Tesla Motors Inc

Tesla Motors Inc., aiming to be the first high-volume U.S. maker of electric sports cars, named entrepreneur Ze'ev Drori chief executive of the San Carlos, Calif., company. Drori, who founded a semiconductor firm that was bought by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. in the 1980s, replaces interim CEO Michael Marks on Dec. 3.

Reporting from Orinda, Calif., and East Palo Alto, Calif. -- Residents of a densely packed neighborhood in East Palo Alto, Calif., awoke to explosions and fire Wednesday when a small plane carrying employees of an electric car company crashed in dense fog, killing all three aboard and spewing debris over several homes. The twin-engine Cessna 310 hit 60-foot-high transmission lines, and its fuselage was found tangled in wires. The victims, who were not immediately identified, were employees of Tesla Motors Inc., a San Carlos, Calif.

Tesla Motors Inc. said this week that it was delaying production of its high-profile Roadster electric car until the first quarter of 2008 while it conducted further tests on the vehicle. The San Carlos, Calif.-based company had hoped to get the first production models of its $98,000 high-performance car into the hands of buyers before the end of this year. The delay is not due to problems with the car's electric powertrain or its battery pack, which consists of almost 7,000 lithium ion batteries, Tesla spokesman Darryl Siry said.

California electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. plans to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The move brings the innovative car company, which has long enticed car enthusiasts, one step closer to becoming a household name. The price of shares or the timing of their availability is still unclear, but industry observers expect the much-anticipated offering to be well-received by investors.

California electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. plans to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The move brings the innovative car company, which has long enticed car enthusiasts, one step closer to becoming a household name. The price of shares or the timing of their availability is still unclear, but industry observers expect the much-anticipated offering to be well-received by investors.

Reporting from Orinda, Calif., and East Palo Alto, Calif. -- Residents of a densely packed neighborhood in East Palo Alto, Calif., awoke to explosions and fire Wednesday when a small plane carrying employees of an electric car company crashed in dense fog, killing all three aboard and spewing debris over several homes. The twin-engine Cessna 310 hit 60-foot-high transmission lines, and its fuselage was found tangled in wires. The victims, who were not immediately identified, were employees of Tesla Motors Inc., a San Carlos, Calif.

The Downey City Council on Wednesday approved a preliminary deal that could help bring auto manufacturing back to Southern California for the first time in nearly two decades. The council agreed to a memorandum of understanding with Industrial Realty Group, the manager of an 80-acre parcel where Tesla Motors Inc. is considering building an electric-car plant. The facility is currently used for film and television production. According to the memorandum, the city will provide $8.7 million in economic development incentives to help Industrial Realty Group, or IRG, negotiate a lease agreement with the San Carlos, Calif.

In a move that could help promote development of batteries for electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the U.S., California's Tesla Motors Inc. plans to announce a $43-million, two-year deal this morning to supply electric-car batteries to Think, a Norwegian manufacturer of low-speed, electric "city" cars. The deal is expected to bring San Carlos, Calif.

You can feel the electricity. Tesla Motors Inc., manufacturer of an exotic electric roadster, will launch its brick-and-mortar retailing effort with a store on Santa Monica Boulevard near the 405 Freeway in November. And Environmental Motors, the newest dealer for Zap, importer of a three-wheeled, low-speed electric "city car" called the Xebra, just held a grand opening for its showroom at 134 S. Glendale Ave. in Glendale.

The next American car factory could be in the Southland. Amid the auto industry's worst decline in decades, Tesla Motors Inc. said Thursday that it would build its all-electric sedan in Southern California, a possible boon to the sagging local economy. Elon Musk, chairman and chief executive of the San Carlos, Calif., start-up, made the announcement as he unveiled the prototype of its new vehicle. The $57,400 Model S gets up to 160 miles on a single charge.

The Downey City Council on Wednesday approved a preliminary deal that could help bring auto manufacturing back to Southern California for the first time in nearly two decades. The council agreed to a memorandum of understanding with Industrial Realty Group, the manager of an 80-acre parcel where Tesla Motors Inc. is considering building an electric-car plant. The facility is currently used for film and television production. According to the memorandum, the city will provide $8.7 million in economic development incentives to help Industrial Realty Group, or IRG, negotiate a lease agreement with the San Carlos, Calif.

Downey is hoping that for electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc., the third time is a charm. Mayor Mario Guerra said Tuesday that the city was close to cementing a deal that would have Tesla build a factory on the site of the former space shuttle plant, potentially bringing auto manufacturing back to Southern California for the first time in nearly two decades. The plant would employ 1,200 to 1,500 workers, he said, and be on an 80-acre site currently used by Downey Studios for film and television production.

Will investors get charged up over a stock offering by California electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc.? The answer to that question may be coming soon. The company plans to file for an initial public stock offering in the near future, Reuters reported Friday, citing people familiar with the Bay Area firm's plans. A spokeswoman for Tesla declined to comment on the report. An IPO by Tesla would be the first among the crop of electric-car companies that has sprung up in recent years as Americans have sought relief from skyrocketing oil prices.

Electric-car maker Tesla Motors said Thursday that it was recalling all 345 of its Roadster sports cars produced before April 22 so they could be inspected for a possible suspension problem. Tesla blamed the problem on bolts that were improperly installed on the rear chassis "of a small percentage" of Roadsters by British automaker Lotus.

The next American car factory could be in the Southland. Amid the auto industry's worst decline in decades, Tesla Motors Inc. said Thursday that it would build its all-electric sedan in Southern California, a possible boon to the sagging local economy. Elon Musk, chairman and chief executive of the San Carlos, Calif., start-up, made the announcement as he unveiled the prototype of its new vehicle. The $57,400 Model S gets up to 160 miles on a single charge.

Tesla, the San Carlos, Calif.-based electric car company, said Tuesday that it had been selected to provide the batteries and chargers for Daimler's Smart EV electric car and would deliver 1,000 of the batteries this year and next. "Daimler just gave me permission this morning to announce the news," said Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, best known as the co-founder of PayPal.

Struggling to raise money amid the financial crisis, electric carmaker Telsa Motors Inc. will eliminate nearly a quarter of its workforce in a bid for profitability. Chairman and Chief Executive Elon Musk said Friday that Tesla would cut as many as 87 staff and full-time contract workers, or 24% of the 363-person total. The company also will attempt to raise $25 million, rather than the $100 million it had been seeking. Last week, the Santa Rosa-based start-up said it would delay production of its electric sedan, close two offices, increase production of its $109,000 Roadster and lay off an unspecified number of employees.

The credit crisis has hit the country's leading electric car maker. Citing "extraordinary times," Tesla Motors, maker of the battery-powered, $109,000 Roadster, said Wednesday that difficult market conditions were forcing it to delay production of its next-generation vehicle, close two offices, lay off an unspecified number of employees and replace its chief executive. For now, the San Carlos, Calif.