Tesla Roadster gets airbag waiver

Click the Tesla Roadster image to see it full sized.

From R&D Magazine:

Tesla gets airbag waiver

WASHINGTON (AP)—Tesla Motors received a waiver from the government on a federal air bag standard Monday, bringing it a step closer toward the production of its all-electric Roadster later this year.

Tesla, based in San Carlos, Calif., has pre-sold all of its 2008 Tesla Roadsters, a fully electric sports car that sells for $98,000. The company expects to begin deliveries in the first quarter of this year but needed the waiver to be able to sell in the U.S.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it will give the company a three-year exemption from the advanced air bag rule, noting that Tesla tried to comply with the requirements and would still have standard air bags on the vehicle.

Based on information provided by the automaker, NHTSA estimates the waiver will cover 3,825 Roadsters, including 625 vehicles this year and 1,600 in each of the following two years.

NHTSA called the Roadster "one of the most advanced full electric vehicles available" and said the "public interest is served by encouraging the development of fuel-efficient and alternative-fueled vehicles."

Tesla has based its Roadster on the two-seat Lotus Elise sports car, which also could not comply with the advanced air bag rule and received an exemption from NHTSA in August 2006. The vehicle will be manufactured at a Lotus factory in Hethel, England, under Tesla's supervision.

Click the Lotus Elise image to see it full sized.

Late last week, Tesla reported it had passed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and confirmed they had moved from a two-speed transmission to a one-speed transmission because of concerns about performance. The first batch of Roadsters will be supplied with “temporary” transmissions.

These are durable, the company says, but acceleration is much better with the new transmission:

.
Tesla Motors
1050 Bing Street
San Carlos, California 94070
(650) 413-4000