Tesla And Daimler Sitting In A Tree…
Tesla Chairman Elon Musk recently told Fox Business Network [via just-auto.com, sub] that the EV startup has inked a deal with Daimler. With its Roadster safely at "good-enough" status (says them), the California firm is turning its attention to its planned WhiteStar sedan. With full-EV and serial hybrid versions of WhiteStar planned, Tesla needs some help with the various technical elements– such as an internal combustion engine. "We have a deal right now with Daimler," boasts Musk. But like much of Tesla's efforts (transmission, batteries, deliveries), the details haven't quite been ironed-out. "[The deal is] still in the early stages," Musk admits. "We have a small deal that could potentially lead to a very big deal." Autoblog speculates that WhiteStar's serial-hybrid ICE could use a Daimler-sourced SMART three-banger. But just as there are no Roadsters available for delivery at Tesla dealerships (or anywhere else), there's no firm info on this hook-up, including its actual existence.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Video here.
Tesla's "deal" could be that they went to the nearest Smart dealership and ordered a few replacement engines to experiment with.
"We have a small deal that could potentially lead to a very big deal."" Another Elon Musk "you couldn't make this stuff up" quote.
The Daimler-sourced turbo three banger in the Smart is history since 2007, it has been replaced by a cheaper, less efficient Mitsubishi three-banger. (Except for the diesel, which is still a Daimler engine) Which is a shame, because the Daimler three-banger was a fantastic engine.