So true to form, Tesla has used their expensive roadster to pave the way for a slightly less expensive sedan. It looks pretty awesome for a sedan. Unlike the roadster, which was based on the Lotus Elise, the sedan is their own design. Lots of pictures.
If you don't know, Tesla makes all electric cars. They claim a 300 mile range, 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, and a 45 minute "quick charge". Frankly, it is all market speak until the product gets into some real hands.
It's good to see an American company innovating in these hard times. I hope they are successful, it is definitely not an easy industry to break into.
6 comments:
Pretty sweet looking. What happens when you go on a road trip? Do you have to take a 45min break every 300 miles?
pretty much.. it's supposed to charge to 80% in 45 minutes, so it'd really be every 240 miles after the first leg.
that's about a meal every 3-4 hours, right up my alley :).
the batteries are supposed to be fast-swappable. so the idea would be to have places where you can swap out batteries and be on your way (these places exist only in the mind of tesla right now).
I am confused. The link says that car seats 7??? I think that is a bigger break through than a fast electric car. Does that include two bodies in the trunk or something? Regardless, it looks awesome.
My favorite part about electric cars is that no one seems to understand where batteries come from or how they charge. They act like driving an electric car has no environmental impact. That electricity you charge your car with has to come from somewhere! Batteries are also about as easy to store as nuclear waste. Electric is unfortunately not the answer. You all will just have to wait a few years until I discover cold fusion.
I agree with Adam on this. Electric cars are just a shiny object. Everyone looks at the shiny object while the really important issues are not noticed. What does that remind me of, oh wait it is the Obama administration's plan.
it seats 5 adults and 2 children (2 rear facing seats in the back similar to the old station wagons, woody anyone?). it seats 9 with your two dead hookers in the trunk (there is additional trunk space under the hood).
i'm not claiming batteries are the answer, but having your energy generated from a central location lets you concentrate your efforts on efficiency. the lithium ion batteries are no saint to the environment, but they are recyclable. however that is a pretty power intensive process so it's not all green.
from an owners standpoint, maintenance on an electric car is much less than a conventional vehicle. just think, no more oil changes, air filters, o2 sensors, you know, all those things that the mechanics try to rip you off over. also, with regenerative braking the brake pads basically outlast the vehicle.
if you had $50,000 to spend on a luxury sedan, i think you'd have to seriously consider this as an option.
Yeah all things considered it isn't terribly expensive and looks really cool. It would be a neat novelty too. I can't imagine all the weird stuff you would have to get used to like it being so quiet and stuff.
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