Mercedes To Build EV A-Class Using Tesla Batteries. Or Not.
Autobloggreen (ABG) is all over Mercedes' EV plans. The tree-hugging bloggers report that Stuttgart's first EV will be an A Class. Digging deeper, it seems that Mercedes will be using a battery pack from Tesla Motors, confirming Elon Musk's hint of a "small deal" with Daimler. The rumor hasn't been confirmed by Mercedes, and ABG points out that Daimler claims to already have li-ion battery thermal issues licked. Furthermore, Continental has been named as the official battery supplier of Mercedes' forthcoming S 400 Hybrid. So we'll wait to hear from official Daimler sources before we credit Tesla with its first supplier contract. And don't even ask when the EV A Class will hit the market. Automobile Woche is prognosticating an industry-standard 2010 release. Battery supply notwithstanding, the A-Class was designed with a "sandwich floor" that can accommodate either fuel-cell or EV conversion. Which means that they're good to go. Or not.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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More good news from Musk: The price of future Teslas will be around $30,000! You are our savior. http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
I like the headline of the the engadget article. Musk "promises" a sub-$30k car in less than 4 years. Hasn't he repeatedly promised paying customers that they could actually expect their roadster to be delivered? Sometime before they die?
This Tesla battery deal is just speculation at this point (speculations I myself have also made), based on two pieces of information. One is that Musk mentioned a small deal with Daimler in that horrendous Fox Business interview. The other is that in part 3 of the AutoblogGreen interview, Musk said that the Tesla sedan would be pure electric, thus ending speculation that Daimler might be supplying Tesla with Smart engines for a range extender.