Meanwhile, orders of the Tesla Model S – the company’s second model, a four-door sedan – rose 30-percent after the Model X was revealed. Production of the Model S is expected to begin this year.

Reservations for both cars require at least a $5,000 deposit, though that is fully refundable if buyers subsequently decide they want to back out of the purchase. $5,000 gets you a Model X in early 2014, but those particularly eager can put down $20,000 for a Model X Signature Edition, deliveries of which are tipped for late 2013.

Although it’s likely that not all the reservations will pan out into actual sales, the healthy interest is in stark contrast to ailing electric rival Fisker. Despite having an undeniably attractive car, Fisker has struggled to meet its timescale obligations with the US Government, and has seen its Department of Energy funding frozen as a result.

The Tesla Motors group headed by Musk sold its first shares publicly in 2010, and another company whom Musk is the chairman of, SolarCity Corp, will be preparing their IPO this year as well – so say people familiar with the matter speaking with Bloomberg. SolarCity Corp is a group which develops rooftop solar-power systems for a much more efficient and inexpensive future. The SpaceX group, on the other hand, has contracts to launch several satellites and will be shipping cargo to the International Space Station starting in April.

SpaceX was initially started by Musk with money from the IPO of PayPal Inc., another company he co-founded, as well as his stake in the group when it was ultimately sold outright to eBay. SpaceX is currently doing very well on its own and will certainly benefit heavily from an IPO if they do indeed move toward such a situation. As Musk noted this week at the Model X reveal:

“SpaceX, in terms of launches awarded, is the world leader in space launch. We’re beating the Russians, the Chinese, the Europeans, everyone.” – Musk

Can’t wait for this real-life Tony Stark to start making iron suits!

Rather than the usual knobs and buttons, Tesla offloads all the HVAC controls, entertainment systems, safety and other gadgetry in the Model X into its vast touchscreen. Multiple USB ports will allow for external devices to be hooked up, and there’ll be third-party app support as well as the promise of Tesla’s own periodic updates to keep your all-electric SUV up to date.

Of course, there’s more to like about the Model X, such as the innovative gullwing doors that have multiple joints so as to open up access to the second and third row of seats even if you’re boxed in at the parking lot. There’ll be two power versions, 60 kWh or 80 kWh, as well as a choice of RWD, AWD and “performance” AWD.

The Tesla Model X is up for pre-order now, and is expected to cost around $50,000 with US government subsidies. Deliveries will begin in late 2013 to early 2014.

Tesla Model S 17-inch touchscreen dashboard demo:

This vehicle is a prototype of the third vehicle Tesla has unveiled, this just weeks after its stock prices fell sharply at the announcement of the departure of two high-ranking engineers. As it stands, this vehicle looks to be the model with the most hype in the company’s short history, complete with signature “Falcon Wing” doors at the back that will garner it no small amount of attention due to their unique ability to open with little space. Compared to previous models with the more commonly termed “Gull Wing” doors, these doors leave much more room as they open. Compare the doors to the famous DeLorean of Back to the Future fame (which had massive Gull Wing doors) and you’ll find you wont need to park with more than a couple feet on either side to get in while the original time machine’s space requirements were simply unrealistically giant.

The Model X has two trunks to hold as much cargo as you can manage – one in the back, one in the front. Because there’s no need for a giant engine, you can feel free to pack up all your travel necessities, or the groceries, right up in front of you. This luggage space makes the vehicle’s claim to carry seven passengers comfortably seem actually realistic. Chief executive of Tesla Motora Elon Musk spoke with the New York Times of the vehicles first iconic features:

“Because it is an electric car, and we don’t have to package a traditional internal combustion engine powertrain, we have available to us much more packaging opportunities. Some S.U.V.’s and minivans claim to have room for seven passengers, ut if you fill them with people, there is no room for their luggage. The Model X offers ample room for seven adults, and their luggage. [As for the Falcon Wing doors,] you can get in and out in the tightest garage or parking spot without hitting the wall or car next to you, or your head.” – Musk

The Model X has an innovative all-wheel-drive system that has electric motors spinning the front and back wheels independent of one another. It also has its entire battery setup concealed underneath the platform of the vehicle to conserve space once again. These battery packs will provide about 10 percent less range than the previous Model S vehicle from Tesla, this mostly due to the 10 percent greater total weight of the vehicle. The same three pack sizes that were offered with the Model S will also be offered with the Model X, those being 40, 60, and 85 kilowatt-hours.

