In two weeks Tesla will start producing its all-electric sports car. Despite numerous delays and some very public internal squabbles, the little company that could, now says it can. So we'll soon see if this wondercar and company are indeed ready for prime time. Some quick facts for those with short memories: It's an all-electric sports car that goes from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds...
The carbon-fiber skinned vehicle can be charged with ordinary household current and never uses a drop of OPEC Gold (gasoline). It can go 221 miles between charges and will sell for $98,000.
Full story here.
Full story here.
firstwagon says:
08:38 AM, 03/ 7/08
I'm hopeful it will meet the claims they have for it. We should know soon about the 221 mile range (fact or fiction) but a longer term question will be the life of those 6800 batteries.
My prediction is some of the 6800 batteries will actually last 100,000 miles but not all. The longer you own the car, the less distance it will travel and the slower it will get.
Just like my laptop.
estreka says:
10:08 AM, 03/ 7/08
They should add this to the CSX.
mirth says:
11:48 AM, 03/ 7/08
No one who buys a $100K car is going to drive it 100K miles, so the battery life is kind of a moot point.
And I heard the 0-60 time has been upped to 5.6 seconds. Not bad...for a $25K Mustang. But a $98K sports car...?
firstwagon says:
03:35 PM, 03/ 7/08
The sports car aspect of this car is secondary to it being a "proof of engineering" concept. As a sports car, the Lotus it's based on will kick it's butt for half the money.
The purpose of this car is to show electric cars can work and can be cool.
That's why I'm more concerned about the range and the life span of the batteries. That's always been the weak point about the electric car.
Performance really has never been a problem, electric motors can put out amazing power until the batteries are sucked dry.
The motto for electric cars has always been,
FAST,FAR,CHEAP...Pick Any One.
Will the Tesla be the 1st to pick two?
brn says:
12:11 PM, 03/ 8/08
I think the Tesla is a cool proof of concept. The Greenies keep pointing at it as proof that you can have performance and be green.
How green is it? Does it really cost less to drive per mile (discounting depreciation) to drive than my, much more practical, mid-sized sedan? Have these questions been asked elsewhere and I've missed it?
My electrical bill is already pretty high. I expect such a vehicle would cause it to skyrocket.
ateixeira says:
10:43 AM, 03/10/08
I think this will be a hit in Hollywood. Look at what Tom Hanks spent to custom-convert a Scion xB.
Problem is, that's a very limited market. As long as they have realistic expectations for volume, it should do well.