Tell Tesla Motors...

[tdelta1000]

What's code name for the mass market car??? If there is not a name yet, I offer Red Dwarf.

 

[vfx]

The Roadster code name was Dark Star (after the film)
We called the Model S the White Star (not as popular as it was the shipping company of Titanic fame)
We called the budget car the Blue Star (another science fiction film reference).
Here are some TMC Blue Star threads
Best one: BlueStar styling ideas
telsa blue star
Bluestar in light of Daimler partnership
The Sci-Fi connection

 

[PopSmith]

The Roadster code name was Dark Star (after the film)

Thanks for that, I was always wondering were they got the code names for their vehicles.

 

[TEG]

...We called the Model S the White Star (not as popular as it was the shipping company of Titanic fame)
...

Also one of the primary ships in the TV series Babylon 5...
Minbari Whitestar: Babylon 5 Tech-Manual.

 

[clea]

We called the budget car the Blue Star (another science fiction film reference).

Good to know ... i always thought that the White/Blue Star names were from Tesla. That explains the look i got from the woman at the prototype when I talked about the bluestar ;~)

 

[doug]

We called the Model S the White Star (not as popular as it was the shipping company of Titanic fame)
We called the budget car the Blue Star (another science fiction film reference).

White Star and Blue Star are Babylon 5 references (names of ship classes).

 

[TEG]

Good to know ... i always thought that the White/Blue Star names were from Tesla. That explains the look i got from the woman at the prototype when I talked about the bluestar ;~)

Actually I think they did originate within Tesla. I suspect they aren't using those original "codenames" so much anymore with newer staff.

 

[doug]

Actually I think they did originate within Tesla. I suspect they aren't using those original "codenames" so much anymore with newer staff.

White Star came from Tesla, again as a Babylon 5 reference but also as a contrast to Dark Star. The car went through some iterations; at one point a plug-in hybrid, at one point designed by Henrik Fisker. The internal codename changed with those iterations (perhaps influenced by management changes). The last code name was Model S which they eventually decided to make the official name. (There was a video where someone mentioned the codename between White Star and Model S, but I've forgotten what it was. Though, it was something simple like White Star 2).

The Blue Star moniker came from the fans and Tesla adopt it, if only temporarily.

 

[doug]

The Roadster code name was Dark Star (after the film)

 

[TEG]

Hmm... Well, first I recall hearing of "Bluestar" was from Tesla mentions.

Tesla BlueStar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tesla's 'Bluestar' to be all-electric family car | Green Tech - CNET News

September 24, 2008...
...Code-named Bluestar, the car has been part of Tesla's plans for a few years...
..."With Bluestar, we're looking at cost and lowering the overall expense to the user.
If it's not cost-competitive (with oil), you are going to have a hard time scaling to a high level," Straubel said...

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_31/b4044419.htm

JULY 30, 2007
...[FONT=arial,helvetica,univers]In five years, Eberhard wants to be producing a $30,000 electric car known as Blue Star...[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,univers]
BusinessWeek profiles Tesla Motors Autoblog Green
[/FONT]

Jul 21st 2007
...BusinessWeek has just published a profile of one of our favorite car companies Tesla Motors. The article doesn't really have much in the way of new information aside from the code name to the WhiteStar follow up. If all goes according to plan we should see the BlueStar in about five years with a targeted price of around $30,000...

[FONT=arial,helvetica,univers]

Tesla CTO talks Bluestar, the affordable electric auto | Only- Electronics

[/FONT]

 

[TEG]

...Blue Star are Babylon 5 references (names of ship classes).

Yep:
Bluestar spy photo

---

http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/02/06/tesla-ipo-idUSN0631589220080206?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

...the company would like its third vehicle to be "as affordable as possible." Known inside the company as Blue Star...

 

[TEG]

Some "early" discussions of the codenames:

