Daimler compra el 10% de Tesla

En una conferencia de prensa celebrada esta mañana, el grupo dirigido por Dieter Zetsche anunció que se ha hecho con el 10% de las acciones del fabricante de Silicon Valley por una suma aún desconocida.

En concreto, Tesla proporcionará las baterías del Smart ForTwo eléctrico, así como los paquetes que serán utilizados por las variantes sin emisiones de los futuros Mercedes Clase A y B.

Así, Daimler recibirá los conocimientos técnicos necesarios para introducir en el mercado un coche eléctrico lo más rápido posible.

Por su lado, Tesla, aparte del financiamiento para sobrevivir, se hará de las piezas de ingenieria y experiencia del fabricante alemán necesario para poner en funcionamiento su próximo sedán llamado S.

Vale decir que el anuncio de hoy es, en realidad, una extensión de un acuerdo pactado en 2007, donde se establecía que ambas empresas trabajarían en los paquetes de baterias y puntos de recarga de los primeros 1.000 Smart eléctricos, lo cuales llegarían el próximo año a Estados Unidos y Europa.

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California electric car company Tesla teams with Daimler

The German automaker buys an almost 10% stake in the San Carlos company, which recently turned to low-cost federal loans for financing.

German automaker Daimler said today it had bought an almost 10% stake in Tesla, giving a financial boost to the California-based electric car company.

Daimler, which owns Mercedes-Benz, didn’t disclose the amount of the investment, saying only that, when priced in euros, the amount was in "eight figures."

In January, Daimler selected Tesla to provide batteries and chargers for the German company’s Smart EV electric car. The investment in Tesla "enables the partners to collaborate even more closely on the development of battery systems, electric drive systems and in individual vehicle projects," the companies said in a press release.

Tesla currently makes the $109,000 all-electric two-seat roadster. In March, the San Carlos-based company unveiled a prototype of its $57,400 Model S electric sedan. Tesla plans to build the car, which gets 160 to 300 miles on a single charge-up depending on the version, at a plant in Southern California beginning in late 2011.

Tesla was recently unable to complete a $100-million round of outside venture funding and settled for a smaller, $40-million round from investors who already had a stake in the company. To make up the gap, it has turned to low-cost federal loans as its best option for financing, although those loans have not yet been approved.

Teaming with Daimler will give Tesla access to the German company’s "engineering production and supply chain expertise," Tesla Chairman and Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a statement.

"This will accelerate bringing our Tesla Model S to production and ensure that it is a superlative vehicle on all levels."

The deal expands Daimler’s access to Tesla lithium-ion battery technology. Under the agreement announced in January, Tesla agreed to provide 1,000 of the batteries to Daimler this year and next.

As part of the deal, Herbert Kohler, Daimler’s vice president of electric-drive systems, will become a member of Tesla’s board of directors.