On Thursday, March 26, 2009, Tesla Motors announced they are now taking orders for the Model S, the much anticipated follow on to the Tesla Roadster. The Model S is an all electric family sedan that can travel up to 300 miles on a single charge. The S is listed as seating 7, thanks to a couple of child seats in the “way-back.” There’s even additional trunk space under the front hood.

The Model S can be recharged in 45 minutes using a 480V outlet, though I’m not sure where you get one. You can also recharge using 110V and 22V outlets with longer recharge times. The battery pack comes in 3 sizes, equating to 160, 230 or 300 miles. The battery pack can be swapped out in 5 minutes, which could lead to battery swapping stations as a business.

Tesla Motors is still relatively unproven with regards to mass production. they have delivered only 300 Roadsters so far. They are looking to receive $350 million in federal loans to build an assebly plant in San Jose, California. The Model S should qualify for a $7,500 tax credit from the federal government, but that still leaves you with a price tag of nearly $50,000. They do provide some long term savings with less maintenance (no oil change) and and expected cost to drive 230 miles of about $5.