The Tesla Model X was unveiled last night at the company’s Southern California Design Studio. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, said that the new electric car would enter production late next year.

If you’re eager to get your hands on the Tesla Model X you can reserve one starting tomorrow. Tesla’s new car will be available for $500,000 to $75,000 before tax incentive and rebates.

Musk said:

“This is kind of the killer app for families. It has more utility than a minivan, and better performance, much better performance, than an S.U.V.”

The CS Monitor reports that the Tesla Model X will have a range of about 250 models, depending on what battery pack (either a 60 or 85 Kilowatt battery pack) you choose. The Model X will also feature dual electric motors. One engine will power the front wheels and one will power the rear wheels, giving the new car all wheel drive and greater responsiveness.

On the luxury aesthetic side, the new car features “Falcon Wing” doors. Musk said that the doors, unlike other luxury car doors, have special hinges that make it possible for them to open in small spaces.

Musk said:

“You can get in and out in the tightest garage or parking spot without hitting the wall or car next to you, or your head.”

Here’s a video from the event last night. (The Tesla Model X is revealed around the 3 minute mark.)

Are you interested in electric cars? Would you drive the Tesla Model X?

Tesla Model X Revealed: Electric Car Gets Falcon Wing Doors [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tesla debuted their new vehicle this week and the Palo Alto-based automaker revealed that the $87,400 vehicle is able to travel 300 miles on a single charge while reaching zero to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds with a topped out speed of 130 mph.

The company is also offers a Tesla Model S that comes in at $57,400 with a range of 160 miles while larger battery pack options can reach 230 and 320 miles respectively.

In original testing company CEO said Elon Musk claimed the vehicle would have a maximum range of 300 miles, but an ultra aerodynamic wheel design has allowed it to beat those numbers in EPA testing.

The new vehicle was developed thanks to $465 million in funding from the Department of Energy and will be built at a factory in Fremont, California.

The vehicle is a hatchback and features two rear-facing seats that can accommodate passengers up to 4ft 11 inches. Customers who purchase the highest end vehicle with a 4G enabled infotainment system will also receive a 17-inch display.

Throw in a fast charger system with one-hour charging periods and you have a vehicle that’s fairly practical and green.

If I had nearly $60,000 sitting around I would be on board. What do you think about the new Tesla Model S design and ultra-green features?

Tesla Model S Debuts With 320 Mile Charge Radius, One Hour Recharge Time is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Tesla Roadster S Model won’t go into production for a while, but that didn’t stop computer company NVIDIA from showing off the tech they’ve built into the car.

Specifically NVIDIA had the Tesla Roadster on display to show off their massive Touchscreen which takes up a third of the cars available dashboard space. Think of the touchscreen interface as the central nervous system for the car and it becomes quickly clear why it’s so important.

If you could care less about technology, you can at least appreciate the very sleek design the car offers, it shouts Tesla from every angle and right through the sleek paint job.

Here’s a picture of the NVIDIA touchscreen:

In the meantime, check out more of our LIVE CES 2011 COVERAGE.

Tesla Roadster Model S Shown Off At CES by NVIDIA is a post from: The Inquisitr

There’s no actual proof it was played, per se, but this is what happens when internet people get off the internet and do stuff. (Is anyone else weeping that “linux” was almost a triple word score?)

[Smashing Apps via Digg]

Geekiest Scrabble game ever is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Cessna 310 crash this morning in a residential area of Palo Alto, California claimed the lives of three employees of Tesla Motors.

The plane was reportedly piloted by a “high ranking executive” at the company, and is said to have flown into power lines 377 feet high, exploding and breaking apart on impact. No injuries nor fatalities were reported on the ground. The plane crashed near a home-based daycare center in which as many as twenty children are sometimes present.

Heather Starnes , who lives in the neighborhood, was leaving her home to take her daughter to school when she saw the crash.

“We heard something and it blew up in the air,” she told KTVU. “There was this big explosion. Part of it hit my neighbor’s house who has a daycare and part of it hit my neighbor’s other house. They are burning.”

Starnes said fortunately there were no children at the daycare at the time of the crash.

“Praise God there were no kids in the daycare, it hit where they would have been in the daycare,” she said.

Starnes said the plane slammed into a power line.

The area was blanketed in a dense fog this morning, with an advisory issued until 10 a.m. local time. A spokesperson for the FAA says the decision to fly in the conditions would have been a matter of the pilot’s discretion. CEO Elon Musk called today is the “worst day in Tesla’s history.” Identities of the victims have not yet been released.

Three Tesla employees killed in Palo Alto plane crash is a post from: The Inquisitr

What happens when a VW Tuareg, Tesla and Toyota Prius meet in the one spot? Well according to a story out of Denmark in October, the above happens.

A translation at What’s Up With That says that the VW Tuareg stopped on a small road due to construction work, with the Tesla behind it. The Prius driver either wasn’t watching, or resented that the Tesla looked better and runs on electricity only, so pushed the Tesla under the Tuareg.

On a side note, I wonder if this picture will make Jason Calacanis cry?

VW Tuareg 1 vs Tesla 0 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Silicon Valley’s favorite car company, the maker of seriously overpriced electric cars Tesla has issued a safety recall for all its vehicles.

The recall effects all Tesla vehicles manufactured before April 22, 2009 (all 345 of them), and relate to a manufacturing default of a part that causes the Tesla’s to experience “uncharacteristic handling,” what ever that means.

Tesla owner Jason Calacanis noted proudly that Tesla is offering to come to the homes of Tesla owners to fix the problem, and so they should given how much owners pay for them, something upwards of $101,000. Calacanis claims that other cars also experience recalls, and that’s true, however it would appear that the likelihood of a recall may be relative to the price, that is, the more your spend, the more likely you’re going to get a recall.

Jason has the full notice of the Tesla recall available here.

Here’s a serious non-surprise: Tesla’s have been recalled is a post from: The Inquisitr

There’s much discussion in the tech blogosphere about the request from Silicon Valley’s favorite electric car make Tesla for a $400 million bailout…sorry “loan” from the US Government.

There’s points on either side, so as best I can I’ll explore both cases, and conclude in the positive.

Against

Tesla makes niche expensive sports cars, and even then has struggled at doing that. The company may have high ideals, but they are not well equipped for mass market products.

They also make vehicles for the rich. As much as I respect and admire Jason Calacanis, his suggestion that a new $60,000 Tesla “family car” is affordable in his latest email (reprinted here) shows a complete lack of understanding of affordability. $60,000 for a car is a lot of money and the average family would struggle to buy a $60,000 car good times, let alone bad times.

It’s also a bad investment with no guarantee of a return. Tesla has always struggled, and how a $60,000 family car in a deep recession will improve their outlook is beyond me. Sure, they make shiny, pretty electric cars, but why should the taxpayer support that?

For

Everyone else is getting a bailout, why not Tesla.

Conclusion

We live in strange times, a period in history of unprecedented Government intervention in the market, where Government has ceased to be for the greater good, and is instead now picking favorites with taxpayer money, propping up failed businesses who mostly have no one else to blame for their positions other than themselves. The bailout is obscene by any stretch of the imagination, and now that the door is open there would appear to be no end of companies that want their share.

Given companies far more incompetent than Tesla, such as Ford and GM are getting some money, there’s something perversely fair and equatable about Tesla getting a share of the money as well. That is, sadly, the case for, but given context, it is the stronger of the two arguments.

Also see Allen Stern for another take, with the suggestion that the money would be better spent investing in public transport.

Why Tesla should get a $400 million bailout is a post from: The Inquisitr