Tesla reaches profitability

Earlier this month, Tesla Motors announced a major corporate milestone and achieved company-wide profitability. The newest member of the global auto industry earned approximately $1 million on revenue of $20 million in July thanks to record sales of Roadster 2, the second iteration of Tesla's award-winning, all-electric sports car.

We shipped a record 109 vehicles in July and enjoyed a surge in new Roadster purchases. The strong financial results show that there is brisk demand for a unique car that offers performance with a clean conscience. We've delivered about 700 cars to customers so far, and new customers buy Roadsters every week. Our customers are proud to buy the Roadster: Not only will it beat virtually every other car off the line, but buying the Roadster helps fund development of more affordable, mainstream EVs for the mass market.

The highly acclaimed Roadster -- faster than a Porsche and twice as energy efficient as a Prius – remains the only highway-capable electric vehicle for sale in North America or Europe. The 2010 model-year Roadster, which Tesla is building and shipping to customers now, features an array of enhancements over our first-generation car. Those include a more powerful heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, more comfortable seats and a more luxurious dashboard and cabin.

Drag race your Roadster!

We are currently delivering the Roadster Sport, an even higher performance car that does 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, compared to 3.9 seconds for the standard Roadster. This car is seriously fun -- faster than most other street-legal cars, even Ferraris and Lamborghinis with far higher sticker prices. The Roadster Sport includes a more powerful motor, custom-tuned suspension and forged wheels.

Less than 24 hours after receiving his new car in July, Seattle-area customer James Morrison drove his Sport 180 miles to Portland, Oregon, site of the famed Wayland Invitational Drag Race. High-performance driver Scotty Pollacheck grabbed the wheel of James' car and sprinted the quarter-mile in 12.643 seconds -- a record for the National Electric Drag Racing Association.

Here's a curious bit of data for budget-conscious drag racers or anyone interested in EV efficiency: Each quarter-mile run in a Roadster Sport costs eight to 16 cents if you're burning up the track and trying to set new records. By contrast, a quarter-mile sprint at similar speeds in a conventional gas guzzler would cost $5 to $26 per sprint, based on current gasoline prices.

See for yourself: Events and store openings

We will soon open our regional sales and service site in Munich, Germany – the first Tesla store in continental Europe. Following a VIP event Sept. 10 hosted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the store will open to the public. If you live nearby or are visiting Munich for Wiesn (Oktoberfest), which begins the following week, please stop by our showroom at Blumenstr. 17 80331, Munich, Germany.

The next week, Tesla will electrify one of the auto industry's most important events: the 63rd International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany. This will be the worldwide auto show debut of the 2010 Roadster Sport, and it will be the European debut of the Model S. Our executives will kick off the media preview on Sept. 15 and wrap up the show with a special keynote on Sept. 18. The public portion of the biennial Frankfurt show is Sept. 17-27. The Tesla booth is in Halle 5, B28. Please visit to get a look at the Model S and talk to our sales representatives, or schedule a Roadster Sport drive.

Tesla's new headquarters in California's Silicon Valley

Tesla will move its corporate headquarters and manufacture electric vehicle components in a renovated building in the Stanford Research Park in Palo Alto, Calif. Tesla is leasing a sprawling complex with space for up to 650 people – the future home for all the top talent we are aggressively recruiting worldwide. Tesla has more than 150 job openings and is eager to hire the best and brightest engineers worldwide.

The buildings are the epicenter of a historic area near Stanford's main campus and the Silicon Valley garage in Palo Alto where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard built their original audio oscillator. Tesla will renovate the facility to the highest environmental standards, incorporating sustainable building practices certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. Construction is expected to begin this fall.

Oh, Canada! 

Later this year we will begin delivering cars in Canada, a region uniquely positioned to become a premier showcase for Tesla. Canada and Norway are the only two countries worldwide where the majority of electricity comes from renewable resources, including run-of-river small hydro, wind, biomass, geothermal and solar energy. An EV recharged from the current Canadian grid, on average, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 85 percent compared to an equivalent gasoline-powered vehicle. In hydro-dominant British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba, the reduction would be an impressive 98 percent.

Teslas are champs in the ice and snow. We perform cold-weather testing in Sweden, and we've already delivered our first European cars to Scandinavia. Our electric seat warmers and heating vents thaw drivers on frigid nights. We have two hard top options –including a gorgeous clear-coat carbon fiber roof, very popular in Northern climates.

Stay tuned for details on our highly anticipated regional sales and service center in Toronto – and watch for a Roadster at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival Sept. 9-10. We will also be opening stores in upcoming months in Chicago, Miami, Washington DC and Monaco. And be sure to catch glimpses of the Roadster during New York's Fashion Week in late September.

Thanks!

Tesla Motors