Tesla's Siry interviewed at BIMS

There's lots of green-car action taking place at this years British International Motor Show (BIMS) and although we can't be there in person, our vlogger pal Danny is. Today, Danny has a fresh interview with Darryl Siry from Tesla who was at the show to check out the Lightning GT reveal accompany a Roadster while it sits on display for the public to longingly cast their eyes upon. Mr. Siry was forthcoming in answering most of his queries and we were able to glean a few interesting bits of Tesla news.

The most important information was about the state of European Roadster sales. Although he wouldn't give an exact figure, Danny did manage to wrest from the marketing VP that they've sold several dozen, in fact, they are "pretty soon going to close in on a hundred". They expect to sell the entire European allotment of 250 units for 2008 before the end of the year. Another eyebrow raiser was the mention of plans for Euro stores, including one on the outskirts of London, possibly in the direction of Surrey. They go on to discuss other things such as the Model S deployment strategy, batteries and the Roadster drivetrain 1.5. If you're in need of a Tesla fix with a British accent, hit the jump.

Martin Eberhard lends his new keys to a fan

There's a new Tesla Roadster review making its rounds on the interweb. So, what makes this particular review special? After all, it's not like we haven't read numerous reports from those lucky enough to find themselves in the drivers seat of the stunning electric roadster, including one from our very own Sam Abuelsamid. This particular ride report comes courtesy of Mr. Martin Eberhard, who just recently got the keys to the Roadster he'd been waiting to receive seemingly forever. The lucky driver goes by the name TEG, and it sounds like he very much enjoyed his time with Martin and the brand spankin' new EV.

Not everything with the car is perfect, of course, with entry and exit being the main usability complaint. Also, Martin's car is still fitted with the first-generation drivetrain, meaning it only has use of second gear in the two-speed transmission. Production Tesla's will get what's known internally as drivetrain 1.5, which features a single gear with a slightly more powerful motor. Check out the entire story here, and feel free to watch a quick video of the encounter after the break.

Ze'ev Drori offers up another Tesla production update

Over on the Tesla blog, company CEO Ze'ev Drori has posted another production update for all you fans of the Roadster. Some time back, Tesla made the decision that the Roadsters would be shipped from the Lotus factory in England as gliders -- complete cars without a drivetrain. The first couple of production units had their battery packs and motors installed in the workshop at the company's San Carlos headquarters. As work has proceeded on preparing the second Tesla store in Menlo Park for opening, the final drivetrain installation work has been shifted to the dealership service bays. According to Drori, nine production Roadsters have now been shipped to California, with at least three of those having been delivered. In total, 27 cars are now in various stages of assembly. The upgraded motors, electronics and transmissions that comprise drivetrain 1.5 are scheduled to be installed in cars for delivery beginning in September. After that, the company hopes to ramp up production to the rate of 100 cars per month by the end of the year. At that rate, they'll probably need a bigger workspace than the Menlo Park shop to finish drivetrain installations.

A-Class Mercedes: Goodbye fuel cell, hello Tesla battery?

We recently confirmed the rumor that, yes, Mercedes is planning on building an electric car or two and now some of the details are starting to be firmed up. In an interview with German business daily, WirtschaftsWoche, Thomas Weber, a Mercedes board member responsible for research and vehicle development, let it be known that the company is building what was originally meant to be the fuel cell-powered A-Class (and possibly B-Class) as an all-electric model. Because of its "sandwich" construction and pre-existing electric drivetrain, these cars should be the first to join the electric Smart in the e-Mercedes lineup.

Another magazine, Automobilwoche, as well as reporting 2010 as the year of the e-Mercedes arrival, states that the supplier of the battery for the cars would be none other than the American firm Tesla Motors. The source of their information was not revealed and since this has not been officially stated by either company, it's still somewhat speculative. We know from talking with Tesla's Elon Musk that something is going on between them and Mercedes and it's definitely not a motor for the Whitestar, since Musk made it clear that Tesla products will remain gasoline-free. We also know that Daimler claims to have solved the thermal issues associated with lithium ion batteries of a certain chemistry by integrating battery cooling systems with that of the car. Then again, Continental has already been named a battery supplier for the Mercedes S 400 hybrid. If you care to enter into the supplier speculation sweepstakes, hit us up in the comments section.

A-Class Mercedes: Goodbye fuel cell, hello Tesla battery?

We recently confirmed the rumor that, yes, Mercedes is planning on building an electric car or two and now some of the details are starting to be firmed up. In an interview with German business daily, WirtschaftsWoche, Thomas Weber, a Mercedes board member responsible for research and vehicle development, let it be known that the company is building what was originally meant to be the fuel cell-powered A-Class (and possibly B-Class) as an all-electric model. Because of its "sandwich" construction and pre-existing electric drivetrain, these cars should be the first to join the electric Smart in the e-Mercedes lineup.

Another magazine, Automobilwoche, as well as reporting 2010 as the year of the e-Mercedes arrival, states that the supplier of the battery for the cars would be none other than the American firm Tesla Motors. The source of their information was not revealed and since this has not been officially stated by either company, it's still somewhat speculative. We know from talking with Tesla's Elon Musk that something is going on between them and Mercedes and it's definitely not a motor for the Whitestar, since Musk made it clear that Tesla products will remain gasoline-free. We also know that Daimler claims to have solved the thermal issues associated with lithium ion batteries of a certain chemistry by integrating battery cooling systems with that of the car. Then again, Continental has already been named a battery supplier for the Mercedes S 400 hybrid. If you care to enter into the supplier speculation sweepstakes, hit us up in the comments section.

French journalist tests the Tesla, loves it

At the Cannes Film Festival, it's not hard to find Ferraris and Mercedes McLaren SLR and Rolls-Royce on every street. Seems like a good pace to introduce the Tesla Roadster in Europe. Cannes is where a lucky French journalist test drove the Roadster, albeit with British registration plates and the steering wheel on the left. His verdict: Faster than a Louts Exige Cup 255, 1,200 kg for 250 HP (become 300 in April 2009) - he just loved it. He believes that V8s are in real danger because the Tesla offered a more satisfying experience. And here's an interesting figure: a four-hour charge for the Tesla costs €6 and will move you 350 km. Compare that to a Lotus that burns about 10 l/100 km - and knowing that a liter of unleaded costs about €1.5 in France - we find that driving the Tesla is much cheaper.

Watch a video interview (in French) with Tesla's Diarmuid O'Connell after the jump.