It seems that Tesla motors, makers of the very expensive Tesla electric roadster, might be starting up some new factories in California.  Tesla currently manufactures in a Lotus plant overseas but the company is looking for a 450 million dollar “loan” from Uncle Sam to start up operations in the United States. 

Tesla has had success with the aforementioned roadster which has sold well (it actually has a waiting list that stretches quite deep) but the new factories in the US will be aimed at production of a new car model as well as batteries.  This seems like a coup for the US government, who is selling this loan under the energy program, but which will certainly have fringe benefits for the auto bailout.  That benefit will likely come in the form of the batteries that Tesla produces.  Batteries have been a problem of sorts with the big three US makers. 

For their part the people at Tesla seem enthusiastic about the likelihood of getting the government, our, money, according to http://www.mercurynews.com/:

“I am excited to report that the Department of Energy informed Tesla last week that they expect to disburse funds … within four or five months,” Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive and chairman, wrote in a newsletter distributed to customers Wednesday.

Tesla, based in San Carlos, stopped short of saying its loan application had been approved. Indeed, an Energy Department spokeswoman said Wednesday that her agency “has made no final decisions for specific applications for the auto-loan program.”

We will just have to wait and see if the money comes through.

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