Last fall I criticized the Toyota Prius for its gutlessness ("The first move feels like a golf cart, with only a bit more power"). Today, I discovered an electric car with some oomph! The Tesla Roadster! I could handle the stigma of a "midlife crisis," but I can't afford the $100,000 sticker.
Tesla is headed by Martin Eberhard, the entrepreneur who brought us Rocket eBooks. (Do you remember those? I do.) Tesla was founded on July 1, 2003 and is based in
San Carlos, California, though the cars are manufactured in England. WaPo has the scoop on future plans:
Tesla Motors started taking orders for the car this week, though a publicist would not say how many customers the company has signed up. The first production models should be delivered next year, he said. A sedan is also on the drawing board, tentatively scheduled for an appearance in 2008.
Tesla has plans to open sales locations in Los Angeles and San Francisco this year, and in Chicago, New York and Miami by the end of 2007. Buyers outside those areas will be charged a $10,000 out-of-service-area premium to cover costs for transporting the vehicle for servicing during the life of the car.
Only 10 Tesla Roadsters have been built so far. Four are on the West Coast, to charm prospective buyers there, and the other six are in Britain and scheduled for use in safety tests.
The company launched a blog earlier this week. I don't know if these cars will sell, but if they don't, it won't be for lack of marketing prowess. Coming out with an electric sports car seems like a brilliant move to me.
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1. Posted by Jeff Lipshaw on July 22, 2006 @ 9:53 | Permalink
I will sit by for almost anything, but not criticism of my Prius (or as a former colleague described it, my Flintstones car). First, if you have a lead foot, you can beat most people off the red light because the gas engine just kicks in faster. You only sacrifice about 13 miles per gallon on average if this is your consistent style. Second, if you don't have a lead foot, in those first few moments of golf cart sensation, the glow of insufferable moral superiority illuminates your soul.
Signed,
Eco-Chic in Charlevoix
P.S. Speaking of alternate environmentally friendly modes of conveyance, will somebody explain why the Tour de France racers do not actually compete on the Sunday ride into Paris?
2. Posted by Gordon Smith on July 22, 2006 @ 19:14 | Permalink
Jeff,
Three things:
First, if you are using the gas engine, why buy a Prius? Maybe your comment was tic, but if you lop 13 mpg off the Prius, you have a decent economy car. Nothing special.
Second, regarding "the glow of insufferable moral superiority illuminates your soul." That seems to be an important part of Prius' success. One of the things that car manufacturers have learned is that hybrid owners prefer distinctive styling ... so that others know that they are driving a hybrid!
Third, the TDF riders occasionally compete for points (green jersey) on the last day, but the other prizes typically are decided by the time they reach Paris. The stage is fairly flat and fairly short, so no one is going to make up lots of time.
3. Posted by Jeff Lipshaw on July 22, 2006 @ 20:23 | Permalink
Re mileage, I get about 45 in the city and 52 or 53 on the highway. And that's with my lead foot. A neighbor down the street says he's getting between 55 and 60 (hence the 13 mph differential) but he's very, very gentle. I think that's still more than the typical economy car, and it really is a nicer car. Everything else you say about the motives of hybrid buyers is true of me.
4. Posted by Gordon Smith on July 22, 2006 @ 21:49 | Permalink
Not that there's anything wrong with that ...
5. Posted by Ron Vormwald on August 3, 2006 @ 20:57 | Permalink
1) I used to own a plymouth horizon. This box was the worst car I ever drove. Minus the lead foot and the flames coming out of the carb, I was routinely getting 40+ miles to the gallon and there wasn't a computer in the car that hadn't been fried. Some would say it had a lot to do with the 55 speed limit on the highway but I think it was Chysler supoerior design. Could have been my own aero dynamic body improvements. The year was 1976.
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