ALL ELECTRIC TESLA ROADTEST

Hybrid cars? OK. All-electric Tesla? An eco-thriller! Hybrid cars still hold onto the combustion past, but the Tesla shows how all-electric cars can be a sporty and eco-friendly alternative.
Clayton Collins, November 15, 2010 (Christian Science Monitor)

"…This [Tesla Roadster 2.5 Sport]’s suspension is tight, its tires low-profile, with barely any sidewall between rim and road…But mashing the accelerator pedal practically touches off St. Elmo’s fire. The next stoplight comes up fast. Absurdly fast, in an unnervingly quiet rush…

"…[T]he $100,000-plus, all-electric exotic that looks a lot like a Lotus Elise and, from a performance standpoint, leaves most hybrid cars in its electron cloud…[T]he Roadster’s chassis and some other parts are [from Lotus], though it’s more than 90 percent original, including its lovely, lightweight, partly carbon-fiber body…"

The Tesla Roadster 2.5 Sport (click to enlarge)

"…Loaded with torque, [the Tesla Roadster] does zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds – comparable to…Ferrari’s frighteningly quick F430…[T]op-end speed…is 125…Tesla is, so far, the one true electric supercar…In 2006 I saw its predecessor being built in San Carlos, Calif…It was worth the wait…I’ve flogged a modern Mustang GT on a straight back road. Run a 12-cylinder BMW hard on the Autobahn. Even turned in quarter miles on a drag strip in a Jaguar XKR…This is different. In terms of power on tap, it’s more like twisting the throttle in first gear on a Suzuki GSX-R sport bike – but without the screaming harmonics. (Frankly, that’s about the only shortcoming of this eco-exotic.)

"…The steering wheel feeds back every ripple in the road…Even though it’s a rear-wheel-drive car, the Roadster’s rear end won’t quite break loose on wet pavement in a hard on-ramp turn, with acceleration. Weight is well distributed…Let off the accelerator and the electric-drive system slows the car fast. Braking, when needed, is regenerative. The Roadster’s advertised range is 245 miles with its 900-lb. lithium-ion battery pack. Fully charging it [takes overnight]…"

click thru to Plug In America to track the emergence of tomorrow's personal transport

"…General Motors’s EV1 famously failed (or was made to fail). It took Toyota what seemed like forever just to produce a plug-in Prius…GM’s long-anticipated Volt – talked up as an electric car and finally rolling out this month– comes with a small combustion engine dedicated to battery-charging…One reason for the hesitant adoption…[is] “range anxiety.” That should fade as more businesses and communities add charging stations.

"…[T]he Nissan Leaf is a mainstream all-electric. There is an all-electric scooter. But like the Volt, most of these post-petroleum vehicles can't quite let go of combustion technology…Tesla’s supercar signals that, like everything else, some exotics have tilted eco…a values shift even among conspicuous consumers…The new Porsche 918 is a stunning gas-electric hybrid…The Jaguar C-X75 (still a concept, just recently unveiled in Paris) uses one electric motor on each wheel…Still, Tesla’s Roadster pretty much owns its crackling niche…"