The electric car that put Tesla on the map and gave the electric car movement a shot in the arm when it needed it, is getting the plug pulled on it barely after it was plugged-in, so to speak.

As Tesla Motors goes public for the first time, a disturbing bit of info has come out in its Initial Public Offering (IPO). The Tesla Roadster will cease to be produced in 2011 for the simple reason that Tesla won’t have anywhere to build the high-end electric sports car.

“We do not plan to sell our current generation Tesla Roadster after 2011 due to planned tooling changes at a supplier for the Tesla Roadster,” the company write in its IPO.

Since the Tesla Roadster is built by Lotus, they are probably talking about the factory in Hethel, England getting changes that will prevent production there.

The Tesla Roadster is slated to see production again, but it won’t be until 2013 at the earliest. And since we all know how these things go, that’s probably a very generous estimate.

The Tesla Model S will be launched in 2012, but that still leaves two years without any cars going out and it’s based on the assumption that everything goes as planned and production deadlines are met perfectly.

Let’s put it this way, if I were in the market for a $100,000 electric car with a 244 mile range and can go from 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds , I’d probably pick one up sooner than later.

Last year Tesla Motors announced that they would be moving their head offices from San Carlos, CA to San Jose. Then the economic meltdown happened and dried up all the funding required to make the move.

Now, with the aid of low-cost loans from the DOE, they are prepared with a new plan to move Palo Alto. The new Tesla Motors offices will occupy the three-building complex in the Stanford Research Park that was previously occupied by Hewlett-Packard.

The buildings will be renovate to accommodate the Tesla’s research and engineering staff, head offices, as well as the new powertrain manufacturing facility.

Tesla is likely hoping to tap into the same mix of talent and money that has helped make so many wildly successful companies come out of Silicon Valley. Will it lead to a Tesla Model S (pictured above) with a 500-mile range, near-instant charging, for a retail cost of $19,000? Well, maybe that’s asking for too much, but we can dream.

Tesla and the Department Of Energy recently announced that the California Electric Vehicle maker will get two loans totaling $465 million from the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program (ATVMP). $100 million will be used to set up an electric powertrain manufacturing plant to provide components such as motors and battery packs to other automakers.

The majority of the money, $365 million, is allocated for production engineering and a factory to build the Model S. Both factories are expected to be built in existing facilities and Tesla is in negotiations for locations in California. Tesla hopes to start production of the sedan by the end of 2011.

Less than 9 weeks ago, Tesla unveiled its ultra-slick luxury electric sedan, the Model S. Since then they have accepted more than 1,000 orders for the Models S which is a great indicator that there is indeed a market for electric cars.

The basic version of the Model S is expected to cost $57,400 but would make purchasers eligible for a $7,500 tax rebate giving it an actual valuation of $49,900. Tesla Motors has also claimed that after calculating savings for gas that it would have an equivalent cost of $35,000 assuming gas prices of $4/gallon.

The basic version of the Model S comes with a 160-mile range battery pack. It’s interesting design allows it to seat seven people with luggage (assuming two are children). It has a 17-inch display screen that is fully Internet and 3G capable. It can be recharged in 4 hours and accelerates from 0 - 60mph in 5.5 to 6.0 seconds.

The Tesla Model S will begin production in the Fall of 2011.

Elon Musk, Tesla Motor’s CEO, appeared on Letterman last night and got a chance to plug Tesla’s Roadster and Model S. Both vehicles are electric cars, apparently a powertrain that Letterman has particular fondness for.

At the end of Musk’s appearance on the Letterman he got to wheel out a Tesla Model S and state that the expected cost of owning one of these ultra sleek electric sedans will be $49,900. After stating the Model S price, Musk tries to add something “important” but is cut off by Letterman who insists on ending with a horrible gag where he pretends to be electrocuted by the electric car. Musk was most likely about to add the fact that after a $7,500 government tax break for being an eco-friendly vehicle it would come in at $42,400. Looking at that amazing electric car it sounds pretty reasonable, especially when compared to the Tesla Roadster $109,000 price tag.

But hold on a second. Business Insider took a look at Tesla’s numbers and they are predicting that the Model S won’t be able to make a profit at the price. While Autoblog Green points out that the Business Insider calculation had at least one error (replacement battery cost is $30,000, not $36,000), it still raises some concerns since that’s enough money to buy a pretty sweet sedan by itself.

When we hearken back to all the hubbub when it was announced that the Tesla Roadster would cost more than expected (since Tesla would be charging extra for Roadster components that were originally supposed to be included in the base model price), it’s worrisome to think they might have a similar situation on their hands again.

