SSC claims they're working on a revolutionary power source that allows for up to several years between charging. We're assuming that they mean several years of actual use, and not just sitting around. Because, you know, we can put some fuel stabilizer in our car, park it, and not have to fill up for a while too. So, is this vaporware or soon-to-be-reality?

Jalopnik Snap Judgement: Everyone thought SSC was full of crap when the company announced they made the fastest car in the world, but it turns out they actually did. So maybe they really do have some tricks up their sleeve. We'll know more when the first prototypes roll out in February 2009. [Shelby SuperCars]

What makes this vehicle ideal for the wealthy? It's comparatively expensive, has decent power, and it's a lot less common than the average Ferrari. More importantly, it helps the rich feel better about themselves. Says one moneyed onlooker:

"We're in a wealthy area," Patrick added, "so, while gas prices aren't as much of an issue, you can still feel like you're fulfilling your green responsibility and reducing your carbon footprint with a car like this."

And how much does this reek of a PR stunt? What automaker parks a mule for their new anti-gas secret weapon at an abandoned building that will some day be a store for the automaker? Can someone say a set-up? [TeslaMotorsClub via Autoblog Green]

Governor Schwarzenegger Celebrates Clean Technology Investment in California, Welcomes Tesla Motors Production to California

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined with State Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Tesla Motors representatives to announce Tesla's decision to locate its new manufacturing facility for its Model S, Tesla's second-generation vehicle, in California. As part of the state's ongoing commitment to clean technology, the Governor also announced a new program that waives the sales tax on investment in new manufacturing equipment for Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs). This program was developed in conjunction with the State Treasurer and the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA).

"Today's announcement is great news for California, our economy and our environment. We want these cutting-edge companies not to just start in California and do their research and development here-we want them to build in California," Governor Schwarzenegger said.

"Tesla's announcement today is just one of many we will celebrate as we implement AB 32 and reach our greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. I have always said that we must protect our economy and our environment at the same time, and today it is clear that we are once again demonstrating to the world how to do that."

California's green-friendly atmosphere is encouraging clean businesses from around the world to invest in California, stimulating our economy and contributing to the fight against global warming. According to the California Green Innovation Index by Next10, a non-partisan research organization, in 2006 venture capital investment in energy technology companies in California was just shy of $1 billion, more than double the total from 2005.

Last Thursday, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released its AB 32 Draft Scoping Plan, the market-based roadmap which will guide California toward its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. This roadmap will motivate companies like Tesla to come to California and bring their innovation, reduced emissions and thousands of jobs with them.

Last Wednesday, CAEATFA approved a new program that exempts new ZEV manufacturers from paying sales and use tax on the purchase of manufacturing equipment to encourage ZEV manufacturing in California. For Tesla, these incentives will mean millions of dollars in savings when the company invests in building their new plant in California. And if they choose a city that is in an Enterprise Zone, they will save millions more. Tesla will also be eligible for at least $1 million in Employment Training Panel Workforce Development Funds to train employees.

Tesla's Model S will be a fully electric, five passenger, multi-use sport sedan with a driving range of approximately 225 miles on one charge. The projected cost of the Model S is $60,000.

"These vehicles can play a big part in helping California successfully implement its groundbreaking laws to fight climate change," said State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, who chairs CAEATFA. "By offering this financial incentive, our goal is to ensure zero-emission vehicles realize their full potential in our state. In the bargain, we believe the policy will bolster our emerging green economy, create good-paying jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I'm very pleased the policy helped convince Tesla to build its high-performance electric cars in California."

In addition, California's new Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicles Technology Program, AB 118 by Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles), which the Governor signed into law last year, established a new program that will generate more than $100 million annually for development of new technologies, vehicles and fuels. Funding is expected to be available in March 2009.

California's ZEV program is the world's only enforceable requirement for the development and production of zero-emission vehicles. The following state and federal programs support ZEVs:

* Alternative Fuel Vehicle Incentive Program: Offers up to $5,000 for the purchase or lease of alternative fuel vehicles. Battery electric vehicles, such as a Tesla, typically receive the full $5,000 grant.
* High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Access: Vehicles are eligible to receive the white HOV lane access sticker allowing them to be driven in the HOV lane with only one occupant. This white sticker is different from the yellow stickers issued to hybrid vehicles in that their availability is not capped at a specified number of vehicles.
* California's Environmental Performance Label: Requires all new cars starting in 2009 to display a sticker to inform consumers about the smog forming and greenhouse gas emissions of each vehicle. Vehicles are scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best. ZEVs will receive a score of 10 for both smog forming and greenhouse gas emissions.
* Federal Tax Incentives for Recharging Stations: A federal tax deduction of up to $100,000 per location is available for qualified electric vehicle recharging property used in a trade or business.
* Local Community Programs: Offers public charging, free parking and supportive building codes for installation of home charging units.
* Low Carbon Fuel Standard: Requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels sold in California. This first-of-its-kind standard firmly establishes sustainable demand for lower-carbon fuels without favoring one fuel over another. To start, the standard will reduce the carbon intensity of California's passenger vehicle fuels by at least 10 percent by 2020 and more thereafter.

