the photo to look at the original (larger) picture on Flickr, and look at the Radiant Red car windshield (behind the Fusion Red on the upper left) you can clearly see that the number on that windshield ends in "7"... the partially obscured number before it certainly looks like it is a "4" as well, so I bet that is j-g's #47 car. Can't see too much of it except the trunk lid and the windshield, but it is pretty good evidence that it exists!

DaveD

11-02-2008, 11:59 AM

If you click on the photo to look at the original (larger) picture on Flickr, and look at the Radiant Red car windshield (behind the Fusion Red on the upper left) you can clearly see that the number on that windshield ends in "7"... the partially obscured number before it certainly looks like it is a "4" as well, so I bet that is j-g's #47 car.

For easy comparison:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/2996651564_5f9257819d.jpg?v=0http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/2996651622_988b8e5aa9.jpg?v=0

doug

11-02-2008, 12:43 PM

Heh... got the whole team on the case.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/2995961005_8aefaa255f.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/2995961005_cc1ef9ca8a_o.jpg)

I'm sure that's your car. We'll likely have some better pics for you soon.

j-g

11-02-2008, 05:30 PM

Thanks to the team! Great to see hard evidence finally. Also interesting to see the radiant red next to the fusion red.

Tim M

11-03-2008, 10:48 AM

j-g,

How cool is that?! To see it in the flesh (almost)! That is very, very cool.

Kevin Harney

11-03-2008, 11:55 AM

So how many Founder's Series were there again ? The reason I ask is the numbering gets confusing. So have they delivered like 20 of the Sig 100 cars ? Which would explain why the numbers are in the 40's while the delivered are in the 40's as well.... CONFUSED !!!:confused: wouldn't the numbers be in the 30's .... Something sticks in my head there were 24 founder's series cars so that would be about 20 sig 100's delivered so why are the numbers in the plant in the 40's and 50's ....

graham

11-03-2008, 12:44 PM

I believe there were 27 Founders Series

doug

11-03-2008, 12:47 PM

As far as I know, there were 27 Founders' Series cars. The last of which is Twilight Blue seen here (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/tesla-roadster/1175-early-production-models-post11833.html#post11833) and here (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/tesla-roadster/1175-early-production-models-post12719.html#post12719). It does take some time to install the drivetrain and do vehicle verification.

tomsax

11-03-2008, 01:00 PM

My understanding is that there were originally 24 founder series cars, then three more were added, bringing the total up to 27.

The cars in the photos with the white tape don't have the drivetrain installed. (You can see this by the way the body rides high over the tires, especially the back tires. When the ESS goes in, the body drops down to the right position.) So, those cars are presumably freshly delivered to Tesla, with lower-numbered vehicles further through the process.

We were told in September that it takes about two weeks for cars to go through the process in Menlo Park. In addition to installing the drivetrain, they test the vehicle and get everything working properly, then do the final prep for delivery.

Also, cars don't get delivered in strict sequence number. If a car has a problem on the line in Hethel, it may have to sit off the production line while the problem is fixed and other vehicles continue to make progress. I expect the same thing can happen in Menlo Park.

Signature 100 #33 was delivered last Friday, which fits pretty well with the 55 completed number, implying five cars had problems that pushed them out of sequence.

TEG

11-03-2008, 02:07 PM

Also, it seems that the cars produced aren't in a total "series" production, but rather they may include an odd VP here and there.

So, just as the "Founders" series went from 24 to 27, who is to say if they don't make any more Founders series later?

By the way, when did we first learn about the "Founder Series" in the first place? When I saw the Roadster first announced in 2006, I thought the first production cars would be Signature 100s. Did the "Founders Series" get slotted in front of those at a later time?

Kevin Harney

11-03-2008, 02:27 PM

So just to be a little more clear. We are looking at a minimum of 102 cars already produced + any EP's on top of that. and like 80+ cars that are either delivered or sitting in the US waiting to be delivered...

52 Sig 100's
27 FS
23 VP's
?? EP's

That is GREAT !!

tomsax

11-03-2008, 02:49 PM

52 Sig 100's

Where did you get the 52 Sig 100's completed number? They might be up to Sig #52 delivered to Menlo Park (I've seen numbers indicating only high 40's), but they spend a couple of weeks getting finished there before delivery.

TEG

11-03-2008, 05:35 PM

27 FS
23 VP's
?? EP's

I think it is

100+ Sig 100
27 Founder series
24 Validation Prototypes
10 Engineering/Evaluation Prototypes

graham

11-04-2008, 07:49 AM

Shall we subtract the ones that get totaled?

Kevin Harney

11-05-2008, 08:17 AM

Tom,

52 was the highest number I could read in the photos. I assumed that all those were sig 100 cars. That is why I find the numbers confusing .... are those numbers of all of the different cars put together ? meaning 52 would be 27 founder's plus 25 sig 100's ?!?!?!? Or were there 1-27 for Founder's and then we started over with 1-100 Sig's ?!?!?!?!

tomsax

11-05-2008, 12:30 PM

jsnable

11-05-2008, 01:12 PM

Something's gone funky with this thread for me - I can't see any of the new posts past Graham's last night. I can see them when replying though - I'm guessing tomsax had the same problem?

Jay

...and miraculously, there is now a page 10 to go to. Back to our originally scheduled programming!

Kevin Harney

11-05-2008, 01:20 PM

I got some updated numbers from Tesla last night.

VIN 110 (production car number 137) has entered production in Hethel. That's ten cars past the Signature 100.

Gliders up through Signature 100 #60 have been delivered to Menlo Park.

Approximately 50 cars have been delivered to customers (including the 27 Founder Series cars).

There are about 13 more in the process of being delivered. I take that to mean cars that are sitting in Menlo Park or LA waiting to be picked up, or are being trucked across the country.

That sounds great but what confuses me is the VIN 110 (production car number 137) part. This seems to imply that the Founder's Series did not have a VIN to me. Did you type that backwards? To me 10 cars past the Sig 100's would be VIN 137 .... 27 + 100 + 10.

graham

11-05-2008, 01:22 PM

Those numbers are great news, Tom!

So going on the theory that a car takes 6-8 weeks from entering production to final delivery it probably means by Christmas/New Years they will have delivered through #137. Hopefully they will be able to ramp up production to > 100 month quickly after that.

Kevin Harney

11-05-2008, 01:26 PM

I would imagine that they would try to get out as many Christmas presents as possible :) LOL

Kevin Harney

11-05-2008, 01:28 PM

graham

11-05-2008, 02:21 PM

Can anyone shed any light on why TM refuses to post cars delivered on their website. I think that would be a big PR plus for them to do that .... Why is this info so secretive ?!?!?!?!? TOUT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS !!!!

My guess is that it will magnify any setbacks they encounter as much as their accomplishments - and these first few months of production are more about having issues than accomplishing things. Perhaps they will consider it after the first of the year when things have been working smoothly for a while.

tomsax

11-05-2008, 03:17 PM

That sounds great but what confuses me is the VIN 110 (production car number 137) part. This seems to imply that the Founder's Series did not have a VIN to me. Did you type that backwards? To me 10 cars past the Sig 100's would be VIN 137 .... 27 + 100 + 10.

The Founder Series had their own VIN sequence. They started a new sequence at 001 with Signature 100 #1 which will continue through the rest of the 2008 model year Roadsters.

doug

11-05-2008, 03:37 PM

That sounds great but what confuses me is the VIN 110 (production car number 137) part. This seems to imply that the Founder's Series did not have a VIN to me. Did you type that backwards? To me 10 cars past the Sig 100's would be VIN 137 .... 27 + 100 + 10.
The different "types" of cars have their own VIN sequence. The serial numbers (the last six digits of the VIN) of the Founders' Series start with an F, E for the EPs, and V for the VP's and recent marketing cars. The serial numbers for the Signature 100 and the rest of the regular production cars start with a zero.

Edit:
Oops, just saw tomsax's post.

doug

11-05-2008, 04:25 PM

I stopped by the store yesterday and there were 7 or 8 Roadsters on the showroom floor waiting for delivery (including Leo DiCaprio's). Of those, the highest VIN I noticed was Sig#30.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/3006740292_69dfd2c156.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/3006740292_69dfd2c156_b.jpg)
Ready for delivery. There were a few more on the showroom floor not pictured.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3028/3005904817_4990c4cc26.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3028/3005904817_4990c4cc26_b.jpg)
In the service area, almost ready for delivery.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/3005903645_6cf345447e.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/3005903645_6cf345447e_b.jpg)
Waiting for drivetrain installation.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/3006739216_0e9094fc68.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/3006739216_0e9094fc68_b.jpg)
Getting detailed. Jason Calacanis' is the orange car on the right.

TEG

11-05-2008, 04:56 PM

Woo-hoo!
It is so great seeing them finally getting to regular production like this.
Seeing the show-room and service bay full up is such a treat.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the photos, Doug.
I had thought I would be doing that, but given that you are even closer than I am it saves me the trouble!

SByer

11-05-2008, 09:37 PM

Doug, thanks for the photos. Definitely helps to lift the spirits.

I can understand why Tesla doesn't release the numbers regularly. Which numbers do you pick? Anything earlier than "customer deliveries" isn't, well, real. And any number along the path - especially customer deliveries - is subject to glitches and fluctuations, which can all be blown out of proportion. Imagine the TTAC article the week where the number doesn't increase, for whatever legitimate reason.

It's also tricky to release when you've gotten to milestone numbers - those same glitches can push or pull the milestone numbers in a direction that could "misinform" those who would be (misinformed).

But, I think, reports from other owners here and there can keep us tapped in enough to have a least a vague sense of progress.

doug

11-06-2008, 11:06 AM

Glad you guys appreciate the pics.

Btw, here's a better shot of j-g's car:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3191/3007898195_3f8306f124.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3191/3007898195_3f8306f124_b.jpg)

graham

11-06-2008, 11:10 AM

Nice picture! That Radiant Red is such a nice color for the Roadster! I assume based on how high it is riding that it doesn't have the batteries installed yet.

Joseph

11-06-2008, 02:02 PM

Wow, this is really exciting. I guess we could say that production has finally begun, for real. :biggrin:

I can't wait till I see my first one in the "wild."

mittelhauser

11-06-2008, 05:04 PM

Wow, this is really exciting. I guess we could say that production has finally begun, for real. :biggrin:

I can't wait till I see my first one in the "wild."

LOL. Come visit Palo Alto. I see an average of 2 a week (some duplicates). It is just pure torture while I wait for mine. :)

-Jon

vfx

11-06-2008, 05:20 PM

Yes Doug, thank you for your "family pictures". It makes the whole thing seem more real.

I volunteer to drive Leo's car down to LA.

j-g

11-06-2008, 05:49 PM

Doug,

Thanks for the follow up! Having been starved for information for so long, it is great to see it really exists and is moving forward.

Jeff

TEG

11-07-2008, 09:55 AM

So it seems like there were some suprises about VPs being made after production started. I had assumed that Roadsters would just progress from one type to the next EPs->VPs->Production, but it seems as if the occasional extra VP gets created after customer production already started. I guess they need more demo cars as new stores open (and/or something happens to an existing demo car), so it seems that they make extra VPs as needed. It appears that the VPs have a different VIN sequence but I don't know if there is anything else that differentiates them from production cars.

So, with that thought out of the way I had another thought - what if they aren't getting DT1.5 components fast enough to completely switch over to putting DT1.5 in all cars? It seems like the VPs started to get them before the production cars. I suppose that makes sense as you want to be able to show all the existing customers what they will eventually get. You also want to have the best test drives possible to attract new customers. But, past the VP 1.5s, what about production cars - is/was it going to be a complete switchover? For instance, is there a certain sig100 VIN where everything before starts as 1.0, and everything after is 1.5? Lets say they didn't have enough 1.5s yet... Perhaps it would make sense to put 1.5s in the cars that were being shipped far away (e.g.: to the East Coast) since it would cost so much, and take so much time to have to ship them back for retrofit... So there would be some incentive to have local customers get the 1.0's for a while since it would be easier to get those cars back for retrofit.
I have no idea what is really happening, but this thought occured to me because I am hearing some Sig100 customers are getting 1.0 now, but others (e.g.: Mr. Rosen) seem to be suggesting that they got 1.5 already.
Also, aren't we to the point now where 1.5 is proven so all cars should get it if they could be produced fast enough to keep up with the incoming gliders?

jsa

11-07-2008, 10:52 AM

I received my 1.5 on Tuesday, Sig100#26. I'll post more later, as I've had only limited time with the car.

graham

11-07-2008, 11:11 AM

Congratulations!! Awesome news. Please include pictures!

doug

11-07-2008, 12:34 PM

TEG - There were always some slots in the production line set aside for marketing cars. It makes sense that the VPs were the first to get DT1.5 since it was still being validated, so to speak. I've been told that at this point (probably since a couple weeks ago), all the gliders coming into Menlo Park are being fitted with DT1.5. It's hard for us to guess which Sig100 cars have DT1.0, since the cars aren't necessarily produced or delivered in sequence.