The Tesla Model S is still about 2 ½ years away from hitting the streets so we’ll see how things change. In the meantime it’ll be interesting to see if Elon Musk starts to raise the predicted price of the Model S on us. Here’s to hoping it stays under $50,000.

UPDATE: Tesla has responded to Business Insider’s Model S price examination and pointed out some problems with the fact that BI Business Insight used “a source who’d prefer to be nameless.”

Tesla responded by saying that: “Wild guesstimates from ostensible experts unwilling to identify themselves have little credibility. Perhaps the biggest flaw in their alleged reasoning is that Tesla has the same cost structure as an enormous automaker; in fact it’s probably the leanest and most efficient in the industry.“

It has been two weeks since Tesla announced it would be accepting orders for its new electric sedan, the Model S. They received a whopping 500 orders in the first week and now are adding another 200 to the total in this last week.

Of the now 711 total Model S reservations made, it has not been announced how many are the basic Model S and how many are coming out of the Signature Series Model S pool of which Tesla will only build 2,000.

If you’re thinking of reserving a Model S you’ll be required to make a $5,000 deposit for the standard model and a $40,000 deposit for the Signature Series, although both deposits are fully refundable.

You should be able to finally get your hands on a Tesla Model S in late 2011.

Even in this crazy economy, there is a ton of demand for the 2011 Telsa Model S is thriving, taking in a whopping 520 reservations in one week.

“Frankly the number of cars reserved in the first week has exceeded our optimistic internal projections,” said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “Enthusiasm surrounding the Model S is proof that there’s pent-up demand for more affordable, fuel-efficient vehicles – including those made in America.”

If you’ve got the extra cash, Tesla is also taking reservations for the Model S Signature Edition with a $40,000 reservation fee. Only 2,000 Signature Edition cars will be produced, which will be evenly split between U.S. and European customers.

The much-anticipated Tesla Model S was officially unveiled yesterday in Hawthorne, California. The electric sedan was produced in relative secrecy (except for a few leaked Model S pictures the day before the big reveal), as it was designed and built in a high-security rocket facility.

The Tesla Model S anticipated price is set at $57,000 but as Tesla CEO Elon Musk is quick to point out it’s actually shaved to $50,000 after a $7,500 tax break. Musk has also emphasized the value of gas savings from driving an electric car and has suggested that if gas is sold at $4/gallon then the car is essentially only costing closer to $35,000.

This base price would buy a Model S with a 160-mile range pack. Longer range packs will also be available in the future and will include a 230-mile range and a 300-mile range.

Here are a few other Model S details:
It can fit seven people with luggage. That means five adults and two children in rear-facing seats under the hatch inside. Luggage gets stored in the front-end trunk. The 17-inch main display is fully Internet and 3G capable. The basic Model S can be recharged in 4 hours. It will accelerate to 60mph in 5.5 to 6.0 seconds. The Model S runs on a single-speed transmission.

Also, Tesla is working with a government-affiliated partner to set up electric vehicle battery changing stations at various locations. The stations would let batteries get swapped in 5-8 minutes.

Head over to Eco Geek for more high-res Model S pics.

Tesla’s big reveal of their Model S electric sedan lost a bit of its thunder today after Kevin Rose, founder of Digg.com, uploaded some pictures of the Model S to his Flickr page.

As our friends at Autoblog Green points out, the Model S bears a strong resemblance to contemporary Jaguars and Aston Martins. But the Model S is still a striking sedan and the world can always use a new attractive electric car.

According to Tesla Motors the expected base price of the Model S will be $57,400, but don’t forget the federal tax credit of $7,500 that would got towards buying an electric vehicle like this.

Head over to Autoblog Green for more Model S pictures.

Tesla Motors, manufacturer of the soon to be released Tesla Roadster, have just announced a showing of their more affordable electric vehicle, the Model S sedan.

A street-ready prototype of the all-electric Model S will have its show on March 26.

The Model S will see a price point similar to the Chevy Volt at around $60,000. A far cry from their much-hyped electric sports car the Roadster. The Model S is a four-door, all-electric luxury sedan, which should see production in two years.

While money troubles have dogged Tesla Motors, they are reporting that this won’t be an issue for the Model S production. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has stated that Tesla expects to receive $350 million in Department of Energy loans that will go to building a Model S factory within four to five months.

Regarding the Tesla Roadster, Musk says that it is sold out for 2009.