According to Fisker, a condition of his work with Tesla involved an arbitration clause in the case of a suit filed by the company. Wasn't that prescient? Both car companies continue to to propel themselves towards limited production, so we have a fun race between significant deliveries and the settlement of ongoing litigation. It's like Le Mans except much, much longer.

Editor-in-Chief

The Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge is fast approaching. In addition to the varsity and JV classes, this year we thought it would be fun to add a "green track car" class. Yeah, I know, kind of a crazy idea. Anyway, we had a lot of interest at first, but when push comes to shove, it's been hard to get anyone to commit, let alone find any fast green cars. Tesla was very interested at first, but now they seem to be nervous about the ability of their car to make it around Buttonwillow without blowing up. I talked to Johnathan Goodwin about it, and he was looking into building an electric Ford GT for the event, but then got distracted by some other high-profile projects he had to finish up (more on those soon). The Greasecar guys were also interested, but most of their stuff is on the East Coast, and they didn't think they could make it out West. Same goes for ProEV.

There is also the question of what the hell is a green track car? Is there even such a thing? Many people seem to think that E85 isn't all that green. But we will probably have an E85 car or two (I hope). We should also have some diesel VWs like the Chili Pepper Racing Jetta below. And John Fabijanic from Cal Poly will be there to help us determine just how green the cars are (and he'll be bringing his insane 1000 hp Ford Explorer).

But we need more green cars, so we're asking you to help us out. If you know of any fast green track cars, tell them about this event! How about a quick hyrbid or an speedy electric car? There have to be some cars like this out there. We already have a ton of varsity and JV level cars in our GRM UTCC rating category. But the race is on June 8, so time is running out. Read all about it!

Tesla originally contacted Magna to design and build a total of 4,300 transmissions over a three-year span for the code-name Dark Star and 40,000 transmissions for the White Star. In March 2007, Tesla signed a "Development Agreement and a Statement of Work." Magna shipped the first prototype transmission to Tesla in July along with a note saying the first target production date of September would not be met.

This is where it gets messy. Tesla went and hooked up with Xtrac for transmission work and told Magna is transfer all design and development documentation to them. Magna says it got canned out of nowhere and was unaware of Tesla's unhappiness with its work.

Magna is looking for $6.5 million to compensate for all of the costs, fees and expenses lost by the sudden termination of contract. Another day, another girl fight. [Earn2Tech]

Back in the development days of the Tesla, Henrik Fisker was hired to do the body design on a four-seater code-named the White Star. Tesla forked over $875,000 for Fisker's work. The lawsuit continues to divulge that Fisker had no experience with hybrids prior to working for Tesla and essentially sabotaged the project, took his earnings and developed the Fisker Karma, a similar sporty hybrid.

The story gets a little peculiar on Tesla's end after Fisker left the company to make his own hybrid. Tesla said that they didn't want to use Fisker's design because he was going to make his own car and become the competition. This set the company back three to six months in production. If Tesla had a head start on the design-work why didn't they just progress with Fisker's current design and beat him to the show floor? Tesla continues to say that Fisker's work was substandard, so it's understandable, but they didn't have to scrap the design completely, right? Also, why would Tesla shell out nearly a million on a substandard designer with no hybrid experience?

This is the point where we would initially speculate on how the lawsuit will affect production of the Tesla Whitestar and the Fisker Karma, but who are we kidding. These two are perpetually in that yes, but no, but maybe someday phase of production development. [NY Times]

Of course, it's the 2008 model of the Tesla, which has already been sold out, but Tesla is taking reservations for the 2009 model But hey, this means it's real (kind of)! [Tesla Motors via GCC]

The Lightning car company is proud to release one of the UK's first electric sports cars for 2008.

Combining classic, British sports car design with racing car technology and state of the art NanoSafe™ battery power and Hi-Pa Drive™ electric motor innovation, the Lightning has been developed with exhilarating performance front of mind. Whilst its head-turning looks will appeal to the most discerning of drivers, unlike other sports cars, the Lightning is also easy on the conscience. With virtually no polluting emissions, this energy-efficient car uses clean technology and will have the ultimate green rating. Following production of several petrol Lightnings and with the electric prototype build now well underway, the electric Lightning GT is now available to pre-order.

Lightning GT - Standard Features

* Anti lock braking system
* Traction control
* Regenerative braking
* Electronic door entry
* Programmable external engine sound generator
* Central door locking
* Alarm and immobilizer
* Electric windows
* Acoustic information and entertainment system
* Part leather/alcantara sports seats
* Forged alloy wheels
* Tinted windows
* Home based charging system (EVCS) with integral safety features
* Hella focused beam halogen headlamps
* LED taillights, front, rear and side-mounted lights

Colours

* Available in Electric Lightning Blue, black and silver as standard (as shown)

Options & accessories

* Air conditioning
* Tyre pressure and temperature monitoring system
* Satellite navigation system
* Non standard colour / metallic paint
* Full leather trim
* Mobile charging system
* Car cover

[Lightning Car Company via Autoblog]

Yes, we know the video is awful and we're sorry we subjected you to it, but come on - a ninja car thief? That's gotta be worth something right? [via TeslaDownUnder]

"Tesla Motors, which finally shipped its first electric car earlier this month, hopes to raise $250 million in equity and debt to fund its mass production push, over the next two years. Chairman Elon Musk wants to conduct an IPO in New York or London, raise money privately and apply for a loan guarantee from the Department of Energy to build a U.S. production plant for Tesla's forthcoming electric sports sedan."

The exemption covers 625 vehicles this year and 3,200 vehicles over the next two years. The Tesla Roadster is still going to have standard airbags, but they will not meet the Advanced Air Bag standards. As a refresher, advanced airbags are ones that protect multiple types of passengers in the event of an accident. [AP via Google]

Tesla says they're going to a be dropping the planned two-speed transmission and replacing it with a much simpler one-speed model that will provide performance numbers in line with what was promised. The two-speed model had to be dropped because of problems with longevity. Of course, this doesn't change the fact that if you're getting a first run Tesla you're going to receive it with a temporary gearbox and have to wait for the permanent solution like everyone else.

The solution, now called DriveTrain 1.5, is going to involve replacing the entire powertrain. The air-cooled electric motor is getting kicked to the curb and its place will be a liquid-cooled unit with more power. Progress! The car works... as long as they can replace everything in time.

Tesla Motors Completes all Regulatory Approvals and Sets Schedule to Begin Production

First production 2008 Tesla Roadster Imported - Series Production Begins in March

WHAT'S NEWS

* Tesla Motors has received all regulatory approvals to import the first production Tesla Roadster ("P1") for sale. This includes all necessary EPA and DOT approvals, including completion of all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS.)

* P1 will arrive at Tesla Motors headquarters next week for delivery to customer Elon Musk, Chairman of Tesla Motors.

* Series production of the Tesla Roadster is scheduled to begin March 17th, 2008.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

* As communicated previously, early production units will be equipped with an interim transmission that meets durability requirements but limits acceleration to 5.7 seconds from 0 to 60 mph.
* Separately, Tesla Motors engineers have designed a permanent solution for mass production that supports the original specification of 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds.
* The planned solution has some very positive benefits for our customers. Instead of a complex 2-speed transmission design, Tesla will achieve the original performance goals with a simpler one-speed unit mated to a higher rated Power Electronics Module (PEM.) The existing motor will be modified to have advanced cooling capabilities to handle the additional power. The permanent transmission unit will be engineered to handle the higher torque of the powertrain.
* The planned solution reduces program risk, provides better efficiency, lower weight, equal or better range, better thermal performance and quicker quarter mile acceleration due to the elimination of the need to shift gears.
* The planned solution incorporates the latest developments of our powertrain team which has been continually improving on Tesla's core technology.
* Early production will proceed at a limited rate and then ramp up to full production when the permanent powertrain solution is production ready later this year.

The upgrade from the interim solution to the higher power, permanent solution will be provided to our customers free of charge when available later this year.

[Source: Tesla, AutoBlog Green]

In a post on the "Tesla Founders Blog," Eberhard was quick to throw his full support behind the alleged electric wonder known as the Chevy Volt. He continues to praise the vehicle, its chief evangelist Bob Lutz and all of the technology involved in the conceptual design of the car, especially the battery. And yes, Eberhard did indeed say that he would drive a Volt if it were available today. Nevertheless, the original posting on the Tesla Founders Blog was quickly removed. Fret not: Google has done its job saving the cache and making it available for the world to ponder and/or mock. [Google Cache via GM Insider News]

[Tesla's] brash ambitions make some industry observers scoff. "I wouldn't call it Tesla Motors yet. I would call it the Tesla prototype company," says James Hall, vice president of industry consulting firm AutoPacific, in Southfield, Mich. "My concern is that there are people in charge who don't have a realistic view of the car industry."

Hall estimates Tesla will need 30 to 40 years to turn a profit and $700 million immediately to successfully develop and mass produce a lower-priced model. Traditional automakers typically spend between $500 million and $1 billion to put out a new car—and that's without building a company from scratch first.
Musk calls Hall's thinking generic and con­ventional. "I will eat my hat if we spend anything close to $700 million on our model-2 car," he says.

Automotive X PRIZE to Showcase Innovation at 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit

WHAT/ The Automotive X PRIZE, an international, multi-million dollar competition designed to inspire a new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles, has announced plans to participate in this year's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) during its Press Preview and Industry Days, January 13-18. The independent and technology-neutral Automotive X PRIZE competition is open to teams from around the world who can design, build and bring to market 100 MPG equivalent vehicles that people want to buy, and that meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety and performance.

Once the competition officially launches - in early 2008 - a thorough qualification process will assess safety, cost, features and business plans to ensure that only production-capable, real cars compete. Those who qualify will race their vehicles in rigorous cross-country stage races that combine speed, distance, urban driving and overall performance. To date, more than 50 teams from seven countries have signed a Letter of Intent—including Tesla, Visionary Vehicles, Aptera, ZAP, Loremo and Cornell University— to compete for a share of the multi-million dollar prize purse and global publicity.

Several teams will join Automotive X PRIZE in their booth at this year's NAIAS. The Automotive X PRIZE stage races are expected to travel through multiple cities from coast to coast in 2009 and 2010. Winning vehicles will be those that finish in the fastest time while achieving at least 100 MPG equivalent fuel economy and strict emissions caps.

WHO: Don Foley, Automotive X PRIZE Executive Director Neal Anderson, Cristin Lindsay and John Shore, Automotive X PRIZE Senior Directors Gale Banks, President, Gale Banks Engineering and Automotive X PRIZE Advisor Letter of Intent Team Members, to be announced shortly. NOTE: A detailed listing of Letter of Intent team members and other show attendees will be released by AXP in the coming weeks.

ABOUT THE AUTOMOTIVE X PRIZE: The Automotive X PRIZE is a project of the X PRIZE Foundation, which creates and manages prizes that drive innovators to solve the world's greatest challenges. The X PRIZE Foundation first captured world headlines in 2004, when Mojave Aerospace Ventures, led by legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan and Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen, built and flew the world's first private vehicle to space twice in two weeks to win the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE. The Automotive X PRIZE is being designed with the generous help of world-class experts, advisors and organizations who represent a broad and diverse group of interests and share the organization's concerns and goals. For more detail, see our advisors, supporters, and blog at http://auto.xprize.org.

CONTENDERS To date, more than 50 teams representing 7 countries have signed letters of intent to compete. The list includes established carmakers (Tesla, Visionary Vehicles), universities (Cornell University) Michigan-based contenders (Michigan Vision), entrepreneurs and established engineers. AirShip Technologies Group, Lake Oswego, OR ° Alpha-Core/Poulsen Hybrid, Bridgeport, CT* ° Aptera Motors, Carlsbad California ° Avion Car Company, Bellingham WA ° Brilliant Automotive, Fairfield, IA ° Commuter Cars Corp, Spokane, WA ° Cornell University, Ithaca, NY ° DEHyds, Tenino, WA ° Delta Motorsport, Northamptonshire, UK °

Desert Fuel, Phoenix,AZ ° Disruptech, Newhall, CA ° Team Dragonfly, Northampton, UK ° Electric Truck Inc, Greenwich, CT ° Energy Highway, Pleasanton, CA ° FuelVapor Technologies, Maple Ridge, BC ° GreenIt!, Portland, OR ° HerfDuo, Berlin, Germany ° HyKinesys, Rolling Hills Estate,CA ° ICEwave,

Terre Haute, IN ° Illuminati, Virden, IL ° Kinetic Vehicles, Creswell, OR ° Kuttner Doran Innovations, Charlottesville, VA* ° Loremo, Munich, Germany ° Lydell Industries, Frewsburg, NY ° Maine Automotive X, Camden, ME ° MDI, Inc. and Zero Pollution Motors, LLC, New Paltz, NY* ° Michigan Vision, Ann Arbor, MI * ° Motive Industries, Calgary, Alberta, Canada ° MotoTron Disrupt, Oshkosh, WI ° West Philly Hybrid X Team, Philadelphia PA ° Phoenix Motorcars, Ontario, CA* ° Physics Lab of Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu, AZ* ° Porteon Electric Vehicles, Inc., Portland, OR ° Prometheus Systems, Flagstaff, AZ ° Psycho-Active, Moore, SC* ° RaceAbout Association, Helsinki Finland ° Red Light Racing (RLR), Callaway, MA ° Kernel™-AXP, Beverly Hills CA ° Spirit One, Alberta CA ° T3 Motion, Costa Mesa CA ° Team Global-E, Mandeville, LA ° Tilting Vehicle Australia, Kilburn, Australia* ° TriTrack,Austin, TX ° Team Twike IV, Germany ° Tesla Motors, San Carlos, CA ° Valentin Technologies, Elm Grove, WI* ° Velozzi, Beverly Hills CA* ° Visionary Vehicle, NY, NY* ° X Tracer Team Switzerland, Winterthur, Switzerland ° ZAP, Santa Rosa, CA *teams marked with an asterisk will be available to the media during the Detroit Auto Show.
[Source: X-PRIZE]

"Tesla's Whitestar and Darkstar programs are DOA. The Detroit office is in trouble. it's all hands on deck to get the roadster to work"

With Tesla still having problems with delays and a growing list of people who want their product, a little shakeup at the top could be taken as a sign that this is a company with a future and not another niche carmaker disaster waiting to happen. (h/t Jared)[NY Times]

I am writing for two important reasons:

1. To update you on the status of the Tesla Roadster program and your car
2. To let you know about a recent change in my role at Tesla Motors

First, the change in my role. I have had the distinct pleasure of being CEO of Tesla Motors for four years now, growing the company from two people in a tiny office in Menlo Park to 250 people spread around the world. The Roadster, once just a crazy idea of mine, is now almost ready for production, thanks to the hard work and quite a few strokes of brilliance by our team.

This week I move from the CEO position to become President of Technology, and I remain on Tesla's board of directors. In my new job, I will focus on the final details of the Roadster and on advancing Tesla's leadership in our core technology. I will also be able to spend more time with you, our customers. My passion is for creating technology that brings about meaningful change, and for the people who embrace such technology. As we move towards production and contemplate the choices ahead of us, we at Tesla need leadership with that same kind of passion and talent for operations - passion that will secure Tesla's future as the next major automobile company.

I initiated an intense CEO search some time ago, but the board and I have yet to find the right person to fill this role - even as Tesla continues to grow and its operational needs become paramount.

We are incredibly fortunate that Michael Marks, former CEO of Flextronics, the world's largest contract manufacturing company, has agreed to serve as CEO on an interim basis. Michael grew Flextronics from a small company to the 19 billion dollar powerhouse it is today. He is also an early investor in Tesla Motors and a customer. We could not ask for more able leadership during this transition. The Board and I will continue to search for a CEO to lead Tesla on a permanent basis.

Now, let's turn our attention to the Roadster. The excitement is building as we move towards the start of production. And naturally, the question on many Tesla customers' minds is "When will I get my car?"

The short answer is: We are still planning to start production of the Roadster by the end of next month and deliver the first cars to customers this fall. We have a good chance of meeting this goal, but to be fully transparent, I want you to know that while it is within our reach, it is not yet fully within our grasp.

Since my last formal update to you in December, we've made tremendous progress in building and testing the second generation prototypes. With each successive technical improvement, the driving experience has improved as well. We're waiting to publicly announce the results of our EPA range validation tests until all the results are in, but I'll let you know in advance you will be pleased. You are going to love this car.

So what's left to do? Testing, testing and more testing. It falls into two major categories.

* Crash testing. We're in the midst of final crash testing now, as outlined in the most recent issue of The Roadster newsletter. We feel confident about passing these tests, since we conducted these same tests on the first generation prototypes much earlier in the program. However, there is always the chance that something unpredictable occurs causing us not to pass this time, in which case we would incur a delay to address the issues. As soon as we complete crash testing our customers will be the first to know.

