2008 Tesla Roadster

After remaining dormant for several years, electric cars are surging back into the news. First, there was the summer debut of the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? followed soon after by the announcement in Los Angeles of the Tesla roadster, a $100,000 electric sports car built by a Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

The battery-powered Tesla is based on a modified Lotus Elise chassis. Its maker, Tesla Motors, of San Carlos, California, claims it’ll zap 60 mph in four seconds, juice it to 130 mph, and spin the meter for up to 250 miles between charges (the GM EV1 did up to 150 miles). And, unlike the Lotus, the Tesla Signature One Hundred Collector’s Edition (the first 100 cars, in other words) will have a cup holder.

Changes to the Elise structure accommodate the Tesla’s higher curb weight — it’s 2500 pounds, says the company, about 500 more than an Elise — and allow a larger cockpit and a comfort level above that of a kielbasa casing. Lotus Engineering performed much of the rework, and the Tesla will be assembled on the Elise line in Hethel, England.

The proliferation of hand-held electronics and the subsequent development of small, stout lithium-ion batteries to power them for days without charge are what make the Tesla possible, says Eberhard. Think of the pack as 6831 batteries measuring 1.0 by 2.6 inches, about the same size as a C battery. With a 220-volt, 70-amp charger made by Tesla that is hard-wired into your garage, the roadster will go from flat to flat-out in 3.5 hours. The car will be offered with a cord and a conventional 120-volt wall plug, should you be away from home, but charging time stretches to 33 hours. The pack will be warranted for five years or 100,000 miles.

The Tesla has a three-phase, 248-hp motor with a 13,500-rpm redline. A solenoid-operated two-speed manual transmission performs gear reduction and torque multiplication. A/C, anti-lock brakes, and airbags are part of the standard kit.

© Source: caranddriver
We need your comments below >>