The 2009 Tesla Roadster

Big Daddy

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When Tesla Motors announced the Tesla Roadster all-electric sports car, with supercar-like performance, a range of 227 miles on a single charge and no emissions whatsoever, the sports car world and the automotive public in general was skeptical. An electric car of this performance caliber was but a pipe dream to this point, as no-emissions electric cars that did not depend on fossil fuel were thought of as more like golf carts than sports cars

When Tesla Motors began delivering the 2008 Tesla Roadster models at volume levels, the green car world touted the new electric sports car as a major victory, and the car-buying public responded with enormous enthusiasm. The 2008 Tesla Roadster electric car models are completely sold out, even though many have not yet been produced.

Tesla is now taking orders for the 2009 Tesla Roadster electric sports car, and has a new production plant set to open soon in California. The Tesla Roadster electric sports car is relatively unchanged since the limited-run 2008 model, but new color options are available as well as a revised and refined interior more suitable to a sports car costing upwards of $100,000.

When factoring in the fact that the Tesla Roadster is all electric, meaning an end to dependance on fossil fuels and a cost per mile that is but a fraction of that of the gas guzzler sports cars with similar performance numbers to sports cars costing nearly as much as the small electric wonder, the base price of $109,000 starts to sound like a bargain, if you have that kind of cash.

Below is official information released by Tesla on the innovative battery system used by this unique little car. How a small start-up company with capital that is a fraction of that of the automotive industry giants can build an electric car of this performance caliber is something the automotive industry is trying to figure out, and copy, as car buyers clamor for fuel efficient cars without sacrificing performance.

RSports.com
 
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How a small start-up company with capital that is a fraction of that of the automotive industry giants can build an electric car of this performance caliber is something the automotive industry is trying to figure out, and copy, as car buyers clamor for fuel efficient cars without sacrificing performance.
Part of the answer is that they didn't develop the chassis from scratch. Some of you may know that this is a Lotus Elise rolling chassis with a Tesla carbon fiber body and electrical system. Brilliant move, they eliminated a lot of design, manufacturing, testing and certification costs, allowing them to focus on their mission of building an electric powered car.
 


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