* Durability testing. This is where it all comes together to ensure that your car is durable and reliable. Durability testing includes both the mechanical components of the Roadster and also the software that controls everything from door latches to battery cooling. This testing has been underway for some time and will in fact continue after we start production of cars. This is typical of all car manufacturers; we want to insure that our test cars discover any long-term durability issues ahead of your car. We will soon enter the next phase of durability testing that incorporates all previous fixes. The results of this testing are critical to the schedule.Once we enter production, we will build the first cars very slowly - about one per week - accelerating as we gain experience. It takes about 5 weeks to ship the car from the U.K. to the U.S. So a September production start translates into an early November delivery of the first car to a customer.

We will hold short of projecting a specific delivery date for your car until we work through the milestones outlined above. In the meantime, we are working to the general timeframe of delivering Founders' Series cars this year, Signature 100 cars in Q1 2008 and other customers' cars after Q1 depending on when you placed your reservation. If we incur any additional delays due to the ongoing testing, I will let you know.

I want to express my deep gratitude for the trust you placed in Tesla when you reserved your car and for your willingness to embark on this journey with us. During this development program, I have learned that the first 5% and the final 5% of the creation of a car are the most difficult to achieve. We are going to build and deliver a great car for you. We're in the final 5% now and the end is in sight. Stay tuned.
Best regards,
Martin Eberhard
Co-founder and President of Technology
Tesla Motors

You ever read The Onion's, "Our Dumb Century?" Allow me to paraphrase the bit about the Moon Landing, "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!! SCIENTISTS BEAM MOTHERFUCKING ELECTRICITY THROUGH THE GOD DAMN AIR!!!" Thank you. Given the right car, all we need is some infrastructure and a diaper little cold fusion, and we'll be able to kick that Cannonball Baker Sea To Shining Sea record in the nuts. – Jonny Lieberman

Farewell, wires? Power beamed through air [msnbc.com]

Related:
Ez Come, Ez Go: Tesla Founds Battery Division [Internal]

Used to be that automakers would introduce a new model each and every year. Think Chevrolet Bel Air 1953-1959. These days, they don't do that. But thanks to the relentlessness of blogs, busted embargoes and the obsessiveness of enthusiasts, we are treated to a constant trickle (if not stream) of spy shots and sexy rumors. So which potential product has you in the tightest tizzy? Chevy's Blue Devil? Jag's XF? That RWD coupe with the V8 from Hyundai? Audi's twin-turbo V10 RS6? Perhaps the Tesla? Ooh, what about the new ass-engined VW? What's hopefully going to float our boat? We're torn between the possibly reborn and M-powered BMW Z8/Z9. And well, frankly, the new Subaru STI. As it may come in wagon form only. Which we view as a form of payback. You? – Jonny Lieberman

[The Jalopnik Question of the Day runs daily unless we take off to San Diego for the weekend to brew and drink beer. Do you have a question you want answered? Email it to tips@jalopnik.com with the subject line "QOTD"]

Related:
Spy Photos: New BMW Z9 Spotted Incognito; The Jalopnik Question of the Day [Internal]

Bay Area electrocar purveyors Tesla are spooling up a new division to sell battery packs to other electric vehicle manufacturers, as well as to supply their own products with power packs. Their first outside client for the lithion-ion packs has been announced as Norway-based black metallists THiNK, who, if one follows such things, one may recall as a former unit of FoMoCo. Tesla expects to rake in around $43 mil a year. We just want to know when we can get one for our iPod. – Davey G. Johnson

Tesla plans to sell batteries for electric cars [Silicon Valley Business Journal]

Related:
THiNK Again: Failed EV Set for a Comeback [Internal]

As Tesla Motors recently informed buyers who pre-ordered its electric roadster, it's downgraded the car's range from 250 miles to 200 miles. That due to a design change to increase protection around the batteries, which has boosted weight to 2,600 lbs. That's significantly more than the Lotus Elise (1,984 lbs) on which it's based. Nonetheless, roadster prototypes were recently caught during tests near the Arctic circle, whose brutal cold can cause electronic components to behave like a four-year-old on a mega dose of the sillies. Spies say two prototypes were spotted on frozen lakes, icy roads and parking lots overnight. The thinking is, if it can start up after eight hours in sub-zero cold, it should do just fine in a heated and humidity-controlled garage in Marin. – Mike Spinelli

SPY PHOTOS: Tesla Roadster [World Car Fans]

Related:
Electric Sales Potential! Tesla Motors To Open Five Non-Dealerships This Year [internal]