Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




CAR TECH
Tesla loss widens as it ramps up expansion plan
by Staff Writers
Los Angeles (AFP) July 31, 2014


US electric automaker Tesla Motors reported Thursday a widening loss in the past quarter amid record revenues as it ramped up plans for a giant battery plant for future vehicles.

The loss in the quarter ending June 30 was $61.9 million, compared with $30.5 million in the same period a year ago, while revenues jumped more than 90 percent to $769 million.

Tesla, which earlier in the day unveiled plans for its so-called "Gigafactory" with Japanese electronics giant Panasonic to produce lithium-ion batteries, said its production plans are on track as it expands globally.

"We are adding new production capacity at our Fremont (California) factory that will allow us to meet the growing worldwide demand for our vehicles," said a letter to shareholders from chief executive Elon Musk and chief finance officer Deepak Ahuja.

"The speed at which we are executing this capacity upgrade will allow us to exceed 35,000 Model S deliveries this year. Provided that we execute well and there are no serious macroeconomic shocks, Tesla's annualized delivery rate should exceed 100,000 units by the end of next year."

While Tesla produces a relatively small number of vehicles, it has become a star in the sector due to keen demand and a reputation for high quality. A surge in its share price over the past year has pushed its value over $27 billion.

Tesla's Model S sells for around $75,000 but it is working on a less expensive Model X that is expected to garner wider appeal.

"We continue to open stores and service centers worldwide to support our global expansion," the letter said.

"For the rest of 2014, the rate of location openings will be fastest in China, followed by Europe, and then North America. We also continue to expand our supercharging network, with the introduction of our superchargers in Canada and a substantial increase in the rate of deployment in Europe and China."

- Encouraging start in China -

The letter said Tesla's Model S "is off to a very encouraging start in China, especially considering that we are delivering cars only in the areas around Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and recently Hangzhou where we can assure customers of service coverage."

Tesla is planning to launch service and deliveries "in many additional cities in the upcoming months, including Chengdu and Guangzhou," it added.

Tesla said its right-hand drive Model S "is also being well received in the United Kingdom where it launched in June and in Hong Kong where it launched last week." Deliveries of this version are set to begin in Japan and Australia later this year.

Tesla said it opened a site in Nevada which could host the Gigafactory but that other locations were still being evaluated.

Tesla will run the operations while its Japanese partner will make battery cells destined for the plant and invest in equipment and machinery, according to a joint statement.

The companies did not disclose financial details, a location or other terms of the agreement.

Japanese media previously reported that Panasonic would invest as much as 30 billion yen ($290 million) in the multi-billion-dollar plant.

The pair said the large-scale plant should drive down the cost of batteries and eventually help popularize electric vehicles.

bur-rl/bfm

TESLA MOTORS

.


Related Links
Car Technology at SpaceMart.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








CAR TECH
Panasonic, Tesla to build giant battery plant in US
Tokyo (AFP) July 31, 2014
Japanese electronics giant Panasonic and US electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors said Thursday they will jointly build and operate a huge lithium ion battery plant known as the Gigafactory. Under the deal, Tesla will run the operations at the proposed US-based plant, while its Japanese partner will make battery cells destined for the plant and invest in equipment and machinery, according to a ... read more


CAR TECH
Tidal forces gave moon its shape

Riddle of bulging Moon solved at last

China's biggest moon challenge: returning to earth

Lunar Pits Could Shelter Astronauts, Reveal Details of How 'Man in the Moon' Formed

CAR TECH
Los Alamos Laser Selected for 2020 Mars Mission

NASA Announces Mars 2020 Rover Payload to Explore the Red Planet as Never Before

Mars 2020 rover will carry tools to make oxygen

NASA Long-Lived Mars Opportunity Rover Passes 25 Miles of Driving

CAR TECH
Captains of industry explore space's new frontiers

Perlan partners with Airbus to fly glider to edge of space

First synthetic biological leaf could allow humans to colonize space

NASA's IBEX and Voyager spacecraft drive advances in outer heliosphere research

CAR TECH
China's Circumlunar Spacecraft Unmasked

China to launch HD observation satellite this year

Lunar rock collisions behind Yutu damage

China's Fast Track To Circumlunar Mission

CAR TECH
Europe's Fifth and Final Resupply Ship Launches to Station

Science and Spacesuit Work While ATV-5 Preps for Launch

Russian Cargo Craft Launches for 6-Hour Trek to ISS

ISS Crew Opens Cargo Ship Hatch, Preps for CubeSat Deployment

CAR TECH
US Launches Two Surveillance Satellites From Cape Canaveral

United Launch Alliance Marks 85th Successful Launch

US aerospace firm outlines New Zealand-based space program

China to launch satellite for Venezuela

CAR TECH
Young binary star system may form planets with weird and wild orbits

Hubble Finds Three Surprisingly Dry Exoplanets

Astronomers come up dry in search for water on exoplanets

Hubble Finds Three Surprisingly Dry Exoplanets

CAR TECH
Printing the Metals of the Future

New characteristics of complex oxide surfaces revealed

Building the Foundation for Future Synthetic Biology Applications with BRICS

Collecting just the right data




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.