Elon Musk, chief executive of electric-car company Tesla Motors, has denied rumours that the company is about to go bust.

In an interview on 31 October with Reuters news agency, Musk admitted that Tesla Motors, which has just started making its environmentally friendly sports cars, has only US$9 million in the bank, despite taking deposits on 1,200 roadsters costing $109,000 each. The interview was sparked by comments posted on the Valleywag blog, a Silicon Valley gossip site, suggesting that Tesla would not be able to deliver the promised cars.

On 2 November, Tesla, which is based in San Carlos, California, announced that several unnamed investors have promised $40 million to help prop up the firm.

Download a PDF of this story.