The Greentech Media staff finally got their hands on the Tesla Roadster. Previously tested by Michael Kanellos, they were lucky enough to score a drive in the new Roadster 2.5. While GTM won’t rehash Michael’s road test, or report what all the other automotive journalists have already written, they will tell you why driving a Tesla is a completely unique and special experience and why they are not the logistical nightmare some have made them out to be.
The Tesla Roadster is not just sports-car fast; it’s supercar fast. With a 3.7-second 0-60 mph time that rivals Ferraris and Lamborghinis costing hundreds of thousands of dollars more, full-bore acceleration in this car is downright violent. Mash the accelerator (no gas pedal here) and you are instantly pinned to the seatback. Unlike standard internal combustion engines, there is no wait for the revs to climb into the power band. Throttle response is instant and linear, and without the hassle of gears to change, 50-60-70mph comes up on the speedometer before you even have time to think, ‘What’s the speed limit again?’
The sound of the Roadster is very addictive. The whir of the engine as it climbs past 10,000RPM is so unique that the producers of the latest Batman films amplified it many times over and used it as the sound of the new Batmobile. As the pitch of the watermelon-sized engine and speed of the car rise in sync, you begin to wonder when you’ll enter a time warp back to 1985.
Is the Tesla practical? If you don’t have any kids or animals to transport, commute fewer than 250 miles a day, only need to carry golf-bag sized cargo in the back (conveniently sized, no?), and have $110,000 to spend on daily driver, then this is the car for you! In all seriousness, however, this car is not meant to be practical -- it’s meant to showcase the possible capabilities of electric vehicles. For some customers, it just so happens to be usable on a day-to-day basis.
In this video the Tesla Roadster (red car) races against a Corvette Stingray, Ford McLaren and Ferrari plus some dude on a motorcycle, who nearly got himself killed.
To aid in the regular use of the Roadster, it can be ordered with a charge kit that will connect it to everything from a hamster on a wheel to a socket for a washing machine. Should you need to charge it on the go, the purchase of a car also comes with a concierge service that will direct customers to the best place to juice up within the vehicle’s remaining range. The hamster hook-up will have a much longer charge time than household appliance connections, but when the car is about to die there’s really no time to be picky. With a range north of 200 miles, however, the car stores more than enough electricity to get owners from Boston to Cape Cod or from San Francisco to Napa Valley, trips potential Tesla owners probably take with frequency. Once there, they can plug in at their weekend abode.
The Tesla Roadster has not turned the automotive industry on its head, but since it was introduced in 2008, it has raised many eyebrows and impressed those lucky enough to drive it. With the less-expensive and more usable Model S on the way, and other automakers (Nissan, Ford) and hi-tech leaders (Siemens) aggressively pushing into the EV segment, the Roadster has proven that an EV is capable of almost everything its internal-combustion counterparts are and hopefully has paved the way for other electric vehicles across the entirety of the automotive spectrum.
COMMENTARY: The $100,000+ price tag of the Tesla Roadster certainly puts this car out of the reach of most Americans. However, Tesla is producing a passenger Sedan and its recent deal to share EV technologies with Toyota, will hopefully bring the high-performance characteristics of Tesla's high-speed Roadster to the general public.
Although Tesla Motors had a highly successful IPO in June, raising $226 million, I am still worried about Tesla Motors ability to sell sufficient Roadsters to reach break-even, let alone profitability, in the fairly small exotic car market. It has been in business over two years now, and incurred substantial red ink, and projecting more of the same in 2010.
At the end of September 30, 2010, Tesla had 2,000 orders for the Roadster outstanding and had delivered 1,200 through September 2010. It plans on producing about 1,500 Roadsters per year, but there are rumors that it may kill the Roadster in 2011. BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Ferrari are all entering the EV sports car market, so this may be the reason.
Tesla Motors also claims to have accepted deposits for over 1,000 Model S sedans, but has yet to start production. In September it culminated a deal to take over Toyota's NUMMI production facility in San Jose, but it will take at least a year before any cars are produced at that plant.
It's first quarterly earnings report since the IPO is scheduled for November 9, 2010, so we will know more.
Courtesy of an article dated October 25, 2010 appearing in GreenTechMedia
Yah! Your right there Leisa, is it practical to have this car. Maybe some of the car addict would love to have this one. By just looking at the style.
Posted by: 300 Spartanworkouts | 06/27/2011 at 05:31 PM
The Tesla roadster was designed to go about 250 miles on a charge, but there is an upgrade kit that allows the battery to last up to 325 miles on a single charge. It's about $10,000 extra. You make a valid point, about how long the batteries will last as one drives faster. You will probably get a lot less mileage, no doubt.
Posted by: Tommy | 04/06/2011 at 06:06 AM
No doubt that the speed of this roadster is a huge leap for electric cars, but the biggest question is, its practicality. How far can it go on a single charge, and how long would be the wait until it's fully charged. It may become a toss up between saving money, or saving time. Either way, this is still a major breakthrough, which only needs to be improved.
Posted by: Leisa Dreps | 04/05/2011 at 11:32 PM