Tesla electric roadster: the hottest eco-friendly car.
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The electric vehicle was first realized in the mid-1880s but PayPal co-founder Elon Musk wanted to take electric cars to the next level so maybe that’s why he named his company after Nikola Tesla, a pioneer in electromagnetism. When we first came across the site of the Tesla Electric Roadster 2 months ago, they were in the later stages of final testing and ready for production but we didn’t include it in our line-up of better cars for the environment for one reason, which we will divulge later.
Now, the Tesla roadsters are all over the web and news and it’s getting a lot of attention too. Who wouldn’t want one? Consider these performance and efficiency specs:
1. 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds.
2. Top speed of 125 miles per hour.
3. Range of approximately 220 miles on a single charge.
4. With batteries empty, a full charge takes 3 hours and 30 minutes. Half-empty, takes less than 2 hours.
5. Batteries will last for 100,000 miles.
6. With off-peak charging, it is possible to drive the Tesla roadster at 1 cent per mile.
7. Battteries are light, durable, and recyclable.
9. Absolutely zero emission.
All that power and eco-friendliness comes wrapped in a super-sexy tight little package…
Click here for more pictures and wallpapers.
So what makes it different from our list of cars for the environment? Its price tag that hovers around $100,000.00 plus the fact we can’t use it to carry a lot of groceries and the kids. Nice car but looks like another toy for the wealthy. It’s always been our stand that no matter how earth-friendly a vehicle is, if only a few people will use it, it won’t have much impact on our effort to reduce overall emissions.
But there’s hope since Tesla is planning to release “whitestar,” costing from $50,000-$70,000, next year as an alternative to the BMW 5 Series and Audi 6 and a “bluestar” model in 2012, costing $30,000.00 (wikipedia.org).
Despite the high price that’s beyond the means of regular pops and moms, Tesla is still to be lauded for picking up the pieces of General Motors’ EV1– centerpiece of the movie “Who Killed the Electric Car?”
Other posts you’ll want to read:
- Nano Car by Tata and the Environment
- Better cars for the environment.
- How to help achieve a cleaner environment
- Popular Mechanic’s 10 Green Gadgets.
- Bamboo bicycles anyone?
May 6th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
I don’t think it’s such a bad idea even to have the high priced models come out first — so much in our society, in the way of action, seems to happen when celebs make a crack at something — so why not make the hot eco-friendly autos posh, let the “culture mavens” have at ‘em first until they become trendy, and then create more affordable models for everyone else? I always think — you have to play within the rules of the system if you want to see real, comprehensive change. Trying to better the system while at the same time effectively changing the rules by which the system operates has been a real problem for environmentalists.
May 7th, 2008 at 4:40 am
The prius is way is better in eco friendly! I love mine!
May 7th, 2008 at 4:44 am
Totally want to get a Prius.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Hey, this car is amazing. Not only the great appearance but also powerful enough.
May 7th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
BMW has a hydrogen powered car that they have out with some Hollywood starts. I would love the opportunity to test one of those babies! My budget isn’t stretching very far with $4/gallon gas lately.
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May 9th, 2008 at 12:10 am
I would love one of those. I would race all over town in one, then just plug it into my wall at night only to go crouzing the the day. I would pick up tons of chicks, but I definitely wouldn’t drink and drive.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:10 am
When you take in to consideration the capabilities of the car, the price can be justified. However, with current coverage of climate change etc, unless cars can be created for everday use with parents,children and price in mind, zero emission cars have a long way to come before they are accepted as the norm.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Hi Guys!
@ Easy
Right on the dot. I think that’s the business model Tesla is banking on. Go after the big money trendy crowd first then use the profit to build something for the masses. It is said that Calif governor Schwarzenegger has already ordered one, I hope other high profile stars will follow soon so the bluestar will become a reality.
@Greenville
Yep, the Toyota Prius, a hybrid, is the favorite of eco-conscious drivers. At 21K, it’s a viable alternative to gas guzzling cars of the same size.
@ Cash
We couldn’t agree less. It’s an electric beauty, they should’ve named it electra.
@ Margaret
And there’s no end in sight to the rising oil price. We’re afraid it’ll stay in the upper levels while the Iraq war is going on.
@Alabama
It sure can do races but I’m afraid you’ll have to go slow on the chicks since it’ll only allow one babe per ride.
@Greame
Your right. At least Tesla is on the right track and is bucking the trend of the major auto makers. It shows that an electric vehicle can be at par with conventional ones in terms of power. It won’t be long before electric cars for the masses will come rolling out of factories.
If the major motor companies will see money in an electric market, they’ll be scrambling to get their own models out the door ASAP. Just like what happend with the Tata Nano.
Hail Tesla!
Thank you all for the visit.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:33 am
Wow, this car has just about everything I wanted except the PRICE.
May 26th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Maybe they’ll drop the price after a few years.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Now that official production has started. What are they currently producing in a Day or a Month. Is is 1 /day or 1/week etc. And I know that you are saying that will be ramped up as soon as possible and that is GREAT.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Well, their site says they are currently taking orders so maybe its on a per order basis as of now. With that price tag, they have to be sure somebody’s waiting with a check for every car they roll out.
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I wouldn’t mind taking a ride out in that one!
BMWs last blog post..BMW Looking To Buy Volvo
November 4th, 2008 at 5:39 am
That’s very possible.