Tesla's dream of creating affordable, all-electric cars got a high-voltage jolt Tuesday when German auto giant Daimler bought a 10 percent stake in the San Carlos company."We're thrilled," said Diarmuid O'Connell, Tesla's vice president of business development. "Daimler invented the internal combustion engine. To partner with them is the greatest endorsement you can have in this business."
Tesla spokeswoman Rachel Konrad only described the dollar value of Daimler's stake in the venture-backed company as being eight figures. In addition, Daimler Vice President Herbert Kohler will take a seat on Tesla's board of directors.
The move follows Daimler's recent purchase of Tesla's lithium-ion battery packs and chargers for the first 1,000 electric Smart cars, which Daimler hopes to introduce next year. Daimler rolled out the gasoline-powered versions of Smart cars in January 2008 in the United States.
Tesla is best known for its Roadster, a zero-emission sports car that can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in four seconds and hit speeds of 130 mph. Unveiled to great fanfare in 2006, the Roadster looks like a Lotus and costs $109,000.Charged by plugging into an ordinary wall socket, the Roadster can travel 250 miles before its battery needs re-charging.
Tesla executives hope Daimler's investment will help the company achieve its ultimate goal - fine-tuning the technology to create zero-emission, all-electric vehicles with less astronomical prices. The firm is now working on a sedan, expected to come out in 2011, that will cost about $50,000.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment