In 2008 Tesla motors delivered 150 of its critically acclaimed Roadsters.   Even in the harsh economic conditions they plan on ramping up production in 2009.  They plan to increase the rate of production from 15 to 30 cars per week later in the year.

In other Tesla news:

• Tesla plans to launch new service centers in New York, Chicago, Miami, and Seattle
• Tesla will display their cars at an auto show for the first time at the North American International Auto Show.
• They submitted loan applications for up to $400 million dollars in federal loans for their Model S car and to expand powertrain production.
• After taking their roadshows to 5 cities in 2008 to allow drivers a chance to test the roadster, there are plans to expand the schedule in 2009.

Adding to their Karma model, Fisker has announced plans for a second luxury plug in electric car.  The Fisker Karma S or Sunset will be a convertible electric vehicle.  Both this model and the production model of the Karma will be displayed at the Detroit car show on January 12th.

From the press release:

“The Fisker Karma S will be powered by the Karma’s Q-DRIVE® powertrain, developed in cooperation with Quantum Technologies exclusively for Fisker Automotive.  Q-DRIVE® offers a 50 mile range on a single charge to its Lithium-Ion battery pack, and up to 408hp from two electric motors.”

The first widely released plug in electric car went on sale today in China. The BYD F3DM was officially presented in a ceremony in Shenzhen. The car retails for 149,800 yuan which is equivalent to $22,000 US dollars. BYD is the company that Warren Buffett invested heavily in this year. In addition to producing the cars, BYD also China’s biggest producer of battery and battery technology. The car is expected to be available in the US and Europe in 2010.

The range of the F3DM is 62 miles on full electric and also has a small gas powered range extender than kicks in after that. The battery can be fully charged in 7 hours, as well as a 50% quick charge in only 10 minutes from specialty charging station.

Hyundai revealed a bold new strategy to try to become the most fuel efficient car line on the planet. Utilizing their new “blue drive” technology, they hope to achieve a 35 mpg fleet average for their cars by 2015. This technology breaks with the current lithium ion battery trend and uses a lithium polymer battery. They claim these batteries produce 10% better power, while weighing 30% less and taking up half the space.

Hyundai is looking to offer this platform in many of its current models as hybrids, as well as new cars to feature full electric modes. These “blue editions” version will be even cheaper than current prices: $11,070 and $13,970 for the Accent and Elantra models. The large Korean car maker is a little late to the hybrid and electric party, but hopes this aggressive new initiative will push them to the forefront.

This video describes the Blue Drive technology from the recent L.A. auto show.

Hybrid Technologies, the electric vehicle development company that we profiled last month, has utilized a unique way to sell a car. On the Sam’s Club website. The car was sold as part of a “Once in a Lifetime Own the World’s Ultimate Electric Super Car Package“. The package included the first production model of their electric Super Car, as well as travel, hotel and racetrack time in Los Angeles. The package went on sale yesterday and sold only an hour later. It looks likely that Hybrid Technologies may use Sam’s Club to sell more of their cars as they go into full production.

You can view the Sam’s club sales page here

The all electric Super Car boasts a top speed of 150mph, 0 to 60 time of 5 seconds, and range of 200 miles.

Full specs for the Super Car here

As we reported 2 weeks ago, BMW is making an electric version of their popular “Mini Cooper” car. Now more information is available about their lease program. They are keeping advertising of the program fairly low key so they don’t have to turn too many people away.

The lease is only available in at 8 dealerships in California, New York, and New Jersey. The car requires special technicians which are only located at this small number of locations. The lease will include all maintenance and parts.

Formal applications will be taken for a 3-4 week period starting mid November, and delivery of the car will be in January. The cost of the year long lease is still not determined, but expected to be in the $500-600 range.

Interested? You can contact MINI here

Tesla received a infusion of $40 million in convertible debt financing from its investors this week. The board approved the cash to speed up the manufacturing process of the Tesla Roadster.

“Forty million is significantly more than we need,” said Elon Musk, Tesla Chairman and CEO. He goes on to say “However, the board, investors and I felt it was important to have significant cash reserves.”

Not only will the money help with production, but they will also use the cash to expand Tesla’s electric powertrain supply business and future product development. Tesla, like every other car maker, has recently had some issues due to the economic downturn and credit crunch, but demand for their cars is still high.

If you can’t wait until 2010, you can own a 2009 plug in Toyota Prius right now. The car is being auctioned off on Ebay right now with proceeds to benefit the non profit awareness group Plug in America. The car is a brand new 2009 Toyota Prius with all available options, and the professionally installed A123 Hymotion Plugin Hybrid Kit. This kit does not void the factory Toyota warranty.

The car has a pure electric mode of about 40 miles and an estimated 100-150 MPG. So if you want to be the first person in your city with a plug in Prius, head over and check out the live auction here. There are 7 days left and the current bid is $42,000.

Amid the economic turmoil at Chrysler, they have killed their planned hybrid programs before ever delivering a car. The Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen hybrid sport utility vehicles have been discontinued. Chrysler had claimed to have 3,000 orders already for the hybrid SUV models, but those orders will never be filled now. The downturn in SUVs as well as the economic downturn were too much for company to continue down the path of these more expensive models.

With plant closures, a 25% workforce layoff, and ongoing talks of a merger with GM, the future of Chrysler’s hybrid efforts seem uncertain. However, the planned plug in electric vehicles we reported about last month are apparently still on track.

Tesla may have had some setbacks lately with the faltering economy, but they are pressing forward with their much anticipated 4 door model. The Tesla S (S for sedan) is now set to be released in 2011, and the company has started releasing teaser photos onto the Internet.

The new 4 door sedan is expected to have an impressive 240 mile all electric range with a 0 to 60 time of under 6 seconds. The price tag is set at $60,000.