In an internal memo released earlier this year by Martin Eberhard, Tesla’s CEO and co-founder, Eberhard announced he would step down as CEO after a four-year reign, and today Tesla announced its new CEO. Ze’ev Drori will take over Eberhard’s former position. Before taking the position at Telsa, Drori founded Monolithic Memories — a semiconductor firm that was purchased by AMD — and was most recently a shareholder and chairman of Clifford Electronics — an auto security company recently purchased by Allstate Insurance.
Under Eberhard, Tesla has grown from 2 employees in one location to 250 spread around the world. He will continue with the company in the role of President of Technology and will remain on Tesla’s board of directors. In the new role, Eberhard will finalize the details of the upcoming Roadster and will continue to focus on Tesla’s leadership in its core technology.
Michael Marks was named interim CEO of Tesla after Eberhard stepped down. Marks is the former CEO of Flextronics, the world’s largest contract manufacturing company, and also an early investor and customer of Tesla.
Eberhard also discussed the progress of the Roadster in his memo and said that it should be ready for production as early as next month. There has been a delay in production due to a change in the design of the transmission and its supplier, according to Automotive News.
The Roadster, based on the Lotus Elise, could be available to customers as early as November. Tesla is still awaiting the results of crash testing and the EPA’s range validation, but claims the car can go from 0-60 in 4 seconds and has a range of more than 200 miles. Sold through factory-owned stores rather than franchised dealerships, Tesla hopes to sell 1,000 of the $98,000 Roadsters annually. 570 examples have already been pre-sold.
In addition to the Roadster, 35 Detroit engineers are also working on the Tesla electric sedan, code-named the White Star. Tesla has already purchased land in Albuquerque, New Mexico to build a White Star factory, although ground is yet to be broken according to Automotive News. Eberhard said he hopes to see the White Star in production by 2010 and that Tesla may issue initial public offering as early as next year to fund the construction of the new factory.
08/13, 10:40 AM
posted by:
Blakkarr
I hope it is the start of something good. We need more cars like this… at a lower price point however.
08/13, 11:37 AM
posted by:
Deanster
Interesting. I see HOllywood faux-eco-conscious types snapping up both the White Star and Roadster in record numbers.
08/13, 11:37 AM
posted by:
RicardoHead
Watch a Prius get what it deserves …
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/302898/prius_target_practice/
08/13, 1:58 PM
posted by:
Veda
I’d actually get this. It’d make a nice toy
08/13, 2:54 PM
posted by:
Commodore
A toy?
08/14, 6:51 AM
posted by:
Get Real
Report of PBS yesterday painted a picture of factory perfection. Funny to read bad news today.
08/14, 8:33 AM
posted by:
Piablo
I’m curious why he’d be stepping down. Somethings tells me, more bad news on the way…. Maybe it’s because that 570th order came in over a year ago and Hollywood is now completely tapped out.
08/14, 11:35 AM
posted by:
RicardoHead
Green car + PBS = program with gleeful bunnies screwing it together under pink skies!
Did Barney pay the engineers a happy visit too? Or Peter, Paul, and Mary?
11/29, 3:07 PM
posted by:
F451
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay overpriced to garner any real market share.
11/29, 3:10 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
‘Tesla’s board of directors’? They’ve only got 250 employees. Where to do they hold their quarterly meetings- in the lunchroom?
11/29, 3:16 PM
posted by:
SwerveEarly
2000:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!
2001:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!
2002:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2003:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2004:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2005:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2006:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2007:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2008:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2009:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2010:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2011:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2012:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2013:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2014:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2015:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2016:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!2017:The electrics are coming the electrics are coming!
You get the point. Will this **** ever become reality.
11/29, 3:39 PM
posted by:
autonut
Hey they are pissing Google moneys away. Wounderkids dropped over quite a few millions on this venture.
It looks like they have customer for first seven months of production, but where do you get 83 people every month to drop 100K on a toy car? Isn’t it price of Qautroporte and it is actually a good looking car! Maybe Gore and Barbra will purchase production line outright.
11/29, 4:10 PM
posted by:
meanpants555
I don’t even own an electric toothbrush let alone an electric sports car.
11/29, 4:11 PM
posted by:
meanpants555
I say let us use the fuel and let our children drive around in their socketsuckercars.
11/29, 4:27 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
Stormy night under dead black skies, Billy pulls into town
Thunder rolls and the lightning bolts come crashin’ to the ground
Cold as ice, hard as stone, as he walks into the room
With another man who was feeling the same way, all hell’s breakin’ loose
11/29, 4:50 PM
posted by:
LP640
Dreary
11/29, 5:40 PM
posted by:
CA36GTP
This used to be a dream car for me, but I am more skeptical at this point.
11/30, 7:26 AM
posted by:
Get Real
History is repeating itself…….Tesla is DMC.
11/30, 8:39 AM
posted by:
Fletch
It sure sounds cool. Reliability, parts, distribution network? I think the best we can hope for is one of the big auto companies pick this up and offer it under their umbrella.
12/01, 1:25 AM
posted by:
jdasch1
Eberhard is an engineer and doesn’t want to be a businessman, accountant, and lawyer (CEO). He is staying where his passion is…the car, not the business case. I own several electric vehicles (two from bankrupt companies) including one from Ford, and I love them. They are quiet and do the 40-70 mile trip on about 70 cents of power. I really hope Tesla makes it. I would buy one if they will sell into Washington state. Currently they are only selling into California. Whitestar will be a car for the masses, where the Tesla is for people who crave speed and style. Go to YOUTUBE and look up “Tesla electric car” and see what they are doing.