One thing I've wondered about but have forgotten to ask the times I've had a chance is how Tesla is handling the 1.0 to 1.5 conversions. A car with a 1.0 drivetrain is still a working car on the road. The time it takes to remove the old drivetrain, install the new one and redo vehicle verification probably takes as long if not longer than it does for a fresh install in a glider. You'd think the priority right now would be to get the cars in customer hands as fast as possible. So it would make sense to me if Tesla wants to take their time getting around to those upgrades. Then again, those that still have DT1.0 are mostly investors in the company, so they might get some priority.

jsa - Congrats on your car! I'm sure we all look forward to hearing about it. And pics please. (Btw, don't try to upload photos here. Post them on Flickr or some other site and embed or link to the images here.)

Jeff (j-g) - I have more and higher res photos of your car if you want them. PM me with an email address that can handle large attachments (e.g. gmail) if you're interested. :smile:

jsa

11-09-2008, 11:31 AM

Thanks, guys... I'll post my experiences on a new thread (so as to not clutter up the production status discussion). Suffice to say for this topic that #26 was delivered. They are finishing up the hard tops, which they wanted some improvements on, as well as the mobile charger (getting UL approval), but otherwise they delivered 100% of what I've been waiting three years for. See my other post for some of my first experiences, and pics to follow in about a week (I'm traveling so it will have to wait until I return).

doug

11-09-2008, 11:50 AM

Link to that here: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/tesla-roadster/1838-experiences-my-sig-100-v1-5-a.html

doug

11-14-2008, 12:29 AM

Sig#55 gets its drivetrain installed: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/technical-discussion/1859-drivetrain-install-photos.html

http://www.emeraldsequoia.com/55guts/content/bin/images/large/_MG_8091.jpg

The Electric Blue car on the left is Sig#54 which I photographed 8 days prior shown above (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/tesla-roadster/1624-production-status-post14472.html#post14472). Perhaps one of the red cars in the background is j-g's Roadster.

SuperCarnitas

11-15-2008, 12:27 AM

The Electric Blue car on the left is Sig#54 which I photographed 8 days prior shown above (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/tesla-roadster/1624-production-status-post14472.html#post14472)
First post here -- Hi Folks -- and thanks for taking these pictures. That car #54 would be mine; glad to see it queued up for powertrain installation!

#54 will be living in Oakland, CA. One of the few garage additions that won't leak prolific amounts of oil on its first night at home. :smile:

--Rich

doug

11-15-2008, 10:03 AM

First post here -- Hi Folks -- and thanks for taking these pictures. That car #54 would be mine; glad to see it queued up for powertrain installation!

#54 will be living in Oakland, CA. One of the few garage additions that didn't leak prolific amounts of oil on its first night at home. :smile:

--Rich
Welcome. That blue with beige interior is a nice combination. Has Tesla given you a delivery date yet? Did you call them up and ask, "Car 54, where are you? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQbbhFDE9WE)"

graham

11-15-2008, 10:12 AM

Ha!!! Perhaps we need to stick a police light on top of SuperCarnitas' Roadster...

Bradleybang

11-15-2008, 11:35 AM

SuperCarnitas,

What part of Oakland?

I live in upper Rockridge and my roadster should bet here next summer.

SuperCarnitas

11-15-2008, 02:29 PM

Welcome. That blue with beige interior is a nice combination. Has Tesla given you a delivery date yet?
Thanks! It's a saddle-colored interior, solid through the seats & headrest. No firm delivery date, but I guess they'll be ringing up any day now.

What part of Oakland? I live in upper Rockridge and my roadster should bet here next summer.
Same here! Just above Broadway in (lower) Upper Rockridge. An old buddy (with whom I documented an earlier test drive (http://www.teslamotors.com/blog5/?p=55); his Twilight Blue car is a few production numbers ahead of me) also lives in the area, so it sounds like we'll have plenty of these cars whirring about.

Maybe we can represent our fair city by putting on spinners and ghostriding at a sideshow. You know, since there's no place for a muffler whistle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccgXjA2BLEY). :smile:

doug

11-15-2008, 09:20 PM

Maybe we can represent our fair city by putting on spinners and ghostriding at a sideshow. You know, since there's no place for a muffler whistle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccgXjA2BLEY). :smile:
Heh... I restrained myself earlier from making a whistle tip reference wrt Oakland. Maybe the Barbus "warp" sounds can be the Roadster equivalent.

vfx

11-15-2008, 10:53 PM

Rich, I hope you will give us more play by play as you drive your own roadster. I like the idea of getting perspective from an EV newbie with a lot of cars and car experience.

Bradleybang

11-15-2008, 11:59 PM

Rich,

We are neighbors. I am on Acacia half way up the hill.

Also, I went to the Stanford / USC game today and stopped by MP store and was offered a test drive of the electric blue with 1.5 tranny.

It is defiantly faster than old transmission. Off the line is good but the 20-60 burst is just plain silly-scary.

The problem with Menlo Park store is you can’t go anywhere fast as the place is a giant traffic light mecca. I did get up to 280 for a on off experience and then wandered through Sharon Heights. The engine regen takes a minute to get used to but then feels perfect for stop and go city driving and will save brakes.

It’s a smoother ride than previous old silver P10 (1.0) I tested before and I can feel using car as everyday driver will be fun and comfortable.

The radio/gps is not user friendly but I am tech smart so I caught on. I hope the iphone bugs get worked out.

I didn't find a muffler whistle option. That’s the last straw.. I am cancelling my roadster order:tongue:

Can’t wait to hear the sounds of Teslas running through the Oakland hills.

dpeilow

11-16-2008, 08:21 AM

Interesting that they are still using air freight. When is this due to stop?

vfx

11-16-2008, 08:30 AM

Interesting that they are still using air freight. When is this due to stop?
At the end of signature 100. Then it's slow boat to CA.

graham

11-16-2008, 09:07 AM

They have mentioned that they may offer air freight as an option for owners who wish to pay the extra for the expense. I forget how much more you would have to pay, $7000?

