Core77

Actually 0-60 is in 4 seconds. Not surprising considering the torque of electric motors. However, this too will be a failure, just like any other electric vehicle. It may be fast, but you can be sure it won't handle as well as a similar car with an internal combustion engine due to the weight of the batteries. Plus you'll have to replace ALL of them about every 5 years. Plus there's no heater. Plus it'll have craptastic range, and even less with headlights and a radio. Our battery technology is just not there yet. This will remain a toy for rich people who can afford to blow it on stupid toys like this.

actually, Tesla lists 0-60mph as 3.9s. i know, i know, it's nitpicking. ;)

wow, looks like we have an optimist in our midst with Rob. "won't handle as well as an internal combustion car"? and how exactly do you know that? have you driven it? do you even know what kind of batteries are in the Tesla and how much they weigh? because i can tell you, they aren't lead acid. the pre-production models shown weigh in at 2500 lbs, slightly more than the Lotus Elise (on which it was based), but with a longer wheelbase than the Elise. the battery pack weighs 900lbs, but the entire powertrain, including motor and gearbox, only weighs 160 lbs. no heater? it's got heated seats. its "craptastic" range is 250 miles (EPA highway). sure, peeling out and AC and such will reduce that, but that figure is 3 times the mileage of the GM EV1. and as for replacing ALL the batteries in 5 years (or more, since they state the battery PACK has a life of over 100,000 miles)...big deal? what maintenance do you have on normal cars that only requires attention every 5 years?

this car isn't trying to be an electric honda accord, aka "an EV for everyone". it's a niche car, a pure sports car, with a niche market...but with technology that could be applied to all vehicles in the future. people who buy this car will be directly funding the improvement of it's components and technology. Tesla plans on producing a sedan in a couple years, at half the price of the roadster. and who's to say what battery technology will be in two years? i can only think it will improve.

to you this may be a stupid toy for the stupid rich. you would never buy one. hell, i would never buy one. but i applaud anyone who's willing to show that there are viable alternatives to oil, and that nerdy, eco-friendly technology doesn't have to look nerdy and eco-friendly.

to keep this post on "design", i do have an issue with this car. i understand they hired lotus engineering to help design the car, but the body is still basically an Elise. i mean, bits and pieces are changed, it's a little longer, but it still has the body and profile of the Elise. i think they could've done more with changes in body panels and such to diferentiate the car, rather than create an 'Electric Elise'.

Actually this car will be the best handling, fastest accelerating vehicle on the market of the money (about 80 K). And a range of 250 miles is more than enough for 90 % of people out there. Even a 200 mile range is enough for 85 % of all people out there.

This is about what I would really buy! Bit more aggressive body design would improve sales. Excellent name chosen for the car - Tesla was a real wizard of experiments with electricity and a true genius in electrical engineering, member of New York?s social cream and really cool guy.

Full weight of the car, with batteries, will be around 2600 lbs -- not a slug by any means. You can give the aluminum frame and carbon-fiber body a lot of credit for that. I'm not sure how a 200-250 mile range gets defined as "craptastic", it sounds pretty decent to me. It does indeed have a heater, and I believe heated seats as well. The heater, lights and radio should use very little juice compared with the drive system, so they shouldn't reduce the range much at all. Heat will be instant, instead of having to wait for the engine to warm up as most cars do! According to Tesla Motors, you won't have to worry about accidentally leaving your lights on and running the battery down -- the lights could run all day without making much dent in the 900 lbs of Li-ion batteries. Is it a toy for rich people? Sure. . . TV sets were once toys for rich people, and so was home air conditioning. That's how it begins.