Forget what you once knew about the electric car. The initial models tested beginning in the 1990s never made it to the market, but those days have long since been forgotten. A new age has dawned, and with it comes the first of what will be many battery electric vehicles for your consideration.
Electric Tesla
The first of these is the Tesla Roadster, whose electric engine is fueled by its innovative lithium-ion battery pack. Not having a supplemental gas engine as found in today’s hybrid gas-electric cars has no bearing at all on its performance. In fact, the Roadster Sport rockets from zero to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, faster than mostly everything else on the road including the Chevy Corvette C6, Lamborghini Murcielago LP460 and Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
The low-production Tesla Roadster—fewer than 1,000 cars are currently built annually—has a range of about 244 miles, which is far beyond what most driving enthusiasts need. If you want to go further than that, take your BMW or Lexus instead. After all, if you can buy a $109,000 Tesla, then you can afford the others.
Eclectic Tesla
The Tesla Roadster is strong on visual appeal, thanks to its sleek, carbon-fiber bodywork and overall simplicity. A removable soft top is standard or buyers can choose the optional carbon-fiber hard top.
Inside, the cabin has already received a much-needed upgrade for 2010, less than two years after the first models were introduced. And that is a good thing too, as the Tesla has shed its Spartan interior in favor of smooth leather seating with visible stitching, leather door inserts, new cabin temperature controls, heated seats and air-conditioning.
Handling is precise, thanks to the Roadster sharing steering components with the capable Lotus Elise. Both cars are built at the same factory in Hethel, UK, but they only share 7 percent of their parts, dispelling the rumor that the Roadster is an electrified version of the Elise.
Confident Handling
Lotus-derived steering is communicative, giving drivers desired road feedback. The Roadster starts off with a peak 273 pound-feet of torque and requires no special driving skills to maintain performance. Sure footing on the accelerator pedal brings the Tesla up to speed as a one-speed transmission does its part to make that happen in mere seconds.
But it is the advanced engineering of the Tesla Roadster that sets this car apart from most gas-powered competitors. You can adjust the dampers and anti-roll bars to customize your ride with 10 shock-adjustment level settings and three anti-roll-bar positions to choose from. Ultra high-performance Yokohama tires add to your driving experience with black forged alloy wheels complementing the overall design.
Electric Revolution
The first Tesla models hit the street in 2008, igniting a revolution that will soon heat up when competitors such as the Fisker Karma sport sedan enter the electric car fray later this year. Earlier hybrid models such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight demonstrated that gas-electric power was possible, but the Tesla Roadster proves that the electric car is not dead and that it can deliver superior power, a reassuring whir from its electric engine while emitting zero tailpipe emissions.
That unheard-of-before combination means several things including helping the world begin to take its first tiny steps toward reducing our dependency on oil, eliminating noxious emissions and lowering our carbon footprint. Sure, we are talking about a low production six-figure car, but it is a good start. And with a second larger but less costly model in the planning stages, vehicle electrification will begin to roll out to the masses.
Paypal mastermind Elon Musk along with computer geeks Marc Tarpenning and Martin Eberhard founded Tesla, naming it after Nikola Tesla, the eccentric Serbian inventor and electrical power system rival to Thomas Alva Edison. Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are important investors, offering much needed financial and business support to the venture.
Simply Green
Besides offering amazing performance and contributing to environmental awareness, it just might be what the Tesla Roadster does not require that enhances its appeal. No visits to the gas station. No oil changes or tune-ups. No belts, spark plugs, hoses, exhaust system or clutches needing to be replaced. Just a once annual or every 12,000 mile inspection to ensure that your Roadster is running fine.
Best of all, if you cannot get to your nearest Tesla service center—that would be in Boulder, Colo. or Chicago—they will come to you with their mobile service team. Most any type of service can be done from your home or place of employment, but if more extensive work is needed your car can be shipped to a service center.
Tax Credits
With prices starting at $109,000 and approaching $130,000 when choosing the Roadster Sport, this low-production sports car is affordable to only the most discriminating buyer. Lots of incentives to buy are in place including a $7,500 U.S. federal tax credit, state tax waivers or incentives and competitive financing.
One important accessory to purchase is the home connector, a $3,000 charging unit, which can shorten your Tesla’s recharging time to just 3.5 hours—down from the customary overnight recharge. Electrician-installed, the unit can be placed in your garage with a 25-foot-long power cord connecting it to the Tesla’s charging port located on the outside of your car behind the driver’s seat.
You can order your Tesla online at http://www.teslamotors.com and take part in a history-making adventure, purchasing an instant collector’s item that is certain to return to you many years of pleasurable environmentally friendly driving.
words: Matthew C. Keegan
photos: © 2010 Tesla Motors, Inc.