Who is Tesla's "Sean" in California? What "track" does the car get shaken down at?

Currently, they do take the cars to Moffet field to test each car after installing the drive train. I too hope they end up adding a track to the new San Jose facility.

TEG

11-16-2008, 11:29 AM

How do they get permission to use Moffett (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moffett_Federal_Airfield) as a test track?!

donauker

11-16-2008, 11:50 AM

How do they get permission to use Moffett (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moffett_Federal_Airfield) as a test track?!

Any connection here?

Moffett Airfield is the home to the private jet owned by Google (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google) founders Larry Page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Page) and Sergey Brin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Brin). They pay $1.3 million a year to park their customized wide-body Boeing 767-200 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_767-200) and two other Gulfstream V (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulfstream_V) jets owned by Google executives at the airfield which is generally closed to private aircraft.

TEG

11-16-2008, 11:56 AM

That arrangement (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/13google.html) appears to be controversial...

tomsax

11-16-2008, 01:01 PM

They have mentioned that they may offer air freight as an option for owners who wish to pay the extra for the expense. I forget how much more you would have to pay, $7000?

They haven't announced a price, just an intent to offer that option. At the Seattle-area owners meeting in September, they made an off-the-cuff estimate of between $3,500 and $7,000, but that wasn't a commitment. Hopefully they will announce details soon as I expect the first gliders beyond the Signature 100 will roll off the line in Hethel some time this month.

tomsax

11-16-2008, 08:57 PM

I just found Adam Beguelin's blog (http://www.beguelin.com/2008/11/tesla-hpc.html), apparently the owner of Signature 100 #97. He makes this claim:

BTW, last week they delivered 17 Roadsters, two over the target of 15. They have now delivered around 50 or so of the Signature 100.

Zak said they had delivered about 50 cars total as of Nov. 4, so about 27 cars in two weeks. That's a pretty good rate!

graham

11-16-2008, 09:08 PM

That is great news! I hope they can sustain that momentum!

Kevin Harney

11-17-2008, 12:17 PM

So that means that there will be about a 6 week lag time coming up soon on deliveries right ? between the sig 100's and the rest of the pipeline ....

josh

11-17-2008, 12:45 PM

Yeah, I'm #48. Was supposed to get it last week -- everything's in it, but they had some fit and finish corrections (door alignment etc) so I've been on the edge of my seat for a whole week waiting for the call. Had blocked off a few hours today but no call yet so I guess that's out... hopefully tomorrow because then I go out of town for a while!

vfx

11-17-2008, 01:50 PM

Joseph

11-17-2008, 01:50 PM

I can confirm, through a member of the FLEAA, that a Signature 100 Roadster (#52, I believe) is being delivered today.

Sgee

11-17-2008, 03:19 PM

There are two major things that I have been thinking about with the ships.
1.How many gliders can fit on one ship?
2.How many ships do they have?

TEG

11-17-2008, 04:50 PM

There are two major things that I have been thinking about with the boats.
1.How many gliders can fit on one boat?
2.How many boats do they have?

Not sure if you were insinuating that they use their own boats, but I would assume:

#1: Plenty of commercial cargo ships go across the Atlantic so capacity should be plentiful.
#2: They would just fill up standard shipping containers with gliders and pay a shipping company to send them on their way.

I bet they could send as many as they need without limitation.

doug

11-17-2008, 05:27 PM

I would hope that Tesla already has some gliders on a cargo ship by now... set to arrive about the time they finish with Sig#100. (I believe I read a while ago that Roadster #110 had entered the Hethel production line.) I think originally the plan was to ship them directly to the west coast by sea via the Panama Canal. But now that fuel prices are lower, it may make more sense to ship to the east coast and move them via train or truck cross country.

josh

11-17-2008, 09:36 PM

Haven't driven one. Rode around the test track at Hethel with the Tesla driver though.

Can't wait to feel some real acceleration -- it was good on the test but didn't rival my porsche with the Tesla stuck in 2nd!!

Confirmed: pickup scheduled for tomorrow...

Kevin Harney

11-18-2008, 05:51 AM

Josh,

What number are you ?!?! Thanks.

graham

11-18-2008, 07:11 AM

What number are you ?!?! Thanks.

He mentioned earlier that he was sig #48, I think.

Josh: that is great news! Tell us more about your car: Colors, etc? What area of the country are you in?

Bradleybang

11-18-2008, 09:04 AM

Josh,

Awesome news and we are envious. Hope to see you driving around.

I'll bet you are suprised by 1.5 tranny. Please do gives us your take.

Graham,

I believe Josh is the friend of SuperCarnitas-Rich who I quote from an 11/15 post.

"Same here! Just above Broadway in (lower) Upper Rockridge. An old buddy (with whom I documented an earlier test drive; his Twilight Blue car is a few production numbers ahead of me) also lives in the area, so it sounds like we'll have plenty of these cars whirring about."
Tesla Motors - hear (http://www.teslamotors.com/blog5/?p=55)

doug

11-22-2008, 04:23 PM

Tesla Motors - a set on Flickr (http://flickr.com/photos/sfyoshi/sets/72157609692711531/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/3051135280_9b28695c4c.jpg?v=0http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/3051135390_7fdcf3d326.jpg?v=0http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/3050297447_1c53672e19.jpg?v=0http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/3051135660_df5d42d33b.jpg?v=0

I didn't take these photos, so I don't know what VIN they're up to, but it looks like car #54 belonging to Rich (SuperCarnitas) is ready for delivery. Also looks like Martin's car is in the shop, perhaps getting DT1.5 installed?

SuperCarnitas

11-22-2008, 11:06 PM

Thanks for finding the photos. I haven't gotten the "come and get it" call yet, but maybe I should give them a shout from my side.

SuperCarnitas

11-25-2008, 07:45 PM

Sig #54 came home today! Deliveries were apparently paused for a firmware upgrade, but the pipes are flowing again. Hats off to Sorinne, Zak, and the rest of the Tesla gang for the easygoing reception.

http://lucylc.smugmug.com/photos/424708115_Puj5P-M.jpg (http://lucylc.smugmug.com/gallery/6654036_fSNgQ#424708224_ecmPV)

Yeah, definitely need to practice in/egress to look less oafish. And I'm like 5'7".

While touring around the assembly area I saw cars numbered in the 90s; there's probably enough for a meet soon!

tomsax

11-25-2008, 08:31 PM

Sig #54 came home today!

Congratulations! And thanks for sharing the news. It's good to hear they have cars into the 90's in California.