Vintage Oil and Other Hare-Brained Ideas | Blog | Tesla Motors

...
TEG
5:55pm | Jan 25, 2007

## Jim Gawron wrote on January 25th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
## Wondering why the code name “White Star”???
As a follow-on to "Dark Star" of course (but why not "Light Star"?).
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.08/tesla_pr.html
"So Eberhard contracted the company to assemble his new vehicle, codenamed Dark Star (after a classic low-budget sci-fi movie)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Star_(film)
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0069945/
Now lets hope that the PEM computers can reason with the Li-Ion cells so they don't decide to detonate themselves and destroy the Dark Star!
Dark Star has been used for a lot of things (including many song titles):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Star
If "Dark Star" is from the space ship from the movie with the same name, then perhaps "White Star" is an ode to Babylon 5:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Star
Unfortuntely the B5 White Star also met with an explosive end:
"The original White Star was vaporized as Sheridan crashed it into the largest city on Z'ha'dum whilst detonating two 500-megaton nuclear warheads."
Other categories which include "Dark Star" and "White Star":
* Breweries in the UK
* Ground cover creeper plants
* Temples in the book "Child of the Dark Star"
Assuming that Dark Star is from the Dark Star movie, and White Star is from Babylon 5, here are some more possible prototype names of slightly obscure space ships from movies and TV:
* Firefly's "Serenity'"
* DS9's "Defiant"
* Space 1999 "Eagle" & "Hawk"
* Blake's Seven "Liberator"
* SG Atlantis "Prometheus"
* Battlestar Galactica's "Pegasus"
* Buck Roger's "Starfighter"
* Farscape's "Taleen" & "Moya"
* Lexx's "The Lexx"
* Red Dwarf's "Starbug"
* Silent Running's "Valley Forge"
* Event Horizon's "Lewis and Clark"
* Hitchhiker's "Heart of Gold"
* Aliens "Sulaco" & "Nostromo"
* Doctor Who's "Tardis"
Too mainstream:
* Enterprise
* Millenium Falcon
* Imperial Cruiser
* Tie Fighter
* X-Wing
* Viper
Good thing the "Death Star" is not really a space ship.


Mark
6:26pm | Jan 25, 2007
> Wondering why the code name “White Star”???…
> googling that phrase gets you lots of stuff about the Titanic sinking, not the image I think you’re shooting for !!
My guess is that it was a reference to the space ships that Earth got based on Minbari and Vorlon technology to help defeat the shadows in the TV series Babylon 5.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Star
Maybe they are inferring that the WhiteStar is so advanced that we might think it took alien technology to achieve it
---
Martin says: *grin* and the code name for the Tesla Roadster was DarkStar.

Tesla car code names

The Code name for the rOadster was "Darkstar" after a Low budge Sci Fi movie. White star is just what they started calling the next car.

I suggested Blue Star for the third car.

Anyone? :smile:

 

[Todd Burch]

Haha I always thought bluestar and whitestar were based off of the collar colors of the typical person who might be able to afford the car!

(blue-collar versus white-collar workers)!

 

[vfx]

I was 8 months late!


(darn!)

 

[dhrivnak]

Tesla Charging Map

One thing I would like to find is a charging map to help plan out trips. I would think it would be a bonus for Tesla to support such a map. Where are the locations, public (or pay) to charger a Tesla and/or use a 1772 adapter. One of my biggest challenges in trying to go more than 100 miles from home is trying to find charging options.

The ability to post charging stations as they come on line with the maximum amps would be of great help. I have found a few options in Tennessee, so far all have been 30 amp J1772, not ideal but workable but I have not been able to find any of those sites on a map. They have all been by word of mouth.

The 120V cord is so slow it is almost not usable for a trip.

 

[dsm363]

One thing I would like to find is a charging map to help plan out trips. I would think it would be a bonus for Tesla to support such a map. Where are the locations, public (or pay) to charger a Tesla and/or use a 1772 adapter. One of my biggest challenges in trying to go more than 100 miles from home is trying to find charging options.

The ability to post charging stations as they come on line with the maximum amps would be of great help. I have found a few options in Tennessee, so far all have been 30 amp J1772, not ideal but workable but I have not been able to find any of those sites on a map. They have all been by word of mouth.

The 120V cord is so slow it is almost not usable for a trip.

Have you tried any of the charging apps (if you have an iPhone) like EVCharger, ChargePoint or Recargo? Some of them also have websites so you don't necessarily need an iPhone.

 

[rsquared99]

I think the best bet if you're not in the UK or on the US west coast is to look at the RV camp sites, like KOA. Each site is independent and you have to talk to them individually, but most do have 50 amp service and the spacing along the Interstates is pretty dense. It's a 5 hour fill up, but that beats most of the pay or free charging sites being installed in the inter-cities. There isn't a lot to do at most of the camp sites themselves unless you're into long walks and reading or internet surfing, but it's what is out there now.

 

[smorgasbord]

I would think it would be a bonus for Tesla to support such a map. Where are the locations, public (or pay) to charger a Tesla and/or use a 1772 adapter.

It's ridiculous that the Tesla-supplied Navigation system has built-in POIs for Gas Stations but not for Charge Locations! If you're willing to customize the startup screen, you should be willing to customize the POIs. Tesla sales/service locations aren't even included!

 

[markwj]

It's ridiculous that the Tesla-supplied Navigation system has built-in POIs for Gas Stations but not for Charge Locations! If you're willing to customize the startup screen, you should be willing to customize the POIs. Tesla sales/service locations aren't even included!

Not too hard to add. I downloaded the kml format of all the charge points in Hong Kong, converted to apoi format in poieditor, then loaded into the nav unit. Works fine, but not on-line.

 

[smorgasbord]

Not too hard to add.

User customization - how cool! Can you point me at instructions for doing this?