LIVE INFO: Tesla teases Model S hybrid sedan ahead of March reveal

Posted Today, 7:17 AM by Ralph Hanson

The full reveal of the car is still scheduled for March 26 at the SpaceX rocket factory

Tesla's first all-original car is due to be unveiled to the public late next month but the company has already released a teaser shot of the car with a drop cloth over three quarters of its profile.

All that's visible of the car are the wheels, which bear a turbo-fan-like quality, slotted and drilled braked disc rotors, a Tesla logo at the front quarter-panel, the general line of the front end, and a inward-drawing character curve at the lower portion of the doors. Judging by the proportions of those doors, rear seat room isn't going to be exceptional.

The front end's headlight area appears to be highly streamlined and smooth, while the general curvature of the form underneath the tarp indicates a gently arching roof meeting with a fairly high decklid in the rear, which could mean abundant trunk space. The first Model S will be shown off at Tesla's design studio inside CEO Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket factory. The car shown will be a 'street-drivable prototype' of the Model S. Current Tesla Roadster owners will get a $10,000 discount on the purchase of the car when it makes its retail debut in about 18 months.

The company says it's doing well, and that all should be on schedule for Model S production now that government funding is on the way. The $40 million round of financing secured last year is twice what Tesla needed to achieve profitability, says the company, though it's still well short of the money it needs to build a new manufacturing facility for the Model S. So short in fact that Tesla has applied for a $350 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the construction of the plant. The details of that story can be found here.

Tesla has announced that the DOE will has approved the loan and distribution of the loan funds will begin within 4-5 months. The company credits the quick approval to the Obama administration's prioritizing the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program. Production of the Model S will then be on track for the planned 2011 debut.

Also, Tesla has disclosed the details on its Roadster battery replacement program. For an up-front payment of $12,000 (€10,000 or £9,000), buyers can get an automatic replacement battery pack after 7 years. That's the lifespan for a typical battery pack, which was designed for 7 years service or 100,000mi use.

The pack can also be replaced early at a slightly higher cost, or later with a partial refund. At present the real replacement cost of the battery pack is about three times that figure - $36,000 - according to Tesla.