WarpedOne

11-26-2008, 01:17 AM

I guess this means The Tucker is down?
Good milestone.

doug

11-26-2008, 09:51 AM

Sig #54 came home today!
Awesome, Rich! Thanks for sharing and for the update!

graham

11-26-2008, 10:11 AM

Congratulations, SuperCarnitas! That is awesome. Great color.

dpeilow

11-26-2008, 10:21 AM

Yes, definitely good taste in colours :smile:.

edo

11-26-2008, 05:52 PM

Sig #54 came home today! Deliveries were apparently paused for a firmware upgrade...

Hmm, a firmware upgrade. Does your coolant pump run while parked?

SuperCarnitas

11-26-2008, 09:44 PM

Thanks everyone.

Hmm, a firmware upgrade. Does your coolant pump run while parked?
Yes, pumping away as I write. They should show a "included in this update..." list on the dashboard display upon startup. And then maybe prompt me to accept their TOS.

billarnett

11-27-2008, 04:11 AM

#55 had it's first trip to Skyline Blvd. today. It was raining and it's my first 100 miles so caution was the watch word. But I've never had so much fun. What a wonderful car!

vfx

11-27-2008, 07:30 AM

#55 had it's first trip to Skyline Blvd. today. It was raining and it's my first 100 miles so caution was the watch word. But I've never had so much fun. What a wonderful car!

A very pretty picture! Is that Sig Green?

Kevin Harney

12-02-2008, 12:37 PM

Does anyone know if they are still at the production rate of 20 cars a week or have they ramped up some from that? Weren't they supposed to be up to about 40/week at the beginning of the year ? Are they still on schedule for that ramp up ? or have they ramped up slowly in the mean time ? :confused:

tomsax

12-02-2008, 12:53 PM

They have never been at 20 per week. The most recent numbers I've heard from Tesla are 12 per week in November, ramping up to 15 per week in December, 20 per week in February and 30 per week by spring.

Projects about future production rates are by nature quite speculative, since production rate increases require that every single vendor increase their production in lock-step with everyone else. Also any glitches in the process can potentially delay both individual cars and the output rate.

It's a tricky business making cars, especially a totally new design like the Roadster.

stopcrazypp

12-02-2008, 04:16 PM

Cobos

12-03-2008, 12:44 PM

Just thought I'd mention that Think finally seems to be ramping up their production. They are currently at 10 a day, but will slowly move to 44 a day which is the factory limit. Dealers says you can actually buy one and drive away with it right now supposedly!

Cobos

TEG

12-03-2008, 12:48 PM

The gauntlet has been thrown down. TM better not let Th!nk pass them up on production numbers! :smile:

Kevin Harney

12-03-2008, 01:47 PM

They have already done it !!! That was 10 per DAY not per WEEK ....:biggrin:

TEG

12-03-2008, 03:48 PM

Oops. Off by an order of weekitude.

graham

12-03-2008, 04:28 PM

Oops. Off by an order of weekitude.

Ha! I can't wait to have the opportunity to use this in conversation some time! Thanks, TEG!

billarnett

12-04-2008, 11:06 PM

Yes, #55 is Signature Green (with red/saddle interior)

doug

12-05-2008, 11:42 AM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/3084484698_ff15c07b07.jpg (http://flickr.com/photos/nitzanw/3084484698/sizes/l/in/set-72157610699590043/)
We can see Sig#'s 74, 78, 85, and 91 in this photo. They appear to sitting with the battery load, and the wheel dressing suggests they've been detailed.

graham

12-05-2008, 01:33 PM

91 + 27 = 118... That is a great number!

I wonder how far they are from having all those actually delivered?

AntronX

12-07-2008, 03:43 PM

Joe Powers told me yesterday that completed cars are in the 90's already.

graham

12-07-2008, 03:47 PM

Yes, I have been expecting them to hit the 100 car number any day now for the last several days. I hope they hit it soon, and issue a press release when they do.

doug

12-09-2008, 08:31 AM

Yes, I have been expecting them to hit the 100 car number any day now for the last several days. I hope they hit it soon, and issue a press release when they do.

Tesla delivering the 100th Roadster today - AutoblogGreen (http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/12/09/tesla-delivering-the-100th-roadster-today/)

The 100th Tesla Roadster will be delivered today at the Tesla store in Menlo Park in Silicon Valley. Elon Musk, Tesla Motors' CEO and chairman will be there at noon to hand over the keys to "a special customer" according to Rachel Konrad, Tesla's senior communications manager.Posts about this event go here: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/news-articles-events/1972-tesla-delivers-100th-roadster.html

graham

12-09-2008, 10:26 AM

Now, if they can just quickly pop out 371 more...

Laurent

12-09-2008, 12:37 PM

Now, if they can just quickly pop out 371 more...

Is the next one #101 or does it reset back to #1 ?

vfx

12-09-2008, 12:42 PM

We are almost at the end of production on the Tesla Roadster Signature 100 series. I believe that also ends the owners that were required to put the full $100,000.00 down ahead of time -sold in the first 3 months back in July of 2006. (Or was it the first 3 weeks?) How many sold that first night in Santa Monica?
Then they will pick up the regular* and Patient buyers. 50 and $30K respectively.

I wonder how many Sig 100's had the exclusive green paint. Or had custom paint for that matter.

Congrats!

* was it called "regular"?

Kevin Harney

12-09-2008, 12:42 PM

Laruant,

Actually there were 27 Founders Series. This is #81 of the Signature 100 series but the 100th car to be delivered. So there are more of the Signature 100s left to go but then I guess they begin again at #1 with regular prodction series cars. Does that make the waters muddier :) So there are 8 cars before #81 that have not been delivered yet .... and 28 left to deliver before we start over at #1 again.

mittelhauser

12-09-2008, 02:23 PM

Yup. Unfortunately the cars are not delivered in exact linear progression. For example, I am #76 and I don't have mine yet -- which makes seeing a presentation of #81 even more painful. :)

Some cars just have minor issues on the line that require a bit of time to resolve...

-Jon

doug

12-09-2008, 04:32 PM

I walked around the service area with Zak and the highest VIN we found was #135. At this point all the gliders are still being flown in from the UK. It wasn't exactly clear when they'll start coming by boat, but that it would be "soon." My guess is at current production rates, for some reason or another, it makes more sense for them to continue to come in by plane since that provides a steady stream of gliders.

