It’s Electric!
by Donny Nordlicht
I was surprised most by the Tesla Roadster by the noises I heard when I would step on the accelerator. Generally, when I started the car there was this…giggling noise. Highway cruising brought about a whee, and acceleration created a whoosh noise. Very strange noises for a hundred thousand dollar roadster to be making, indeed…hold on, that wasn’t the Tesla, that was me!
Although I only had a few hours behind the wheel of Tesla’s sprightly drop-top, I quickly became a fan. Gone were the impressions of electric cars as over-grown golf carts. The Tesla changed that impression with its instant, seamless and quiet acceleration. All it takes is a tap of the go-pedal and away you go!
And boy does that little red roadster fly. Its one-speed transmission sends all of the power at the thought of a green light from the lithium-ion battery packs to the rear wheels, to make this a quick little bugger. Tesla claims a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds.
And just like the Lotus Elise on which the Roadster is based, the power is mounted in the middle of the car, blessing it with perfect balance, handling, and composure, even over some of lower Manhattan’s roughest roads. However, the slight stretch the Tesla gets to accommodate the battery packs ends up giving the edge of the Lotus in comfort. The leather and carbon fiber seats don’t hurt either.
If this is the future of cars, bring it on. The Roadster comes with its own at home charging station, but it can be plugged into your regular household 110 volt outlet as well. With the charging station, a full charge will only take you about three to four hours, and get you between 150 to 250 miles, depending on your driving style. The basic bumper to bumper warranty including the battery is 3 years/36,000 miles; and buyers can opt to double the time and miles.
This drive was interesting for me because I’ve been currently driving a Cadillac CTS-V; another fine piece of all-American ingenuity. They are both sportsters and both have decidedly American takes on what the class standard is. Where the Cadillac has a balls-out 556 horsepower supercharged V8, the Tesla goes about its sporting duties less as a blunt object and more as a precise sword. A precise instrument made for fast, environmentally friendly fun. Right now, there are two Tesla dealerships in California with dealers slated to open in Chicago, New York, Seattle, DC, Miami, London, Monaco, and Munich by year’s end.
The Tesla Roadster has a base MSRP of $101,500.
http://www.teslamotors.com/
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