Tesla customers have been waiting ages for the electric sports car, the Roadster, to make its way to market. Today the company’s first production Roadster, what Tesla Chairman Elon Musk called “the first production electric car on the road since God knows when,” was delivered to the auto maker’s headquarters in San Carlos, Calif. We were there and snapped these pics of the inaugural vehicle (check out more below the jump).
Production vehicle 1, or “P1,” will go to the company’s first customer, Chairman Musk himself. P1 was flown from the Lotus manufacturing plant in Hethel, England; its battery pack came from Tesla’s plant in Thailand and is being installed this afternoon at the company’s California headquarters. Musk called the delivering of the car “the beginning of the beginning.” Oh yeah, then there’s the beginning of “series” production, scheduled for March 17th, and then the beginning of the car’s production with the final version of the single-speed transmission. (Also check out our exclusive interview with Chairman Musk and CEO Ze’ev Drori back in December).
Amid all of the photo snapping, automotive lusting and “ooohs” and “aaahs,” Tesla took time to assure the gathered crowd that the recently reported “bloodbath” wasn’t that bad and that the company had not fired all of its key players. Indeed, the atmosphere was nearly giddy as the employees’ work was validated with the delivery of their first car.
Photo credit to Stephanie Lawrence.







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