(click on the photo for a larger image)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/3095953453_a96f11e11b.jpg?v=0 (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/3095953453_a96f11e11b_b.jpg)
VIN135

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/3096882196_e5d245dede.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/3096882196_e5d245dede_b.jpg)
VIN125, you can see Elon in the back left giving more interviews.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/3096881182_83d360e114.jpg?v=0 (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/3096881182_83d360e114_b.jpg)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/3095954557_01a42cd173.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/3095954557_01a42cd173_b.jpg)

MDR

12-09-2008, 09:06 PM

Hey Doug, did you happen to see my car? It's #106- radiant red w/black interior.

doug

12-09-2008, 11:13 PM

Hey Doug, did you happen to see my car? It's #106- radiant red w/black interior.
Hey, long time no see! I'd don't remember coming across that particular VIN, but I'd bet it's there. Did they give you a delivery date yet? This green car, #107, already had its drivetrain installed.

doug

12-12-2008, 11:20 AM

I guess this thread has morphed to include the occasional delivery updates as well as production.

Adam Beguelin blogs (http://www.beguelin.com/search?q=tesla) about getting his Roadster, Signature 100 #97:

hacker class: Tesla Roadster: First Impressions (http://www.beguelin.com/2008/12/tesla-roadster-first-impressions.html)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/3100757621_40cf201229.jpg (http://flickr.com/photos/lws/3100757621/sizes/l/)

doug

12-17-2008, 08:28 PM

MDR gets his Roadster VIN106

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/3115171054_7c16e7fd79.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/3115171054_7c16e7fd79_b.jpg)

shark2k

12-17-2008, 08:41 PM

^^^That is a sexy red :biggrin: (red is my favorite color by the way :tongue:)

-Shark2k

James

12-17-2008, 09:12 PM

MDR gets his Roadster VIN106

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/3115171054_7c16e7fd79.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/3115171054_7c16e7fd79_b.jpg)

That color is just so damn incredible !!!.

I am flying to San Francisco in January on business. I will be using the opportunity to checkout various interior designs that other owners are selecting for Radiant Red. I just cannot get enough detail from the website to make a decision. I have to see the different styles in person.

My Tesla rep (Ted) said that many of the cars coming through now (after 100) are radiant red. Many different examples are available to see different interior designs.

graham

12-17-2008, 09:18 PM

I just cannot get enough detail from the website to make a decision. I have to see the different styles in person.

I cannot recommend this enough. The colors in person are very different than on the web site. Particularly for some colors like the Twilight Blue which looks completely different in the sun vs. the shade. Do not lock in any colors until you have seen them in person if you can help it.

graham

12-17-2008, 09:22 PM

MDR gets his Roadster VIN106

And congratulations MDR! It is great that "real people" (aka people I have actually met, and are not VCs or hollywood types) are actually receiving their cars!

TEG

12-17-2008, 09:52 PM

Yes, it is very nice to see the wait finally ending for so many.

Rheazombi

12-24-2008, 05:38 AM

I thought I should add that by New Year's they will have made 150 roadsters! I'm sure anyone who got Tesla's holiday e-mail already knows this, but...

We are producing about 15 Roadsters per week and will have delivered nearly 150 Roadsters by the end of this year, but the century mark will likely go down as an important milestone in the company’s history. It signifies that Tesla is no longer just a Silicon Valley startup cranking out interesting prototypes – rather, we’re a legitimate production company and the newest member of the global automotive industry.

exciting! They're sure ramping it up. Looks like that 30 a week figure for March doesn't seem so far-fetched after all!:biggrin:

TEG

01-06-2009, 09:53 AM

From their newsletter:

"Production Updatehttp://www.teslamotors.com/display_data.php?data_name=news_template7
We delivered about 150 Roadsters in 2008, and we plan to ramp up production from 15 per week to about 30 per week later this year."

dpeilow

01-06-2009, 10:00 AM

Hmm. That's quite vague...

graham

01-06-2009, 05:53 PM

According to this report on Planet Tesla:

Roadster in Detroit - where to go - News - PlanetTesla (http://planettesla.com/blogs/news/archive/2009/01/06/roadster-in-detroit-where-to-go.aspx)

Tesla also confirmed that they did hit the 150 deliveries in 2008

So perhaps the newsletter could have said: "We delivered at least 150 Roadsters in 2008..."

Slightly less vague?

doug

01-06-2009, 06:06 PM

Confirmed where? MPT's source is just the same newsletter.
I know that 150 before the new year was their goal. The guys in the shop were working long hours and weekends to do that. But "about" could just as easily mean they fell a little short. It doesn't really matter, though. They've likely past 150 by now.

graham

01-06-2009, 06:13 PM

Confirmed where? MPT's source is just the same newsletter.

Oh? I misread that. I figured that "confirmed" meant he called and asked them.

dpeilow

01-07-2009, 01:12 AM

Bay Area company sells 150 electric cars in '08 - Sacramento Business, Housing Market News | Sacramento Bee (http://www.sacbee.com/business/story/1521823.html)

graham

01-07-2009, 07:55 AM

From dpeilow's linked article:

Tesla Motors, the San Carlos-based electric car manufacturer, said it delivered 150 vehicles to customers in 2008.

So is the Sac Bee just sourcing and paraphrasing the same newsletter, or did someone confirm that Tesla actually delivered 150 in 2008?

tomsax

01-07-2009, 09:46 AM

From Twitter / TeslaNews (http://twitter.com/teslanews),

"Rachel Konrad, Senior Communications Manager at Tesla Motors, confirms they delivered 147 Roadsters in 2008."

WarpedOne

01-07-2009, 09:59 AM

So close it makes you mad it ain't there!

Three cars, only three. If 2008 was a leap year they would have made it! No, wait... 2008 was a leap year ...

Now they can try and deliver more than 500 cars in the first half of the year to make up for this little slip :P

graham

01-07-2009, 10:53 AM

So based on the 100th roadster announcement at the beginning of the month, it does seem that they are truly delivering about 15 per week. Probably more if you take away any time they may have shut down for the holiday.

If they keep at this rate, I suppose they will get to my car by end of May or June... hopefully they will increase production even more before then. (Hint: my birthday is in April).

SByer

01-07-2009, 10:59 AM

And mine will be about a week behind yours. Yeah, early June, with most of the summer ahead, would be really cool.

tomsax

01-07-2009, 12:37 PM

My wife and I are VIN 217. Late last month, we were told that our car should enter production at Hethel mid-January and be ready for delivery (including time to cross the ocean by boat) by early April, with the usual caveats.

WarpedOne

01-07-2009, 12:47 PM

147 by end of December 2008 and then more than three whole months to deliver additional 60 cars to come to 217? At 15 cars per week that should be done in one month not three :confused:

Edit: Gotcha! Boat! So, they intend to start crossing the pond by boat. I guess there ain't enough planes for 60+ cars per month :)

doug

01-07-2009, 12:52 PM

147 by end of December 2008 and then more than three whole months to deliver additional 60 cars to come to 217? At 15 cars per week that should be done in one month not three :confused:
All those 147 were flown over. Transport by boat is 6 to 8 weeks.

tomsax

01-07-2009, 12:54 PM

Tesla was paying for free air freight for the early orders, for the people who paid the full price two and a half years ago. That's over now. Crossing the ocean by ship adds about 6 weeks to the delivery time, so there's going to be a big gap in deliveries until the gliders start arriving by ship. Of course, some owners may choose to pay for the air freight...

tomsax

01-07-2009, 01:00 PM

We're VIN 217, so our production number is 244, so it's actually just under a 100 cars from the 147 mark to us. And of course cars aren't delivered in strict sequence number, so who knows when it will actually arrive.

James

01-07-2009, 07:17 PM

I am currently sitting in Menlo Park downtown at a restaurant.
I just had a test drive in a VP Glacier Blue Tesla Roadster. Great fun on the highway and around Stanford.

The highest VIN number I saw was #143 and it was finished and waiting for pickup by the owner.
So that is actually # 170 once you count the 27 Founder deliveries.

They are still flying gliders from England. They are currently doing a test shipment via ship with 3 gliders to figure out how long it really takes.
Those 3 gliders are on a boat right now.

Currently gliders are sent via air on "standby". If there is ever room on a plane, then a glider goes. They are just waiting at the airport and go whenever there is space available. I guess it is cheaper if Tesla is just filling the available cargo space on any plane that is going the right direction.

George Clooney's car was in for the 1.5 upgrade while I was there.

They delivered 70 cars in December.
They are aiming for 20 cars per week in February.

I am doing another test drive tomorrow in a fully finished marketing car, Electric Blue.
They look nice when they are done for customers. Much better than that VP Grey Roadster that they had in Seattle.

James

graham

01-07-2009, 07:24 PM

Of course, some owners may choose to pay for the air freight...

Have they officially announced that option along with a dollar amount? The last I heard of it was just a "we are thinking about doing this..." with a vague price range. Have they given you the option of air freight?

James

01-07-2009, 07:26 PM

So is the Sac Bee just sourcing and paraphrasing the same newsletter, or did someone confirm that Tesla actually delivered 150 in 2008?

It was actually 147 delivered according to what I got from Tesla today. They had more than 150 finished, but the logistics of getting them delivered are different for many customers.

For example, a very early Roadster from the Founders Series is still in the showroom. The guy sold his house and doesn't have a place to keep it in New York because he now has an apartment. There are also a few Roadsters that are getting custom leather or paint. They would be done except for the extra requests.

graham

01-07-2009, 07:29 PM

They delivered 70 cars in December.
They are aiming for 20 cars per week in February.

Wow... so roughly half the cars ever produced were delivered in December.

They look nice when they are done for customers. Much better than that VP Grey Roadster that they had in Seattle.

What was wrong with the Seattle Roadster? What is better about the customer cars?

James

01-07-2009, 07:30 PM

Have they officially announced that option along with a dollar amount? The last I heard of it was just a "we are thinking about doing this..." with a vague price range. Have they given you the option of air freight?

They are still flying them now and they are almost at 200 in the Hethel Factory.

The issue is when to cutover completely to boat shipments. If they go cold turkey on air freight, then there will be a huge gap for a few weeks with nothing to do for the assembly workers in California.

James

01-07-2009, 07:35 PM

What was wrong with the Seattle Roadster? What is better about the customer cars?

The VP Grey Roadster in Seattle was not finished for customers. It had wires hanging out of it, it was microfiber and had clearly seen a lot of abuse. 20,000+ miles on the car.

This was a car that the technicians experiment on. We were told it had been rebuilt several times. It was 1.5 drivetrain, but it still had the interior of 1.0 showing 2 gears.

The marketing car I just saw (Electric Blue with Dark/Light Grey interior) was PERFECT. Just like a customer car.

They also just got a Fusion Red marketing car. It doesn't have the battery in it yet, but the glider just arrived. It was only the third Fusion Red Roadster ever produced.

I heard some numbers on color selections for the first 600 Roadsters.

Radiant Red is 18%
Thunder Grey is 13%
Electric Blue is 11% (or also 13%... I forget)

graham

01-07-2009, 07:41 PM

it was microfiber and had clearly seen a lot of abuse. 20,000+ miles on the car.

Good to know! I was considering the microfiber for a while, but was concerned that it would not age very well...

I heard some numbers on color selections for the first 600 Roadsters.

Radiant Red is 18%
Thunder Grey is 13%
Electric Blue is 11% (or also 13%... I forget)

Oh right! Since we all had to lock in our colors months ago, they would know that information!

vfx

01-07-2009, 08:15 PM

George Clooney lives in San Francisco?

TEG

01-07-2009, 09:18 PM

George Clooney lives in San Francisco?

Are they set up to do DT1.5 retrofits in LA?
Perhaps they have to truck those early cars back up north to do the switcheroo?
For that matter it could have come back to "home base" from almost anywhere.

tomsax

01-07-2009, 09:44 PM

Have they officially announced that option along with a dollar amount?

I was given a "preliminary estimate" of "around $3,900."

James

01-07-2009, 11:46 PM

I was given a "preliminary estimate" of "around $3,900."

Tom, if I recall your number is in the low 200s. Based on what I heard today, I think your glider might be flown over without an extra charge. I got the impression that they are not yet ready to start using the boat shipment for any significant volume of gliders. They are still testing that system and how it will affect things.

With the recession and drop in cargo volume globally, the cost of air freight is likely falling also.

James

01-07-2009, 11:51 PM

Two other things that I learned today.

There is a "sport" model of the Roadster coming this summer.
0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds. They were not sure on the cost yet.

[Moderation Note: Sport Model discussion continues here.]