“Even though the X is heavier, it will still go zero to 60 miles an hour in about 4.4 seconds. And that’s not even the Performance model. This is will be our most important, and highest-volume car, when it comes out.” – Musk

The Model X will start at $49,900 after a $7,500 federal tax credit, with added optional features pricing the vehicle up to a possible $90,000 total. Musk added this week that a fourth model will be announced in 18 to 24 months, likely with a much lower price point so that it might reach a wider audience.

Check out the live unveiling of the vehicle below for a limited time!

This egg shows the phrase “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet”, this only bumping our interest in the vehicle up more. What we’re getting here is a vehicle that’ll be revealed in full at 8PM PST tonight at the Tesla offices in California. This fruit will likely be full of more innovations than just the wing-up doors, and we’re interested in the rumored massive amount of space in the interior and speed under the wheels – on top of the gadgetry we’re sure to see within.

Also of note is the fact that Governor Jerry Brown will be making an appearance at the unveiling of this vehicle to support the electric-car excellence that it brings forth. Tesla Motors has an opportunity here to bring electric cars a leap forward, and their Los Angeles Design Studio in Hawthorne will be the place it all goes down. Cross over to the electric side, world, and bring this luxury SUV into your hearts tonight!

[via Elon Musk]

All that’s known so far is that the Model X will be based on the same underpinnings as the Model S sedan, the four door car Tesla is expected begin deliveries on later this year. As a fully electric, plug-in vehicle it will qualify for the US government tax credits, though final pricing for the Model X itself is yet to be confirmed.

All Musk will say is that he expects the SUV to be “will be very well received” when it’s revealed next month. Some of Tesla’s expertise will also be called upon for Toyota’s new RAV4, for which Musk says his company is providing “the whole power train, motor, battery pack, inverter, and charger and all the software.” That’s expected to be revealed midway through this year.

Tesla was not happy with the review Top Gear aired so it claimed the test was rigged and promptly filed suit against the show. The case has had its day in court and the British Justice that heard arguments has concluded that Top Gear DID NOT libel Tesla in its review. The ruling was handed down by Justice Tugendhat this Wednesday.

This isn’t the end of the legal wrangling though. Tesla is also suing Top Gear’s network BBC for five other statements made during the 2008 review of the Roadster. The same judge is presiding over all of the cases. The official verdict is below.

In my judgment, the words complained of are wholly incapable of conveying any meaning at all to the effect that the claimant misled anyone. This is because the contrast between the style of driving and the nature of the track as compared with the conditions on a public road are so great that no reasonable person could understand that the performance on the track is capable of a direct comparison with a public road.

[via Autoblog]

The sport version of the EV is aimed at the performance crowd and has taken aim at some of the performance numbers of the BMW M5. The sport version is expected to be offered right from the launch of the Model S next year. The sport version will cost in the area of $80,000 and will have a battery pack of 85kWh.

That battery pack will offer a driving range of 300 miles according to Tesla. The performance of the sport version of the Model S will be in the area of 4.4 to 4.6 seconds 0-60. Tesla has also said that it will make a seven passenger version of the Model S and that it will have a battery pack design that can be swapped out along major freeways for longer driving range.

[via Autoblog Green]

The price of the Model S will come in at $49,900 after the Federal $7,500 tax credit. Tesla recently held an event that allowed all of the people that had pre-ordered one of the cars to come on a touch of the Tesla facilities and then take a ride in the Model S prototype. The car is also packed with some cool tech on the inside.

The key part of the tech is the big 17-inch screen in the dash that shows the in-car entertainment and navigation. There is also a 12.3-inch screen in the dash for instruments. The downside to the screens is that they lack support for multitouch so gestures aren’t supported. The Model S is expected to go into production and then hit dealers in 2012.

[via Cnet]

The Roadster promised about 200 miles per charge and the Model S claims 300 miles per charge. Tesla has started what it calls Alpha production on the Model S. The Alpha cars are for testing and showing media schleps that the cars are all about. Tesla too three of its alpha Model S cars to a test track and let them drive around.

The cars look really good and it never ceases to amaze me at the catch that with EVs you only hear the sound of the tires humming along. Tesla was nice enough to catch the test session on video for us to enjoy and you can check it out below.

Tesla has announced that Roadsters have now driven 10 million miles to date. The cars are in 30 different counties, have altogether saved 500,000 gallons of fuel, and prevented 5.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

Tesla’s little Roadster can hit 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and promises a driving range of 245 miles on a charge. This is an awesome little car and Tesla has a larger car coming as well called the Model S. The model S is a sedan with more seating for passengers.

Tesla expects to produce about 5,000 units in 2012, where it has already received 3,700 reservations that cost $5,000 a pop. The company plans to raise production in 2013 to 20,000 cars per year. The Model S should be showing up in Europe in the start of 2012 and for those European and Asian countries that require right-side drive models, those will be rolling out by mid-2013. For each launch there will be the same inaugural limited edition series as the North American release.

Other options of the Tesla Model S include a 160-mile and a 230-mile version. The 160-mile version will run you $57,000. The 230-mile version is $67,500 and the 300-mile version is $77,400. The car is eligible for a federal tax credit of $7,500. Tesla wants to make a serious splash and be a big player in the expanding all-electric car market. Hopefully they will come through with their claims and deliver their cars on time.

[via VentureBeat]

Tesla has announced that it is launching a new battery-recycling program in Europe to serve Tesla vehicle owners that need to recycle the battery pack in their cars. The Tesla batteries will be recycled at the Umicore UHT facility in Belgium.

The company uses tech to recycle the battery packs and produce an alloy that can be refined further into cobalt, nickel, and other metals that can be used in industry. The material leftover from the recycling is a clean and inert slag with calcium oxides and lithium that is then used in the production of special types of concrete. Tesla points out that the battery packs are good for 7-10 years working out to about 160,000 kilometers of driving in normal use.

Tesla has announced that it has now delivered 1500 Roadsters globally and the vehicles in total have driven 8.5 million miles in the real world. The fleet is in owner hands across 30 different countries and has saved 415,000 gallons of fuel and 22,000 barrels of oil so far.

Tesla announced back at CES that it would be working with NVIDIA to get GPUs and other tech to support the infotainment system in its new Model S. “The Roadster has earned global appeal. Our latest delivery milestone proves the Tesla is raising the bar for EVs,” said Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk. “The Roadster’s advanced electric powertrain is the foundation of Tesla’s success.”

WallWizard showed off its new line of motorized wall mounts that have a cool iPhone app for control. The app allows you to control the mount from across the room using your iPhone. Angry Birds hit the PSP and PS3 consoles this week as a mini game. The game offers 63 levels and will land on other game consoles later in the year.

An interesting MID called the OCOSMOS OSC1 landed at CES. The tablet has an Intel Oak Trail processor inside along with a 5-inch touchscreen, a slide out keyboard and it runs Windows 7. I bet there are some of you out there that didn’t wake up on time last weekend thanks to the iPhone alarm bug. That bug was supposed to fix itself on January 3 and didn’t. We still don’t know exactly what caused the alarm issue to start with.

AMD made its cool Fusion APUs official this week. These little gems pack in support for DirectX 11, 1080p HD, and 10 hours of battery life. Angry Birds for Windows Phone 7 won’t launch for months apparently. The game is on most other mobile platforms, is very popular, and has even made its way to some game consoles this week.

The Garmin StreetPilot app for the iPhone landed this week. The app is on the App Store right now for $39.99. The Tesla Model S and BMW vehicles are getting NVIDIA Tegra inside their vehicle infotainment systems. The Tegra chip will run the gauges and the large 12.1-inch touchscreen in the Tesla Model S.

50 Cent is the latest rapper to get in on the branded headphone market, but his set is much cooler than others I have seen. Fity calls his headphones the Sleek by 50 Cent and they have carbon fiber in the design. Asus went official with the EeePad Slider at CES. The tablet runs Android and has a cool slide out keyboard and a 10.1-inch screen.

We laid eyes on the cool Toshiba 3D TV at CES that needs no glasses. This is the sort of TV all people looking to go 3D have been waiting for. Toshiba says the set isn’t ready for the market yet, and we agree, but the tech has some promise. Qualcomm purchased Athros this week for a massive $3.1 billion. the purchase will get Qualcomm into computing, networking, and consumer products in a big way and branch Qualcomm into some new categories.

We spent a bit of hands on time with the Notion Ink Adam at CES. We think the Adam is a very impressive Android tablet and its Eden UI is one of the coolest parts about the tablet. We also ran some benchmarks on the Adam at CES and some Flash testing. We loaded Quadrant Advanced on the Adam, it scored 1,836, and we point out that Froyo isn’t optimized for multithreading so real world performance will be different.

Samsung has unveiled a new Sliding PC 7 Series that looks interesting. The machine is a combination of a notebook and a mobile PC skirting the land between tablet and netbook. It runs Windows 7 and weighs in at 2.2 pounds with up to 64GB of storage, a 10.1-inch screen, and an Atom Z670 CPU at 1.66GHz. What appear to be parts for the Verizon iPhone have been spotted online. The parts could also be for the next iteration of the iPhone, but the Verizon version is more likely if these pics aren’t fake.

Motorola has unveiled the Atrix 4G smartphone at CES hailed as the most powerful smartphone in the world. The thing is very impressive sounding on paper and is the first smartphone to ship with real RAM inside. Apple retail workers learned this week that there were no vacation days coming the last three weeks of January. This usually happens when new gear is coming and the Verizon iPhone is what is expected.

The Apple Mac App Store launched this week with about 1000 apps to start with. The store ended up moving a huge number of apps in the first few days it was available proving the store is very popular. Verizon went official with the HTC ThunderBolt smartphone. The device is the first LTE smartphone in the country and has nice specs like Android 2.2.1, 8GB of storage, and a microSD card slot with a single core 1GHz CPU.

JVC unveiled a cool new 3D camcorder at CES that records 3D in full 1080p resolution. It is the first camcorder for consumers to do 1080p 3D and it will cost you with a retail price a touch under $2000. A Chinese auction site has 50,000 stolen iTunes accounts up for auction with 12 hours of access offered to the accounts for about 15 cents here in the US. The site refuses to pull the auction until it gets an official request from Apple.

We ran into Mike Lazaridis at an event at CES and he whipped out the BlackBerry PlayBook and showed the thing off. We liked the bright and clear screen along with the capacitive controls in the bezel; the thing is pretty darn cool. Steve Jobs took only a buck in salary from Apple in 2010 according to documents filed by Cupertino. The board at Apple also asked for a clear succession policy for Steve is he was unable to continue at CEO of Apple.

Reports are coming in that the iPhone on Verizon may launch on February 3. That makes me wonder if the phone is coming on February 3, why the blocked vacation days for the three weeks in January? The Wall Street Journal has reported that the Verizon iPhone is going to launch on January 11. That fits in with the days workers can’t take off at Apple stores and makes that February 3 date more questionable.

After all the gear was unveiled at CES, the item voted best in show was the Motorola Xoom tablet. I admit the thing looks really cool with its Tegra 2 processor, HDMI output, 10-inch screen, and LTE data access. I want one. Thanks for reading this week’s edition, see you next time!

The Model S will also get a second display, slightly smaller at 12.3-inches, for the instrument cluster, which will feature 3D graphics about the electric car’s systems. Each display will get a Tegra CPU of its own to drive it.

As for BMW, they’ll be a little more conservative than Tesla, but plan on using Tegra to drive a 1280 x 600 display in upcoming 7-Series, 5-Series, 3-Series, Mini Cooper and X-Series ranges. They’ll also get real-time traffic reporting and navigation information, all controlled by BMW’s iDrive knob.

Press Release:

NVIDIA GPUs TO BE THE INFOTAINMENT CENTERPIECE ACROSS BMW’S NEXT-GENERATION OF CARS

From the 7 Series to the Mini Cooper, NVIDIA Powers BMW State-of-the-Art Graphics, Enabling Focus on Safer, More Enjoyable Driving

BMW of North America and NVIDIA today announced a partnership that puts NVIDIA® GPUs in navigation and vehicle-information systems across all next-generation BMW cars worldwide. NVIDIA GPUs will power BMW’s in-car navigation systems to deliver vivid graphics with detailed terrain models, landmarks and a stunning new interface. NVIDIA processors will be found throughout BMW’s range of models, including the 7-Series, 5-Series, 3-Series, Mini Cooper line and X-Series of sports activity vehicles.

Tesla Motors’ Model S to Feature NVIDIA Tegra Processors
Power-Stingy Tegra to Run All-Electric Sedan’s Infotainment, Navigation, Instrument-Cluster Systems

NVIDIA announced today that NVIDIA® Tegra™ processors will power the infotainment, navigation and instrument-cluster systems in the Tesla Model S, the first sedan built from the ground up as an electric vehicle. Built around the driver, the Model S is the premium sedan, evolved. Its infotainment system features a 17-inch touch-screen center console – the largest display ever in a car – providing vivid 3D graphics. In addition to its unrivaled graphics capability, the Tegra processor provides exceptional energy efficiency, a critically important feature for electric cars. One processor will be used to power the infotainment and navigation systems, and another for the instrument cluster.

NVIDIA GPUs TO BE THE INFOTAINMENT CENTERPIECE ACROSS BMW’S NEXT-GENERATION OF CARS

From the 7 Series to the Mini Cooper, NVIDIA Powers BMW State-of-the-Art Graphics,
Enabling Focus on Safer, More Enjoyable Driving

Las Vegas — CES 2011 ­— Jan. 4, 2011—BMW of North America and NVIDIA today announced a partnership that puts NVIDIA® GPUs in navigation and vehicle-information systems across all next-generation BMW cars worldwide.

NVIDIA GPUs will power BMW’s in-car navigation systems to deliver vivid graphics with detailed terrain models, landmarks and a stunning new interface. NVIDIA processors will be found throughout BMW’s range of models, including the 7-Series, 5-Series, 3-Series, Mini Cooper line and X-Series of sports activity vehicles.

BMW’s iDrive will feature high resolution visuals, real-time traffic reporting and navigation information. iDrive is the intelligent control concept that makes it intuitively simple to use a BMW’s in-car features. Its ability to clearly show the most relevant details and make anticipatory decisions to assist the driver will allow BMW owners to drive more safely and focus on the joy of driving.

Highlights / Key Facts:
· Powered by NVIDIA GPUs, the BMW iDrive system provides:
o Visually rich, next-generation user interface
o Advanced state-of-the-art graphics for navigation and vehicle-information systems
o High resolution display (1280×600)
o Fast user-interface response time

· At CES 2011, see a sneak preview of the BMW 5-Series, showcasing the very latest graphics technologies at NVIDIA’s outdoor exhibit – Central Plaza booth # CP7.

Quotes:
· “A year ago we had a vision to deliver the most advanced intuitive state-of-the-art navigation system. In our quest for superior graphics performance, no one came close to what NVIDIA brings to the table. Our partnership represents the beginning of an exciting new phase for BMW drivers.”
- Elmar Frickenstein, Executive Vice President Electrics/Electronics and Driving Experience Environment at BMW

· “BMW has built their reputation on creating the ultimate driving experience. They are taking that to an entirely new level with NVIDIA GPUs.”
- Dan Vivoli, Senior Vice President at NVIDIA

Useful Links:
www.bmwusa.com
www.nvidia.com
http://www.nvidia.com/object/tegra_automotive.html

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA
) awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the GPU in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from tablets and portable media players to notebooks and workstations. NVIDIA’s expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. The Company holds more than 1,600 patents worldwide, including ones covering designs and insights that are essential to modern computing. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 336 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 100 MINI passenger car dealers, and 31 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

###

Tesla Motors’ Model S to Feature NVIDIA Tegra Processors

Power-Stingy Tegra to Run All-Electric Sedan’s Infotainment, Navigation, Instrument-Cluster Systems

Las Vegas — CES 2011 ­— Jan. 4, 2011—NVIDIA announced today that NVIDIA® Tegra™ processors will power the infotainment, navigation and instrument-cluster systems in the Tesla Model S, the first sedan built from the ground up as an electric vehicle. Built around the driver, the Model S is the premium sedan, evolved. Its infotainment system features a 17-inch touch-screen center console – the largest display ever in a car – providing vivid 3D graphics.

In addition to its unrivaled graphics capability, the Tegra processor provides exceptional energy efficiency, a critically important feature for electric cars. One processor will be used to power the infotainment and navigation systems, and another for the instrument cluster.

The infotainment and navigation systems feature:
17-inch high resolution display, the largest display ever in a car
Responsive touchscreen with a fully intuitive user interface
Connected navigation with live traffic, points of interest and weather
Touchscreen-based climate-control system

The all-digital instrument cluster features:
Ultra high-resolution, driver-friendly 12.3” LCD display
Advanced 3D graphics providing data about the vehicle

CES 2011 attendees will be able to view the Model S outside the Las Vegas Convention Center in the Central Plaza, booth # CP7.

Visit NVIDIA’s booth in South Hall 3, booth # 31431 to learn about how NVIDIA is working with Tesla Motors to bring visual computing to tomorrow’s cars.

Quotes:
· “Model S is designed for performance-oriented efficiency. NVIDIA allows us to use the highest graphics with the lowest energy use.”
- JB Straubel, chief technology officer at Tesla Motors

“The Model S is a modern marvel – a blend of beauty, performance and efficiency. Tegra’s combination of graphics power and energy efficiency make it a perfect match for the Model S.”
- Dan Vivoli, senior vice president at NVIDIA

About Tegra
NVIDIA Tegra is the world’s first mobile superchip, with eight dedicated computing cores. These include the ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, the world’s only ultra-low power NVIDIA GeForce® GPU and the world’s first mobile 1080p HD video processor.

These features enable it to offer extremely realistic 3D graphics and advanced multimedia functionality and premium-quality accelerated user interfaces. Its auto-grade version has undergone specific testing for the automotive market and passed the industry-standard AEC-100 qualification for reliability, adhering to certain operating temperature ranges. It also offers a complete toolset for engineers to quickly build visually-appealing user interfaces.

This is the fourth update for the Roadster and the changes are limited to trim. You can now get an optional 7-inch touchscreen nav system, a new front fascia and rear diffuser, better seats, improved interior sound reduction, and new power control hardware.

That last bit is designed to allow the owner to drive spiritedly in hot climates. New forged wheels in black or silver colors are available as well. Pricing to go with the upgrades isn’t offered.

Boutique computer maker Velocity Micro and James River Technical (JRTI) have announced that new computers offered under their expanded Accelerated Computing initiative are now available. The new systems include the VSC135+ and the VSC255. The VSC135+ is an entry-level machine with an Intel Core i7 CPU running at 4GHz and support for up to three NVIDIA GPUs.

The VSC255 is the most robust NVIDIA Tesla machine that Velocity Micro offers. The machine runs on dual Intel Xeon 5500 CPUs and supports up to four Tesla C1060′s. The VSC255 starts at $5,995 and the VSC135+ starts at $2,299. Both machines are available now.

