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  2. Electric Cars Are Not Dead

Electric Cars Are Not Dead

By cortex on July 20, 2006.

The new Tesla has officially been unveiled. Wired has already taken it for a test drive:

He releases the brake and my head snaps back. One-one-thousand: I get a floating feeling, like going over the falls in a roller coaster. Two-one-thousand: The world tunnels, the trees blur. Three-one-thousand: We hit 60 miles per hour. Eberhard brakes. We're at a standstill again -- elapsed time, nine seconds. When potential buyers get a look at the vehicle this summer, it will be among the quickest production cars in the world. And, compared to other supercars like the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari Enzo, and Lamborghini Diablo, it's a bargain. More intriguing: It has no combustion engine.

The trick? The Tesla Roadster is powered by 6,831 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries -- the same cells that run a laptop computer. Range: 250 miles. Fuel efficiency: 1 to 2 cents per mile. Top speed: more than 130 mph. The first cars will be built at a factory in England and are slated to hit the market next summer. And Tesla Motors, Eberhard's company, is already gearing up for a four-door battery-powered sedan.

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And the article answers my two questions: $80,000 ands 3.5 hours to charge fully.

Nice! Wouldn't want to take something like that too far out of town, but it's a major step forward for electric autos, and would make a fine commuter. Nice alternative to the smart fortwo for the speed demons and commuters. :)

I want one!!!! Waaahhhh!

Now, if they would just make something like that that I could actually fit in comfortably. Oh well...