The door sill is a plastic material. It will soon be available in the clear carbon fiber material. The Glacier Blue VP test driving vehicle has it installed. The driver side is the standard door sill, the passenger side has the carbon fiber door sill. This enables the test driver to see both versions at the same time.

It looks REALLY good in carbon fiber. This also has the advantage of being scuff resistant. The normal plastic material can show scuff marks over time from your shoes dragging on the door sill as you get in and out. The carbon fiber material is much more resistant and durable.

This is an upgrade that you can get later if your plastic door sills start showing some wear. The panel covering the door sill pops on and off.

graham

01-08-2009, 06:13 AM

The door sill is a plastic material. It will soon be available in the clear carbon fiber material. The Glacier Blue VP test driving vehicle has it installed. The driver side is the standard door sill, the passenger side has the carbon fiber door sill. This enables the test driver to see both versions at the same time.

It looks REALLY good in carbon fiber.

I think so too. When I talked with them about it a couple of months ago, they were not planning on having it available as an option for the 2008 model year. (I assume partly because we have already locked in our interior choices).

This is an upgrade that you can get later if your plastic door sills start showing some wear. The panel covering the door sill pops on and off.

This is very good news. I like the look of the CF and may wish to spring for this even though it is not an initial option for me.

doug

01-13-2009, 05:49 PM

Production update from twitter:

TeslaNews (http://twitter.com/TeslaNews) The 227th Roadster (VIN 200) has entered production as owners await further details on the Sport model upgrade option. about 9 hours ago (http://twitter.com/TeslaNews/status/1115943199) from web

doug

01-18-2009, 11:20 AM

The highest VIN number I saw was #143 and it was finished and waiting for pickup by the owner.
I stopped by the store for just a few minutes last Thursday. I highest VIN I happened to notice on the showroom floor was #148; #143 was still there as well. Of course some higher VINs could have already been delivered.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3206508751_9f278d3775.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3206508751_9f278d3775_b.jpg)http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3408/3207354536_5868ec6817.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3408/3207354536_5868ec6817_b.jpg)

Did notice a few more hardtops.

James

01-19-2009, 08:36 AM

Remember to add 27 (Founders) to the VIN number that you see.
That is the number delivered, minus the exceptions.

Barry M

01-19-2009, 11:37 AM

I am sad to be one of those 'exceptions'. I'm located in Texas, so I can't easily check the showroom. Has anyone seen VIN #85 in Menlo Park?

SByer

01-19-2009, 11:50 AM

That Radiant Red with the colored hardtop looks really nice. Hmm.

doug

01-19-2009, 12:44 PM

I am sad to be one of those 'exceptions'. I'm located in Texas, so I can't easily check the showroom. Has anyone seen VIN #85 in Menlo Park?
Were you having some custom paint or something done? You should really just give them a call.

.

doug

01-28-2009, 12:58 AM

A small update about how the Roadsters are shipped from the UK:
Apparently Tesla is planning to continue flying gliders over the pond at least through the 2009 model year. It seems there is a shipper flying goods from the US to the UK and was previously having the planes return to the US empty. This shipper gave Tesla a very good deal to load the planes with Roadsters instead. It appears Tesla will stick with this arrangement for the time being in lieu of shipping the gliders by boat.

Bradleybang

01-28-2009, 01:09 AM

I asked about this. It is United flying the cars and stangely the cost flying is equal to shipping at the current volume level. It may change as they get to a production level later this year and shipping more cars gets them a price significantly below current rates quoted.

lorencc

01-29-2009, 11:40 PM

doug

01-29-2009, 11:56 PM

Dropped by the Menlo Park store today and my car #187 is in "pre-production"...
Thanks for the update.

vfx

01-30-2009, 12:09 AM

Gotta admit I get kinda giddy at the news that some of the regulars here are getting their cars.

Don't be a stranger!

Stewart W

01-30-2009, 05:27 AM

Dropped by the Menlo Park store today and my car #187 is in "pre-production", which means it was just uncrated.
It still has all the protective paper on it.
Meredith (such a great person) and I found it in the drive train shop next door. Delivery in about 2 weeks.
************
Did you happen to see an Alpine White..I am told it should be there ..Seeing it is the only white ordered to date , I thought you may have noticed. If anyone is visiting Menlo this weekend and notices my White Roadster ( # 165..?) a pic would be appreciated..

doug

01-30-2009, 07:44 AM

Did you happen to see an Alpine White..I am told it should be there ..Seeing it is the only white ordered to date , I thought you may have noticed. If anyone is visiting Menlo this weekend and notices my White Roadster ( # 165..?) a pic would be appreciated..
A ha!! With a white hardtop?!

It was on TV. It's about third of the way into the video on this page (http://www.ktvu.com/news/18600883/detail.html) and is the thumbnail image.

I can try to stop by the store in the next week or so and snap a better photo for you.

lorencc

01-30-2009, 08:19 AM

SByer

01-30-2009, 09:24 AM

Where there any clear-coated carbon fiber hardtops there yet?

Stewart W

01-30-2009, 10:48 AM

Yes, I saw a white one. Solid white with a white hardtop. In fact, it was the same "color" as the protective papers they use on the headlamps, etc. Made it look kinda like the paint was peeling...

All the newly arrived cars (~20) had their hardtops, so it seems they have that one licked.
*****************
Thanks for the scoop...I contacted the Menlo store and learned my car has landed ..However, it is not the white car in the video. I was told this is # 200 and a company car..
One of the Tesla team generously offered to take photos of mine on the weekend.
Thanks again.

DaveD

01-30-2009, 01:58 PM

Gotta admit I get kinda giddy at the news that some of the regulars here are getting their cars.

Well, I'm kinda giddy myself now.

I emailed my Tesla sales contact, and he confirmed that my Roadster, #182, Brilliant Yellow, has also landed in Menlo Park. Another Roadster, #189, Twilight Blue, belonging to a friend, should also be there.

Any pictures of them would be much appreciated!

romeopapa

01-30-2009, 02:03 PM

This is a bit behind, but hopefully still useful:

Our car, #173 was in the production building on Tuesday. We went for the Town Hall meeting, but the real bonus was Steve letting us sit in our car. It still had shipping tape, and had not yet entered assembly, but still fun to sit in after the long wait. Ours had a small paint scratch on the rear decklid that will need to be repaired. Otherwise, it looked great.

Steve told us 2-3 weeks....based on the heavy load of assemblies that was piled up ahead of us. So, we are hoping to pick up the car around valentines day. I'll repost the day we pick it up.

Rob