Tesla in deal with Daimler

doug · 06-12-2008, 06:11 AM

I'm not going to join this website to get the full story, but here's the link anyhow:
US: Tesla in tech tie-up with Daimler: Automotive News & Comment

Quote:

Summary: Tesla Motors, the maker of an electric plug-in sports car, has inked a technology deal with Daimler, according to remarks reportedly made by Chairman Elon Musk.

I'm sure if there's anything to the story, it will show up in other news sources.

DDB · 06-12-2008, 07:23 AM

I can't find anything else on the web... Hm...

Cobos · 06-12-2008, 09:09 AM

Considering this is the first day they reported it I suppose someone will pick it up in a day or two if there are any truth to this?

Cobos

DDB · 06-12-2008, 09:58 AM

Tesla Motors, the maker of an electric sports car, has inked a technology deal with Daimler, said Chairman Elon Musk.
“We have a deal right now with Daimler. Its still in the early stages,” said Musk in an interview with Fox Business Network’s Liz Claman. “We have small deal that could potentially lead to a very big deal.”
According to Musk, Tesla’s electric sports car the Roadster, which gets 220 miles but costs $100,000, has been sold to more than 1,000 customers. The company, which started production a month ago, expects to produce 2,000 cars a year, said the executive.
Tesla is working on a cheaper version that will start at around $59,000. That electric car will be a four door sedan that fits five passengers, he said.
“Its has more than twice the energy efficiency than a Prius,” said Musk of the Tesla Roadster.

Tesla Inks Small Deal with Daimler - FOXBusiness.com

Iz · 06-12-2008, 10:35 AM

Not much information is getting out on the sedan. Earlier in the year it was mentioned a WhiteStar update would be made before the end of 2nd quarter. 18 days to go...

My thinking is that WhiteStar will either make or break Tesla. Hopefully, the former

doug · 06-12-2008, 10:37 AM

Will Daimler supply engines to Tesla for WhiteStar? - AutoblogGreen

ABG speculates on what it might mean:

Quote:

It's certainly possible that Tesla may be licensing some of their battery management technology to Daimler for use in their own hybrid and electric vehicle projects. Another possible scenario may be that Daimler will supply engines to Tesla for the WhiteStar sedan. Tesla has said that it will offer a range extended version of the WhiteStar. The 1.0L three cylinder from the Smart ForTwo might make a good driver for the generator (that sounds like a vaguely familiar specification). Supplying the engine to Tesla would help Daimler increase volumes of the Smart engine, allowing them to drive down costs. We're still waiting to hear back from Tesla with a comment and we'll update you when we hear something.

Update: Tesla VP Darryl Siry declined comment on the matter.

Also Autoblog: Is Tesla Motors working with Daimler? - Autoblog

TTAC: Tesla And Daimler Sitting In A Tree... | The Truth About Cars

doug · 06-12-2008, 12:42 PM

Tesla Motors working with Daimler AG?*|*BenzInsider.com - The Official Mercedes-Benz Fan Blog

Quote:

The folks at Tesla Motors, who are actively working on revolutionizing the car industry with their all electric roadster, have stated in a Fox Business News interview that they are working with Daimler AG on a technology deal. While it is not clear what the details of that technology deal are, Autoblog is speculating that the Mercedes-Benz parent company may supply Tesla Motors with smart’s 1.0l three cylinder engines for their WhiteStar model, which basically is some sort of a hybrid, where the engine would act like a range extender. It will definitely be interesting to see what will develop out of this. Tesla Motors has definitely something going for them, we’ll see what, if anything, Daimler can get out of this. Just like we reported a couple of months ago, the all electric Mercedes sedan may not be such a far fetched dream after all.

doug · 06-12-2008, 01:48 PM

Video of the interview: Video - FOXBusiness.com

vfx · 06-12-2008, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doug

Video of the actual interview.
Video - FOXBusiness.com

Wow, shocking.

Fox Business is still in on the air?

stopcrazypp · 06-12-2008, 02:36 PM

As a Tesla fan I want to see the Whitestar design, but the skepticism meter is on the extreme high in a few of the blogs that reported this news, lots of Tesla doubters who say they shouldn't be doing the Whitestar when the Roadster isn't officially done yet, probably the same people who said that the Roadster was useless b/c it is so expensive and that Tesla should make a cheaper more practical 4 door (which they are on the road to doing with the Whitestar).

Anyways, I'm still excited to see how the Whitestar design will turn out.

I'm not sure if it's mentioned, but it was reported not long ago daimler had a li-ion battery deal, so there is also a possibility of Tesla using those battery packs for the E-REV if not the BEV version of the Whitestar. Maybe ordering them jointly to get a volume deal.