Tesla showed off the Model S at the 2010 Detroit auto show.
(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET)
Affirming its position as a new-generationcar company, Tesla Motors’ Vice President of Manufacturing Gilbert Passin lays out in detail how the upcoming Model S will be produced on the company’s blog. Although other manufacturers use similar production techniques, it is an interesting post for information on the process.
Unlike the current Tesla Roadster, which gets delivered to Tesla as a preassembled body and frame, the company will build the Model S from the ground up, including stamping sheets of aluminum into body panels. Assembly will take place at Tesla’s new plant in Fremont, California, a joint facility with Toyota announced last May.
Passin’s post provides some interesting details of the Model S production. Instead of using water for body-leak testing, Tesla will use ultrasonic waves. Once the body is built and wired, the electric power train, including battery pack, motor, transaxle, and rear suspension, is bolted into the car in one step.
The $50,000 Tesla Model S seats seven in a sleek, four-door design. Its all-electric power train gives it a range of 300 miles, with 0-to-60 mph performance of 5.6 seconds. The Model S goes on sale in 2012.
Topics: News, Hybrids and green Tags: Tesla, electric car Share: Digg Del.icio.us Reddit Facebook Twitter Recent posts from The Car Tech blog Dow Kokam breaks ground on $322 million battery plant Nissan Leaf has 100-mile range–give or take 40 percent 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe: This Cadillac really zigs 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Up market and off-road Designers attempt to build a better Bugatti (concept car Friday) Navigon demos iOS 4 multitasking with MobileNavigator app California ponders digital license plates with ads Add a Comment (Log in or register) (12 Comments) prev next by pradhanavs June 21, 2010 12:36 PM PDT Congrats Tesla…Good job. even though your products are a bit costly for me, you guys succeeded in convincing other manufacturers to explore and innovate new battery designs……. Like this Reply to this comment 2 people like this comment by twodub June 21, 2010 12:38 PM PDT Seats seven? Like this Reply to this comment by scurrlin1 June 21, 2010 12:51 PM PDT I was wondering same. Even four in the back is a stretch…with two up front makes 6, at best. Like this by mados123 June 21, 2010 1:17 PM PDT 7 midgets. Like this by cometman7 June 21, 2010 1:21 PM PDT Yep, 2 up front, 3 in the middle, then 2 people in the trunk. 
Like this 1 person likes this comment by kieranmullen June 21, 2010 2:10 PM PDT The Chassis is being produced overseas correct and final assembly in the US.
So 7 Normal Sized People. (Seats less Americans) Like this by June 21, 2010 2:19 PM PDT The seating arrangement for this car was released over a year ago. Two up front, three in the second row, and two rear-facing seats. Like this by RDO CA June 21, 2010 12:42 PM PDT Why is it that when an article on the Tesla S talks about price they say its $50k on the Mod. S when it is really $57,400 and they say in the same breath that it has a range of 300 miles when the $57,400 version has a range of just 160 miles.
If an article on the Volt talks price they say $40k which is the high end of the probable price before Fed.tax credit. Why make the S look cheaper and the Volt more expensive? Like this Reply to this comment 3 people like this comment by weegg June 21, 2010 12:48 PM PDT Frankly, I don’t see how they will survive. They are at the high-end of spectrum and by 2012 there will be about 10 other EV makes and models (most which will be substantially cheaper) and a lot of hybrids. I wish them well, because they did a lot of good engineering, but I think they took too long in getting what will be their mainstay vehicle out. Maybe Toyota will keep them afloat. Like this Reply to this comment by ppartekim June 21, 2010 12:55 PM PDT I’m trying to figure out how 7 people are going to fit into the car pictured… Obviously, those 7 people don;t play basketball or football. Like this Reply to this comment by boydp182 June 21, 2010 1:13 PM PDT Beautiful car. Like this Reply to this comment 1 person likes this comment by xtxnca June 21, 2010 1:15 PM PDT It has a rear-facing ‘jump seat’ believe it or not, although its barely appropriate for kids. Vomit seat, anyone? As for mileage – yes, they are predicting a 300 mile range but plan to spend the night because “fill-ups” can take as much as 8 hours (or more, depending on the voltage at the charging station if you can find one…) The Chevy Volt is much more feasible, with a gas engine to charge the batter. Maybe not as fun, though.. Like this Reply to this comment 2 people like this comment (12 Comments) prev next Add a comment Comment SUBMIT Click here to add another comment. Popular discussions on CNET: Apple quietly adds anti-malware in Snow Leopard update
June 18, 2010 3:36 PM PDT
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