"Doctor Drivel" wrote in message
reenews.net...
http://www.teslamotors.com/
Made by Lotus and will do low flying. A saloon available in around 18
months time. Well by, by, internal combustion engine.
http://www.wired.com/news/wiredmag/0...ory_page_prev2
Looks like it is abput 8 months away
Tesla Motors unveiled their uber-chic Roadster, a supercharged electric
vehicle that looks, feels and drives like many other high-end sports cars
Wednesday night. The main difference is the noise. Powered by a 3-phase,
4-pole AC induction motor, the Roadster can go 130 mph and does 0-60 in
about 4 seconds, all completely silent.
Tonight was the grand unveiling of the Roadster in a decorated airport
hanger in Santa Monica, CA. I don't ride in many sports cars, and I
certainly have never been in one that zips across an airport's tarmac
without so much as a whisper. But tonight I got a quick ride in the Roadster
and all I could hear from the passenger's seat (not even Gov.
Schwarzenegger, who flew in for a brief look at the car, was allowed to
drive it) was wind noise. And myself saying "Wow" under my breath.
The car is low to the ground, and smooth in all possible ways. But this
vehicle isn't just a sports car. It's also a green car. There are zero
tailpipe emissions. There isn't even a tailpipe. Tesla Motors is working to
provide purchasers with a photovoltaic panel that will turn the driving
experience into an actual net producer of energy, according to Tesla Motors
chairman Elon Musk. (cont'd after jump)
Check out the exclusive video of the unveiling that features interviews with
Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard and the company's chairman Elon Musk, as
well as footage of the car in motion from both inside and outside the
cockpit - after the jump!
Check out the rest of my report, a gallery of LIVE and OFFICIAL pics, and
Tesla's press release with full specs after the jump.
Tonight's unveiling was also an invitation to purchase the Roadster when it
is released in mid-2007 (for about $80,000-$120,000). The company is
offering the first 100 Tesla Roadsters as Signature models. Musk said that
the people who buy the Signature cars will not only be getting an incredible
sports car, but will be helping to pay the R&D costs for future Tesla Motor
vehicles. And that's what tonight was really about
: the future. Gadget, an
L.A.-based mechanic who converts ICE cars to EV and was seen in the ovie
"Who Killed The Electric Car?", and that film's director Chris Paine, were
right behind me in line for the test ride. Paine filmed the promo video for
the Roadster that was projected onto the walls. Earlier in the evening,
Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard said that, "An electric sports car was the
way to fundamentally change the way we drive in the USA." Gadget and Paine
agreed - although Gadget is convinced his conversion process is going to be
more effective than $100,000 sports cars in getting EVs onto the streets -
and after seeing what is possible with an EV, I have to admit there is
pretty much endless possibility out there in electric motor land.
Lastly, there have been a lot of rumors floating around about the Roadster's
specs, and tonight Tesla Motors finally let us know exactly what the deal
is. Some of the rumors are true: the car can go 250 miles or so on a single
charge (thanks in part to regenerative breaking that charges the AC motor)
and will have all of the crash test ratings and safety features (airbags,
GPS) when it is released. You can read the entire spec sheet and press
release after the jump and at the Tesla Motor's website.