The Tesla GPU is intended to speed up concurrent processing by offering NVIDIA’s multiple CUDA cores.  Compatible software can split processing across those cores, reducing the time taken to apply complex graphic effects, process high-definition video, render 3D scenes or other tasks.

HP have not announced pricing for the new upgrade options, though considering a single NVIDIA Tesla C1060 costs from around $1,250 upward when bought alone, this isn’t likely to be a cheap addition.  We reviewed HP’s entry-level Z400 workstation last week; check out the full review, plus benchmarking, here.

Press Release:

HP Adds NVIDIA Quadro GPU-Accelerated Plug-in for Adobe Creative Suite 4 Users to Workstation Lineup

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 4, 2009 – HP today announced it will make available Elemental Accelerator™ for NVIDIA® Quadro® plug-in for Adobe Creative Suite 4 users as an option on the company’s award-winning family of workstations.

Now available on the full line of HP workstations – including HP Z Workstations – the NVIDIA CUDA-based Elemental Accelerator 2.0 plug-in software for NVIDIA Quadro GPUs delivers further performance benefits when working with Adobe Premiere Pro CS4.

NVIDIA and HP together provide creative professionals with workstations enhanced to meet the needs of the CS4 users. By leveraging the CUDA parallel computing architecture, this new plug-in software offloads H.264 video encoding to the Quadro GPU, enabling Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 users to experience a performance increase of up to 11 times when compared to CPU-only video encoders.

“HP Z Workstations deliver a superior experience – from advanced design inside and outside, to extreme performance and top-notch reliability,” said Jeff Wood, director, Worldwide Marketing, Workstations, HP. “The addition of the Elemental Accelerator plug-in for Premiere Pro CS4 enhances performance for creative professionals looking to maximize their creativity.”

HP workstations are engineered with the most demanding applications in mind, and Adobe Creative Suite 4 is tested and qualified on all HP workstations. HP workstations also include Performance Tuning Framework for Creative Suite 4, which provides users a quick and easy way to configure and update their workstations and improve the stability and performance of their systems while increasing productivity.

“NVIDIA, HP and Adobe have worked side by side to ensure CS4 users can get the best possible performance,” said Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional Solutions, NVIDIA. “The massively parallel processing power of NVIDIA GPUs lets creative professionals be more creative.”

With an HP workstation equipped with a Quadro GPU, CS4 users can take advantage of its GPU-accelerated functionality and receive optimal application performance across the entire family of applications including: Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Flash and Photoshop®.

“We are thrilled to have Elemental Accelerator available to the wide array of creative professionals that depend on high-performance HP workstations to not only deliver their projects on time and on budget, but surpass expectations for quality and creativity,” said Sam Blackman, chief executive officer and chairman, Elemental Technologies.

Elemental Accelerator 2.0 plug-in software works in conjunction with NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800, 3800, 4800 and 5800 GPUs. It is available on the HP Z800, Z600, Z400, xw4600 and xw9400 workstations. The complete system can be purchased atwww.hp.com/go/workstations.

HP workstations
HP is a leader in reducing the environmental impact of its products, including workstations, often acting first to adopt new solutions designed with the environment in mind. For example, only the HP Z Workstation line includes a new HP-exclusive WattSaver(1) feature that manages power in the “off” state at less than one watt.

In addition, the HP Z Workstations include 85 percent efficient power supplies – the HP Z800 Workstation has an option for an 89 percent efficient power supply – reducing both overall energy usage and the amount of waste heat released.

All HP workstations are more than 90 percent(2) recyclable by weight, and the HP Z line is registered as Electronics Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT™) Gold, the highest rating available.

Companies use HP workstations to design everything from running shoes to race cars, animated characters to deep-sea submersibles, and to manage everything from billions of dollars of tradable securities to mission-critical IT environments.

About HP

HP, the world’s largest technology company, simplifies the technology experience for consumers and businesses with a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com/.

(1) Requires customer activation.
(2) Recyclability determined using EU WEEE data.

Press Release:

NVIDIA TESLA GPU COMPUTING SOLUTIONS SELECTED FOR FLAGSHIP Z WORKSTATION FROM HP

GPU Computing Adoption Continues to Rise as Tesla Is Made Available for HP Z800 Workstation Customers

SANTA CLARA, CA—AUGUST 3, 2009—NVIDIA today announced that HP’s most powerful and expandable workstation—the HP Z800 Workstation—is now configurable with up to two NVIDIA® Tesla™ graphics processing units (GPUs), another key indicator of the demand being seen for GPUs in the high performance computing (HPC) space.

Enterprises that rely on HP workstations to accelerate their work in fields ranging from scientific research and industrial design, to 3D animation and seismic exploration, can now reap the benefits of NVIDIA Tesla GPUs and tackle demanding computational workloads right at the desktop.

Based on the massively parallel NVIDIA CUDA™ architecture, Tesla GPUs are taking the high performance computing (HPC) industry by storm, delivering performance increases to critical codes across multiple fields.

In molecular dynamics, AMBER, a public research code with more than 60,000 users, has been written to leverage the massively parallel CUDA architecture to deliver a 50X speed up of simulations. The result is faster scientific insights for researchers. In finance, Numerix and CompatibL have announced CUDA support for a new Counterparty Risk application of their Numerix 7 analytics solution used by over 375 financial institutions. This derivatives pricing application is today experiencing an 18X boost in performance in the calculation of complex pricing models with NVIDIA GPUs.

“The adoption of Tesla GPUs is the fastest of any new processor technology in the history of HPC[1],” said Andy Keane, general manager of Tesla business at NVIDIA. “We are delighted to see a leader such as HP begin to ship Tesla GPU-enabled systems into the market and to help accelerate the work of their customers.”

“HP’s workstation customers are professionals at the top of their game, pushing the limits of technology, for more creativity and innovation than ever before,” said Jeff Wood, director of worldwide marketing, Workstations, HP. “The NVIDIA Tesla GPU takes our flagship Z workstations to extreme heights for floating point intensive applications.”

The HP Z800 workstation is available today at http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/z-workstations/. For more information on NVIDIA Tesla GPU Computing solutions, please visit: www.nvidia.com/tesla.

Tesla expect to be producing 20,000 of the Model S Sedan per year by mid-2012, with each selling for $49,900.  The company’s quick-charge capabilities will see the floor-pan located batteries partially re-juiced in just 45 minutes, and there’s talk of a long-range rental battery; the standard batteries themselves are rented for 7 to 10 years.

Inside there are two LCD screens, a main one in the driver’s binnacle and a larger 17-inch touchscreen in the center console.  The sixth and seventh seats flip down into the trunk and are rear-facing, so like similar seats in other, more mainstream cars, expect them to be only really of use for children.

The standard model will hit 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds and has a single speed transmission.  Sport and AWD versions are planned, but no launch dates for those have been given.

[via Jalopnik]

Update: Tesla have released a new photo:

Other known details include a rough guide to pricing, which Tesla have previously confirmed should be below $50,000.  Existing Tesla Roadster owners will have the opportunity to both jump the queue for the new model, as well as save $10,000 off the purchase price.

According to the marketing hyperbole, the motivation behind the Tesla Model S was ”to create one of the most functional, intuitive and beautiful vehicles on the road”; however with only a rear hatch to go on, it’s tough to say whether they’ve succeeded.  More solid news is that Tesla Roadster production is sold out until November, and the company now expects to be profitable by “mid year”.  As for the Model S, that’s not expected to commercially make it to the tarmac until 2011.

[via Register Hardware]

It seems the ESS pump runs coolant through the battery all the time, even when the car is not in operation. So that means the car could be sitting parked and so long as there is a battery charge, it will continue to pump coolant.

Eberhard then figured out 22% of the car’s battery life was being sucked away just while being parked! That’s really rather unfortunate and can cause the pump to wear out much faster than it should.

[via Gizmodo]