Tesla Motors

Tesla Motors

These cars are so cool! I would seriously buy one if I could. I don't believe Tesla Motors has any affiliation with Nikola Tesla but even the name is cool right? I love these cars!

The Tesla Roadster

"The Tesla Roadster is an all-electric sports car produced by the electric car firm Tesla Motors and is the first car produced by the company.

The Roadster can travel 244 miles (393 km) on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery pack, and can accelerate from 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 3.9 seconds. An improved, Sport version of the Roadster was released in January, 2009 with adjustable dampers and a new hand-wound motor, capable of 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 3.7 seconds. The Roadster's efficiency, as of September 2008, was reported as 120 mpgge (2.0 L/100 km). It uses 135 W·h/km (4.60 mi/kW·h) battery-to-wheel, and has an efficiency of 92% on average.

The Roadster was developed with design help from Lotus Cars, who supplied the basic chassis development technology from the Lotus Elise. First unveiled to the public on 19 July 2006, series production of the car began on 17 March 2008."

Tesla Sedan Unveiled! Tesla Model S Hits the Road
(March 26, 2009)

The Tesla Model S sedan made its world debut today at Elon Musk's Space X facility in Hawthorne, CA.

In addition to announcing various details on the car, Musk reiterated his confidence in the eventual success of the program. "I have zero doubt that this car will be manufactured," Musk told the assembled press.

Here's a basic rundown of the details that Musk divulged during his questions and answer sessions with reporters:

- Range: approximately 300 miles
- Fast charge capability: 45 minutes
- Battery pack can be swapped out in less time that it takes to fill a typical gas tank
- 0-to-60mph in less than 6.0-seconds. Top speed: 135mph
- Approximate weight: 4,000 pounds
- Aluminum body panels
- Single speed transmission
- 7-passenger capacity via two rear-facing seats in the cargo area
- Cost: $49,900 after federal tax credit

According to Wikipedia:

Tesla Motors Inc. is a Silicon Valley startup that engineers and manufactures electric vehicles. It is currently the only production automaker selling highway-capable electric vehicles in North America or Europe. The Tesla Roadster is the first production automobile to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production EV to travel more than 200 miles per charge. The vehicle set a new distance record when it completed the 241-mile Rallye Monte Carlo d'Energies Alternatives with 36 miles left on the charge.

The company says the Roadster does 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and, according to a "well to wheel" analysis, is twice as energy-efficient as the Toyota Prius. The company had delivered more than 500 Roadsters to customers in the United States and Europe as of June 2009. Tesla has taken more than 1,000 reservations and expects to begin production of an all-electric sedan, the Model S, starting in late 2011.

Company executives say Tesla's primary goal is to increase the number and variety of EVs available to mainstream consumers in three ways: It sells its own vehicles in a growing number of company-owned showrooms and online; it sells patented electric powertrain components to other automakers so that they may get their own EVs to customers faster; and it serves as a catalyst and positive example to other automakers, demonstrating that there is pent-up consumer demand for vehicles that are both fun to drive and socially responsible. General Motors' then-Vice Chairman Robert Lutz said in 2007 that the Tesla Roadster inspired him to push GM to develop the Chevrolet Volt, a hybrid sedan prototype that aims to reverse years of dwindling market share and massive financial losses for America's largest automaker.

The founding of the company and who can rightly be called "founder" is the subject of a lawsuit and controversy. Tesla was started in 2003 by a team of engineers including Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning, Elon Musk, JB Straubel and Ian Wright in San Carlos, California. Musk became chairman and provided top level guidance on the technology and product design, while Eberhard was initially responsible for day-to-day management, and Straubel led development of the Tesla proprietary powertrain. The company is named for electrical engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla. The Roadster's motor is a three-phase Tesla AC induction motor.

Tesla Roadster On the Road