The feeling was electric, and so was the drivetrain, when Tesla Motors unveiled the Tesla Roadster this week in Santa Monica, CA.
Created by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, the Roadster is a supercharged electric vehicle with the look and feel (and price) of a high-end sports car. The Roadster can get top speeds of over 130 mph, Tesla says, and does 0-60 mph in about 4 second with a whisper-quiet electric motor.
Co-founders, Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard and VP Engineering Marc Tarpenning, invited 350 guests to the Barker Hangar in a Santa Monica airport to see and test-drive the electric sports car. Celebrities in attendance included Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and "The West Wing" actor Bradley Whitford.
Eberhand and Tarpenning's vision was to create a high-tech, zero emissions sports car that's not dependent on fossile fuels except at the generating station. Tesla Motors believes most electric cars in the past treated the driving experience as an afterthought second to the environmental and efficiency benefits of an electric vehicle.
With the Roadster, Tesla Motors plans to provide a car with all the benefits of an electric vehicle and the sheer thrill of a high-end sports car. Last night's event was intended to educate, attract investors, and sign up "Signature One Hundred" people who will buy the first hundred Tesla Roadster's.
Ederhard is the former co-founder of two successful start-ups. He was CEO of NuvoMedia and Vice President of Electronics at Belfort Memory International before that. Tarpenning co-founded NuvoMedia, and oversaw the development of the electronic and software systems for the Roadster, website and back-end information systems, while a serving as a CEO for Tesla. Eberhard and Tarpenning provided the early funding for the company, and were joined in 2003 by Elon Musk. Musk, who is a CEO of SpaceX, is a major investor and serves as Chairman of Tesla Motors. Last month Tesla announced it secured an additional $40 million in financing led by Musk and VantagePoint Venture Partners.
The Roadster offers a 3-phase, 4-pole, 185kW electric motor. Unlike most car batteries that are lead acid or for hybrids nickel-metal hydride, the Roadster's Energy Storage System is powered by a lithium-ion battery. Typically electric cars last 60 miles before a recharge. According to Tesla, the Roadster can last 250 miles on a single charge. A full charge takes 3.5 hours. The Roadster comes with Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSE), a home-based charging system as well as an optional mobile charging kit for powering up on the road.
The vehicle still needs to pass Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) implemented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) before it can be sold to the public. Tesla plans to sell the Roadster for $80,000-$120,000, releasing it in mid-2007, first in California and then expanding to Chicago, New York, and Miami, then other cities.
Want to see what the Roadster looks like? Continue on to our visual slideshow of the Tesla Roadster...
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