Tesla Batteries and Drivetrains For Sale

[vfx]

This has been a tumultuous part of the business. They started selling the battery to Think! then pulled back that portion of the business but then there was a deal maybe with Mercedes then there was a Daimler Smart Car deal and now are quitely selling them again. We recently found that Mercedes is making their own batteries so that may kill our best guess who their customer may be.

This is from Tesla's Facebook:

Tesla Roadster wrote at 10:40am on November 16th, 2008
... re: licensing - we are indeed developing powertrains for thirds parties and have already generated millions of dollars in revenue from that activity. You just don't hear about it as much because we are bound by confidentiality to those we are supplying.

Millions.
Sad to think that the battery biz (or at least the company diversification) was what made some heads roll during the first Tesla "re-org" -surely salt in the wounds of those ex-Teslites now.

So who is/are their battery customer(s) now?

 

[WarpedOne]

Batteries?
Didn't he say powertrains?

 

[malcolm]

Batteries?
Didn't he say powertrains?

The TEG (Tesla Energy Group) was looking at just the ESS, but then there was a shift sometime later to offering the complete system.

Hopefully Tesla can become the Lotus/Brabus/whatever of EV powertrain engineering.

Tesla Motors - think

 

[graham]

From doug's linked article:

With the current financial situation being what it is, Musk also wants to play nice with Detroit as evidenced by the following comment, "I've made some comments about Silicon Valley being a lot more competitive on the world stage than Detroit, which few would disagree with and I think is a fair criticism, but that has been misinterpreted as anti-Detroit. The right move here for Detroit is to harness Silicon Valley innovation and work with companies like Tesla. It is ironic that our first major automotive partner is not American."

Is he referring to Lotus again in this statement or the undisclosed drive train deal? if the drive train, it is more evidence it could be Daimler...

 

[Joseph]

"It is ironic that our first major automotive partner is not American"

British or German? Lotus or Daimler? He was *this* close from misspeaking.

 

[dpeilow]

Tesla Motors - think

Tesla, which is already selling powertrains for use in other automakers’ vehicles, has a deeply vested interest in a robust economy and proliferation of viable automakers. If any manufacturer in Detroit, Tokyo or Stuttgart ceases operations, Tesla could lose a potential partner.

Stuttgart - home of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

 

[malcolm]

Wish they'd hurry up and announce their involvement in a Blue Zero or a Smart development.

 

[graham]

Wish they'd hurry up and announce their involvement in a Blue Zero or a Smart development.

I am hoping between Detroit and Geneva there will be a bunch of announcements, including drive train ones.