Model S: More than 700 reservations in two weeks [View All]

email I received from Tesla Motors. Check out the Model S: http://www.teslamotors.com/models/index.php
The base price is disgusting, but the car is hot.
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In the two weeks following the launch, we received 711 reservations for the Model S, the all-electric family sedan that carries up to seven people and travels up to 300 miles per charge.

Tesla unveiled the car March 26, and reservations immediately began streaming in online and at showrooms in California. This historic vehicle is likely to be the world's first mass-produced, highway-capable electric vehicle when production begins in late 2011. The surge of reservations already proves that there's pent-up demand for a car that doesn't compromise on performance, utility or efficiency.

The Model S does 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds and will have an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. A 17-inch touchscreen with in-car 3G connectivity means you can listen to Pandora Radio or consult Google Maps, or check the car's state of charge remotely on your iPhone. The Model S can be recharged from any 120V, 208V or 240V outlet or quick-charged from an external direct current supply in only 45 minutes.

The anticipated base price of the Model S is $49,900 after a US federal tax credit of $7,500. The reservation fee of $5,000 is refundable. Three battery pack choices will offer a range of 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge. The company has not released for pricing for options and higher mileage battery packs.

If you account for the cost advantage over the life of the car vs. an equivalent internal combustion engine car at a cost of $4.25 per gallon (a likely future cost in the United States, and a bargain right now in many parts of Europe), the Model S is equivalent to a gas guzzler with a sticker price of about $35,000. Importantly, those savings are realized immediately if you lease a Model S, so there is no need to wait years to earn back the price difference.

Tesla also is taking reservations for the Model S Signature Edition with a $40,000 reservation fee, which is also refundable. Tesla will produce only 2,000 Signature Edition cars, which will be the first built and have unique interior and exterior features. Signature Edition cars will be evenly split between US and European customers.
See the Model S this weekend in Silicon Valley
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area or are visiting for the holiday weekend, you're in luck: The Model S will be in Tesla's showroom in Menlo Park, Calif., on Saturday and Sunday – the first opportunity for the general public to see this car in person. Additional sales representatives will be at the store throughout the holiday weekend (Saturday 10am-6pm; Sunday noon-5pm) to answer questions and take reservations.

Eventually we will have a Model S in all of our showrooms and at major auto shows. We'll send updates in this newsletter on when and where else you can see the car in person. Customers and their invited guests will soon get more information about the late April viewing in New York City.
Proven technology, record Roadsters
The acclaimed Model S comes from the only production automaker selling highway-capable EVs in North America or Europe today. With 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, the Tesla Roadster outperforms almost all sports cars in its class, yet is more than twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius and delivers 244 miles per charge.

Tesla delivered over 100 Roadsters to customers in March, marking the first triple-digit delivery month in the company's history. Tesla delivered over 170 cars in the first quarter – more than the total delivered in 2008.

Tesla has delivered about 330 Roadsters so far. The base price of the Roadster is $101,500 after a $7,500 federal tax credit.
Le Rallye Monte Carlo
Late last month, the Roadster set another impressive record – a feat that's attracting a lot of buzz in the blogosphere: A Tesla Roadster went the entire 241 miles on a single charge of the Le Rallye Monte Carlo d'Energies Alternatives. And the Roadster still had an estimated 38 miles left on the charge! This appears to be an absolute record for a production EV.

The challenging course, sponsored by l'Automobile Club de Monaco, went from Valence, France, to the Principality of Monaco. Terrain was mixed and included high-speed driving on highways, urban streets and up and single-carriageway roads that wind through the Alps.

The Roadster was the only car to finish the rally after a modified Porsche 911 dropped out. After the Roadster crossed the finish line, former F1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen took it for a spin around one of the Monte Carlo Rally's special stages.
Tesla's coming to London
We're opening a regional sales and service center in London's popular Knightsbridge district. This will be the first of three European stores that we hope to launch this year and an important base in Europe's largest city.

The London facility will open this spring at 49-51 Cheval Place, formerly the Segrave Supercar Club. We'll be walking distance from Harrods department store and convenient to Heathrow Airport.

We signed the London lease at a historic and exciting time for clean-tech companies in the U.K. London Mayor Boris Johnson, a sportscar buff and fan of the Tesla Roadster, announced this week a plan to introduce 100,000 EVs and to build 25,000 charging stations in the capital. Prime Minister Gordon Brown – also familiar with Tesla – said EVs would be one cornerstone of his economic recovery plan.

We'll soon be sending an invitation to customers and guests with details about our launch party later this spring. We look forward to meeting Tesla's many European fans at this event.

Cheers!

Elon Musk

Tesla Motors
1050 Bing Street
San Carlos California 94070