Bay Area's Tesla Finds New Competition

Competing all-electric sedans planned to reach the market in 2011

San Carlos-based electric car company Tesla Motors will be getting some some stiff competition, as automaker Ford Motors plans to have a competing all-electric sedan in showrooms by 2011.

Tesla introduced the Model S sedan just this year, and plans to offer them for sale priced at $57,500.

Ford is retooling a plant in Wayne, Michigan which used to build gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles into a factory for electric versions of its Focus sedan.

Details on how far the electric Focus will go or how much it might cost have yet to be released.

It can't be good news for Tesla, which has been struggling to put together the financing to build a plant in Southern California to mass-produce the Model S.

Meanwhile, going electric may not actually offer the environmental benefits touted by companies like Tesla, since most Americans get their electricity from coal-fired power plants.

Jackson West will continue to ride the bus.

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