What’s battery operated, makes virtually no noise, has major sex appeal, does 0-60 in four seconds, and costs US$108,000? That’s right, it’s one of the most eco-friendly cars around, the Tesla Roadster. In case you hadn’t heard, the Roadster is the first fully electric two-seater from Tesla Motors, a San Carlo, California startup owned by Elon Musk (the guy who sold PayPal to eBay for a couple hundred mil).
The Roadster isn’t a dorky geekmobile either, it’s a true supercar designed to attract exotic automobile owners and can actually compete against Ferrari and Porsche in terms of performance. The Roadster weighs 2690 pounds and features 248 horsepower. What’s REALLY cool is that this little missile has 211 pound-feet of torque from a dead stop because of the nature of the electric motor. As most gasoline cars need to get around the 5000 rpm mark to deliver maximum torque, the Roadster does this without any shifting or fancy driving. As Motor Trend technical editor Kim Reynolds puts it, “It feels like a trap door has been released below you and suddenly you’re falling.” It simply hurtles forward without any noise or fuss.
The Roadster is powered by a 1000-pound battery pack that is comprised of nearly 7000 lithium ion cells (essentially laptop batteries).
Other features:
- 220 mile range on a full charge.
- Can be recharged via your garage outlet.
- Costs less than two cents per mile to operate.
- Never needs an oil change. Is that sound I hear in the distance Jiffy Lube going out of business?
- Will majorly get you chicks.
If you want one of these emissions-free head turners, be prepared to get shell out a $5000 deposit to get on the waiting list, which is already 1000 strong, and don’t expect delivery until 2009 at the earliest.
Be sure to check out Motor Trends’ first drive video, with shots of all the cool features and the electric “power up” noise the car makes as you accelerate.
Also see Jay Leno putting it through it’s paces. There’s also a good bit in there where he shows off his 1909 Baker electric car:
If you enjoyed this post consider subscribing to our feed, following us on twitter, and also signing up for our Weekly Green Tips email newsletter.
Related posts:
- Tesla Breaks The Electric Vehicle Record Electric vehicles (EV) have been criticized for not being...
- Wacky Aptera 2e to Ship In October There's another buzzworthy electric car on the horizon and...
- Integrating Green…Solar Windows, Tesla Roadsters, and One Sweet House So thanks to Ben's post, I'm all geared up (pardon...
- Schwarzenegger Gives Finger To New Mexico Tesla Plant See here. Tesla Motorcars, makers of my new dream car,...
- Don’t Sweat, Ride a Bike Riding a bike to work is definitely a green...
{ 5 trackbacks }
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
The roadster is fantastic. I am really looking forward to electric going mainstream and am especially curious about the upcoming less expensive sedan versions. I actually heard that California is trying to pass legislation to put noise-makers on all electric vehicles, so people can hear them coming.
Wow, that car will definitely get you chicks. Of course, with the $108,000 price tag, good luck telling the gold-diggers from the eco-geeks. Either way, I’m looking forward to more affordable versions of electric cars coming out. Not only is it the right way to go in terms of the environment, as the Roadster shows, they don’t have to skimp on style.
If I had the cash, I’d buy one of these right now despite the fact that it’s first gen technology. Seriously, it’s that cool.