Tesla Motors said Tuesday that it will start delivering its Model S electric sedan to customers on June 22, ahead of the July delivery date the company previously forecast.
The electric car maker expects to deliver 5,000 Model S sedans to customers by the end of the year, the company said. Orders for the vehicle currently exceed 10,000, Tesla added.
"In 2006 our plan was to build an electric sports car followed by an affordable electric sedan, and reduce our dependence on oil," Elon Musk, Tesla's co-founder, chief executive, and chief product architect, said in a statement. "Delivering Model S is a key part of that plan and represents Tesla's transition to a mass-production automaker and the most compelling car company of the 21st century."
The Model S news was actually not Musk's biggest accomplishment of the day. Also on Tuesday, the PayPal co-founder's commercial space flight venture SpaceX successfully launched its Dragon capsule into orbit, sending it on its way to a first-ever rendezvous between a privately built spacecraft and the International Space Station.
The Model S (see slideshow below) continues Tesla's evolution from a company known for its flashy electric roadster to a carmaker that is committed to making vehicles for a wider customer base.
The sedan, which seats five adults and two children in optional rear facing seats, goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, according to the company. Tesla designers have taken advantage of the lack of an internal combustion engine and transmission tunnel in the Model S, giving the vehicle extra cargo in a second trunk under the hood.
The sedan boasts a very low center of gravity courtesy of the location of its electric powertrain under the floorboard of the vehicle. Paired with "an aluminum body engineered for superior handling," that means the Model S is a serious road-hugger "while meeting the highest standards for safety," according to Tesla.
Amenities include a 17-inch, in-dash touch-screen console that provides navigation assistance, as well streaming radio and Internet access. Tesla also claims the Model S sports the "most energy-dense battery pack in the industry and best-in-class aerodynamics" to give it the "longest range of any electric car in the world."
There are three different battery pack options for the Model S. The sedan can be ordered at one of Tesla's retail stores or through its online portal.
Tesla also announced Tuesday that it will be opening its first "new design" retail store on the East Coast. The new retail outlet at The Westchester in White Plains, N.Y. is opening the weekend, the company said in a blog post.