Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has unveiled the new electric sedan he is banking on driving the company into the mainstream and delivering profitability for the first time.

Customers who had pre-ordered the Model S sedan were invited into Tesla's factory in Fremont, California, on Saturday, to see the car that will hit forecourts next year.

Musk claimed to have more than 6,000 advanced orders for the Model S, selling out its entire 2012 production run.

Customers have already paid a $40,000 deposit for the car, which is expected to retail at around $57,400, although a top-of-the-range model, with a range of 300 miles, comes in at closer to $70,000.

The company made its name with the Roadster electric sports car, but sold less than 2,000 and is phasing the car out after the end of this year because of a shortage of the bodies it bought from UK manufacturer Lotus.

The firm has since focused its efforts on developing more mainstream vehicles and is intending to produce more than 20,000 Model S cars a year by early 2013.

The Model S will not boast the same acceleration as the Roadster, but Musk did reveal Tesla would be introducing a faster version that goes from zero to 60mph in 4.5 seconds, more than a second quicker than current acceleration.

The company will also introduce its Model X sports utility prototype in December, before the car goes on sale in late 2013.

In related electric car news, Nissan has signed a "two-year research collaboration" with General Electric (GE) to better integrate charging into homes and buildings, and examine the impact millions of electric cars could have on the grid.

A joint statement released by the two companies said the work would "speed up the development of a reliable, robust smart charging infrastructure to fuel mass-market adoption of electric cars such as the Nissan LEAF".

However, GE may also be investigating the prospect of removable batteries for electric cars similar to those pioneered by Renault's Fluence model.

Mark Little, head of GE's research and development efforts, told reporters at an event to mark the Nissan collaboration that the company was "at the thinking stage" of such a move.

Battery swap technology is being commercialised by Better Place, which has installed 50 stations across Israel in a bid to reduce range anxiety and cut the overall cost of electric cars by allowing customers to lease batteries.

Renault, which has a partnership deal with Nissan, also announced today that it will work with PSA Peugeot Citroën and Mitsubishi Motors to develop the requirements needed for a uniform European recharging infrastructure under its EV Ready banner.

The European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (ACEA) last month approved a "comprehensive set of recommendations" enabling the use of one plug, independent of car make, electricity provider or country.