Tesla Birth Watch 39: Boil Some Hot Water

Frank Williams
by Frank Williams

"Tesla Starts Full-Scale Production!" "Stop the Presses, The Tesla Factory is Cranking" "Tesla Begins 'Regular' Production of Roadsters" Reading the ever-credulous press, you'd be forgiven for thinking investors who've been waiting two years for their $98k battery-powered Roadster will have one in their garage in the next few weeks. Not so fast (literally). First, we await independent confirmation that Tesla hit the "start" button on the production line. Second, there's many a slip between the cup and the lip. We await the first customer delivery (real customers, not Tesla execs). And third, by its own admission, Tesla will build Roadsters at the rate of "one or two per week." On Tesla's blog, CEO Ze'ev Drori stated his employer would gradually ramp-up production, heading for "over 100 Roadsters per month early next year." Ignoring the existence of the REVA, the ZAP Xebra and several million golf carts, Drori also proudly proclaims "the Tesla Roadster is the only zero emission electric vehicle in production today." At least the Tesla hype factory is [still] in full swing.

Frank Williams
Frank Williams

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  • Lewissalem Lewissalem on Mar 18, 2008

    Not to mention the GEM lineup (I'm going to get mine with the "doors" option.) Buildin' cars is hard! ™

  • Guyincognito Guyincognito on Mar 18, 2008

    When major automakers have finished their design and proveout they build hundreds, if not thousands of vehicles at the assembly plant using the assembly workers and processes and run those vehicles through a variety of confirmation tests before ever producing a vehicle which will be sold. Many of the actual saleable production vehicles still have quality problems.

  • Landcrusher Landcrusher on Mar 18, 2008

    Where is this plant? Why don't one of us nearby just drive over and count the cars in the parking lot or something? Reminds me of a company in aviation that has been bragging about their facility in Canada for years. I knew the guy who owned the site, haven't spoken to him in a long while, but I do know they have not broken ground. They have been getting several rounds of investment, but the facility never seems to get started.

  • Beken Beken on Mar 18, 2008

    So what will I see on the road first? A Tesla or a ZENN ?

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