Tesla high-powered electric car hits market

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Who wants to buy this? :smiley:

Tesla high-powered electric car hits market
Updated at: 1735 PST, Saturday, May 03, 2008
NEW YORD: The introduction of very first electric powered car Tesla Roadster in America next week, comes as good news for those who are hit hard by the increasing petrol prices.

After several years of development, the Roadster - with sleek lines like a Ferrari or Porsche and a sticker price of $109,000(euro70,513) - officially moves from the drawing boards to the market next week when Tesla’s first store opens.

The next store is to open in a couple months near Tesla’s headquarters in the Silicon Valley city of San Carlos, where the car was developed with venture capital of more than $40 million (euro26million) from such investors as Google Inc. founders Larry Page andSergey Brin. More stores are planned for Chicago, New York and other cities by early next year.

Although a fully loaded model can set a buyer back as much as$124,000 (euro80,217), that’s still cheap compared with a high-end Ferrari. And its 6,831-cell lithium-ion battery pack gives off no emissions.

The car goes from 0 to 60 mph (100 kph) in just under four seconds and tops out at 125 mph (200 kph). It goes 225 miles (362kilometers) on one charge and can be fully recharged in 3.5 hours, which Tesla officials say should allow most people to drive it to work and back and recharge it at night like a cell phone.

Driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco, however, would requires topping in, say, Fresno and plugging its adapter cord into a motel room wall socket.

Tesla officials say Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, actors GeorgeClooney and Kelsey Grammer and musicians Will.i.am and Flea have each ordered a Roadster.

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Re: Tesla high-powered electric car hits market

I read about that earlier. I can see in 10 years time that small but sizeable numbers of cars will be electric. The 1000 lithium batteries that run it alone weigh a ton. I think the battery technology will vastly improve over the next few years.

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Re: Tesla high-powered electric car hits market

yaaar, electric car shmlectric car, where does the electricity come from?
if we are talking solar, wind or tide sourced energy then thats something. otherwise you are just using electricity in the car generated from power plants using the same fuels, or coal..

gasoline prices may be on the rise, but its not that electricity would be cheap anyways. again..going back to the sources of energy issue

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Re: Tesla high-powered electric car hits market

Due to the economies of scale electricity has to be cheaper than petrol. You can recharge the batteries in about 3.5 hours in the comfort of your own home. The performance of the car is good and it can do about 250 miles on one charge. Not all electricity is generated from crude oil. Therefore it should be more environmentally friendly. As time goes on these cars will become more efficient as well, and need less electricity to run.

Another fabrication by Geo News
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Re: Tesla high-powered electric car hits market

^Would be interesting to find out how much the 3.5 hour recharge costs for the 225 kms you're going to get. Still much cheaper than petrol I'm sure. True that electricity is using the same resources to make this energy, but at a much cheaper cost than running a car engine giving you 4 kms a litre.

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Re: Tesla high-powered electric car hits market

while the net co2 emissions do decrease but the problem does not go away, vast majority of power plants still use non renewable sources, sources are high on co2 emissions, clean coal technology is probably the cleanest, but unless we harvest solar, wind, tide, geotherm etc, its a sirt term solution. nuke option is there too but it has its own drawbacks.

dont get me started on ethanol, that is a whole diff ballgame.

and be ready to hear about EMC impact of electric cars, while a lot can eb shielded..thus costing extra adding weight and thus reducing efficiency.

kakay last time I read this stuff, the cost was pretty low, like a tenth or less of gasoline. but that is now...

I made 2 points and both still stand. while total co2 emissions may decrease..I say may because we have to figure out where teh enrgy will come from to power millions of electric cars..coal fired plants?

and then with the pressure on the grids and higher demand of electricity, prices are bound to go up.

this is among good initial steps. and has shown that u can have performance in an electric car, the technology needs to result in more options for ppl, suvs minivans, coupes..so they dont feel they are in some amc pacer like ug-car.

and the second part about renewable energy sources is paramount, that has to get more solid footing.

this topic is a passion for me, tesla although not something i was directly involved in, leveraged consultants from my prev company quite extensively, on topics of battry safety and EMC etc. my brother's solar car mad dog II still hangs on a wall in science museum in London.

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Re: Tesla high-powered electric car hits market

One of the news reports I read (sponsored by some big oil, I suppose) said that the combined cost and environment impact of electricity that powers these cars and the disposal of their batteries, make them more environmentaly unfriendly than your normal gasoline-powered cars. Oh well...

I do like Tesla though. Its fast and its exciting. For me a 2-seater is impractical, but once they come up with a regular sedan that can do 300 miles per charge, and hybrid it with a gas powered engine, so we can actually drive it to other cities, at a price that makes sense, then I'll be onboard.

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Re: Tesla high-powered electric car hits market

What I really want, is a nuclear powered personal jet that can fit in my drive way.

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Re: Tesla high-powered electric car hits market

Then all you need is a slightly longer drive way.

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