The Tesla Roadster represents a massive break-through in electric vehicle achievements. Not only is it a great electric car... its a great car, full stop!
The acceleration in the Roadster is such that with the foot to the floor you won't be able to turn the radio on! With a maximum speed of 125mph and a price tag of £99,000 this electric car is one to take seriously!
So, what is the Tesla Roadster? Its unashamedly an expensive, high performance, open top 2 seater sports car whose principle aim in fact is to prove the concept that electric cars are a viable alternative to conventional cars - not just for the hippy tree huggers out there, but for real car enthusiasts. The Roadster is designed to make people really sit up and take notice of electric cars as a mainstream alternative to petrol cars. Tesla say that in fact the Roadster is not their main focus - the Roadster is just a figure-head and the beginning of what they hope will become a range of increasingly affordable and mainstream (though probably still high-end) cars. For instance their stated plan is to follow-up the release of the
Roadster with a family sized car for around half the price of the Roadster - they reckon they can produce that within the next three years and after that will come a smaller compact sized car for half the price again - say $30,000. By that time oil will no doubt be so expensive that such an electric car will start being a financially sensible choice for a whole range of consumers. An encouraging thought for the environmentalists amongst us!
The Tesla Roadster will be a unique driving experience for those lucky enough to bag a test drive - there is little noise, and little to do other than press the pedal and accelerate... and accelerate... and accelerate! The Roadster's electric engine has a complete different dynamic to conventional cars and although it is similar to an automatic in that there is no clutch pedal, it is very different in all other respects. One of the Roadster's impressive facts is that it retains almost constant torque through a massive range of speeds - that means that you get the same level of powerful acceleration whether you're sitting at a standstill or tanking along the highway at 100mph!
There are some available to buy in the UK but really, who can afford one these?
Find out more information from the manufacturer on the Tesla Roadster electric sports car here.
Manufacturer: Tesla
Availability: Now
Top Speed: 125
Acceleration: 0-60mph in 3.9secs
Range (max): 245
Max Charge Time:
Price: 99000
I love the look of this car!!
April 7, 2009 - 3:04pm — mandyjWow! What a fantastic car, the pin up of the electric vehicle world. Shame it isn't more widely available, although not that I could afford one anyway. I'll put it on the 'if I win the lottery' list :o)
Tesla Model S - Future Release?
July 7, 2009 - 9:41am — electricmasterTesla Motors have another luxury electric car in the pipeline. The Tesla Model S. This is a sedan model under development. A prototype was displayed earlier this year (March 2009) at a press conference. The Tesla Model S was codenamed 'white star' during development.
It is not expected to enter production until 2011 and is based on the same high performance, high cost business model of the Tesla Roadster. The Model S is being designed as a high performance electric sedan, primarily to compete and provide an all-electric alternative to cars such as the BMW 5 series. This car is definitely aimed at the top end of the market and your unlikely to see many on the roads of the UK anytime soon!
Tesla Model S basic stats: