Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Daimler wants 'more cooperation' with Tesla on electric vehicles

In May 2009, Tesla Motors and Daimler told the world they would work together on electric vehicles. It was a big deal – Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the German automaker should get the credit for saving Tesla – but the end result for Daimler hasn't been that obvious. Sure, we have had some executive-level sharing and the Smart Fortwo ED used a Tesla battery pack and the B-Class EV is on the way, but that's about it. Apparently, Daimler wants more of whatever it has been getting, thought, according to Reuters.

The information comes from Bodo Uebber, Daimler's chief financial officer, who recently told reporters that, "I told my guys, go back to Tesla and look for other opportunities [to work together]. We want to look for more cooperation." Uebber didn't specify what products or items might come out of further teamwork, just that "We could use more [from Tesla]."

Looking back at history, it would appear that Musk would be more than willing to help out an old friend. Last year, he told AutoblogGreen that he knew that when Daimler came to invest in Tesla, the German company was cash strapped. "When someone is hungry themselves and they give you a bit of food, you've got to be grateful for that," he said. Daimler owns a 4.3 percent stake in Tesla.

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/31...tric-vehicles/

JessePS

I would rather see Toyota buy a small portion of Tesla or have some sort of partnership. For me, Toyota and Tesla would be a great fit.