Tesla Motors Roadster
If you are like a lot of the population, then the other versions of fuel efficient cars including both hybrid and electric, suck in the styling department. The Tesla Motors electric car is looking to change that. As you can see from the picture this is an out and out sportscar that doesn’t come with the penalty of sucking traditional fuels faster than you can think how much it costs.
The Tesla is powered by an electric motor that generates about 185kw of power and is delivered in a constant manner from 0-6000 rpm and tops the rev counter at a whopping 13000 rpm. This means it leaves the line at a contantly increasing speed rather than the traditional method of requiring time to speed up then hitting a peak and not increasing any more. The downside with this (if you can call it that) is there is no need for constant gear changes to keep the engine at the optimum revs. So it only has a two speed manual gear box and no clutch. Just reach for the gear lever and change it. Not as much fun if you ask me.
Top speed is around 125 miles per hour and the range is 220 miles which is much more than most other electric vehicles. Chraging from a fully dead battery takes around 3.5 hours and can be done from most electrical outlet. If you want to go all the way then why not install solar panels at home to change the car. Many owners are opting for this too. Don’t worry either, you are constantly kept up to date as to the charge left so you won’t be stranded.
The batteries are lithion ion which is not considered a hazardous waste and are good for around 100 000 miles. Efforts are being made to work out a recycling program for these as well.
More information and pricing at the Tesla Motors website.
