Tesla Electric roadster - high performance electric car pictures and facts
We are going to assume that you know the basics about the
Tesla Roadster electric car. Read on for the latest news and pictures.
Photo: Tesla Roadster.
The update for you is that the first 100 Tesla Roadsters are sold out. These belong to the limited-edition
“Signature One Hundred” series. George Clooney is one of the celebrities who have booked their Tesla
Roadster when it hits the roads - exclusively in the USA - in early 2007. The “Signature One Hundred”
roadster edition boasts a personalized commemorative plaque in the cockpit company’s founders, a special
trim package, a navigation system and a hard top. Each customer who wanted a Tesla Roadster had to pay
$ 100,000 as a deposit for his car.
The Google founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page have invested in the company. Very good for Tesla Motors -
that has certainly added that extra bit of curiosity about the company and its electric car. This is considered
a dotcom car, considering the dotcom roots of its founder Martin
Eberhard. According to Tesla Motors co-founder and CEO Martin Eberhard, an electric car is the cheapest way of transportation between
point A and point B. And the Tesla Roadster makes a serious go at making it the most fun way of transportation
too.
True, electric cars have been there before - and they have been failures. The Tesla Roadster, so far, does not look like its going the same way as other earlier electric cars. Why so?
For one, looks and style. Take a look at the Roadster's pictures. Now, that is one smart looking car there, a little reminiscnet of Lotus designs. No one is going to get all weirded out because of this car's looks - Lotus has actually helped design the car, and is also manufactured at Lotus' facilities. That's strike One.
Then, you have performance. The claimed acceleration figures are 0-60 mph in 4 seconds. That is faster than some Porsches, and the latest Chevrolet Corvette is just .5 seconds faster to hit 60 mph. That is clearly supercar territory.
Tesla Electric Roadster video below: Click to Play
The chassis is carbon fiber, aiding in weight reduction.
Then there is the range. The lithium ion batteries of the car - those are laptop batteries, shielded for extra safety - can be charged in 3.5 hours - not overnight, or at least 8 hours, massively increasing convenience. Once fully charged, the Tesla Roadster can keep running for 250 miles - that pretty much covers most normal long distance running issues which have plagued electric cars. The EV1 electric car, a cult favorite, goes only 150 miles under ideal conditions. The battery pack should last for 100,000 miles.
Economy? You get economy that beats almost all subcompacts from this car that goes faster than most supercars. The figures are equivalent to 135 miles per gallon!
Top speed is not in the supercar territory, however. The Tesla Roadster touches 130 mph - still faster than anything the law would permit, and all that most would need in a real life scenario. This is definitely no weekend track carver, though.
The electric motor produces 248 horsepower, and the car has two gears. it is practically silent, and can startle pedestrians with its completely silent approach - the only noticeable sound is produced by the tires on the road.
But at $ 100,000, isn't this too expensive to take over our streets? Yes, it is. The Tesla Roadster is a tour de force, a flagship model to prove that the concept can work in real world scenarios. Martin Eberhard and Tesla Motors have promised a four door electric sedan in 2008 or so, which will be priced a lot more reasonably, will not go like a supercar, and still be convenient and fun to use. Tesla Motors may not be the company to change the look of our streets, but there would be many companies who would look at a
successful electric car with interest, and would seriously look at collaborating, or even taking over the company a couple of years down the line.
What are the cons? Well, there is that fear about exploding laptop batteries, recently
heightened after Dell's recall of about 4 million laptops. Tesla Motors says that one should nto worry about their battery back - that its shieled and all care has been taken to avoid any problems at all.
The competition: Venturi Fetish, Wrightspeed Ariel Atom electric. Take a look at the photo gallery below for pictures of the two other electric super cars.
