Written by Prognog Staff
Enthusiasts of the electric vehicle have cause for celebration this year with the release of the Tesla Roadster from Tesla Motors. While there are only 100 cars available, expected to be delivered by the Summer of 2007, the company has already begun taking order for next year's model as well.
The Roadster is packed with a 248hp electric motor capable of 13,500 rpms and a two-speed transmission. Performance is extraordinary with a 0-60 time under 4 seconds and a top speed of over 130 mph. The car definintely goes, and unlike gasoline powered cars, the peak torque begins at 0 rpm and stays powerful up to 13,000 rpm.
The Tesla Roadster has an expected range of about 250 miles and a full charge, depending on how low the baterries are, can take under 3.5 hours to fully charge. The lithium-ion, or Li-ion, batteries, all 6,831 of them, are good up to about 100,000 to 125,000 miles and may even go much further than that. After they've reached the end of their useful life, they are both recyclable and reusable.
The Tesla Roadster will be produced initially in England at the Lotus factory with all drivetrain and body components supplied by Tesla. Although the initial design stems from Lotus and the chassis was originally from the Lotus Elise, the Tesla engineers designed their own version to create the Roadster.
Tesla's longterm goal is to eventually produce a four-door electric car that's more affordable, manufactured in the United States. According to Tesla, "We consciously chose to develop a high-end sports car as our first car in order to develop the performance DNA from which we could create other electric vehicles. Our next model will leverage the Tesla Roadsters technology, resulting in a less expensive sports sedan that we can sell at higher volume."
The Tesla Roadster
The Roadster is packed with a 248hp electric motor capable of 13,500 rpms and a two-speed transmission. Performance is extraordinary with a 0-60 time under 4 seconds and a top speed of over 130 mph. The car definintely goes, and unlike gasoline powered cars, the peak torque begins at 0 rpm and stays powerful up to 13,000 rpm.
The Tesla Roadster has an expected range of about 250 miles and a full charge, depending on how low the baterries are, can take under 3.5 hours to fully charge. The lithium-ion, or Li-ion, batteries, all 6,831 of them, are good up to about 100,000 to 125,000 miles and may even go much further than that. After they've reached the end of their useful life, they are both recyclable and reusable.
The Tesla Roadster will be produced initially in England at the Lotus factory with all drivetrain and body components supplied by Tesla. Although the initial design stems from Lotus and the chassis was originally from the Lotus Elise, the Tesla engineers designed their own version to create the Roadster.
Tesla's longterm goal is to eventually produce a four-door electric car that's more affordable, manufactured in the United States. According to Tesla, "We consciously chose to develop a high-end sports car as our first car in order to develop the performance DNA from which we could create other electric vehicles. Our next model will leverage the Tesla Roadsters technology, resulting in a less expensive sports sedan that we can sell at higher volume."
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