Times are tough. Tesla still has problems getting its Roadster production going. Just recently they delivered their 100th Roadster. It’s not that they are having hard time finding customers. In fact they have received over 1,200 orders. Good news is that they did get another $40 million in financing back in October which helps speed up the production.

In addition to the Roadster Tesla intends to build a five passenger electric sedan as well. It will be called Model S, and if everything goes as planned it will be available in 2010, same year as the Chevy Volt. Model S will be priced at $57,499. Roadster for comparison is priced at $109,000. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that drivable mule will appear already this year and a working prototype already next February.

The Model S is rumored to do 0 to 60 mph in under 6 seconds, while the range is 240 miles on a single charge. Unfortunately Tesla doesn’t have the kind of money to start the production of the Model S. Now Tesla hopes that US government can help them out. All Tesla needs is a $350 million loan. If the Big three gets close to $ 15 billion then we don’t see no reason why government should turn Tesla down. Tesla with its innovative approach looks a lot more promising than GM, Ford or Chrysler.

CEO Musk has also confirmed that Tesla is definitely partnering with a third party to eventually deliver a sub $30,000 model. No information on the partner, but rumor is that it might be Daimler-Benz.