If you want to buy a very unique car that is environmentally friendly, there’s no better choice than the Tesla Roadster. The Tesla Roadster is the world’s first completely electric sports car and has been a big hit with everyone who has driven it. The Tesla Roadster uses no gasoline and can travel more than 220 miles after a single charge of the battery.
Perhaps the most unique thing about this car is that it actually looks like a stylish sports car. When people think of eco-friendly hybrids or electric cars, they typically think of cars that are square and unexciting. That’s certainly not the case with the Tesla Roadster. It’s quite the opposite as the Tesla Roadster has a very sleek and hip look that looks like a top of the line sports car. From the outside appearance, it’d be tough to tell that it’s fully electric and not your typical gasoline powered sports car.
The Tesla Roadster not only looks like a sports car, it’s also priced like a sports car. With a total cost at about $100,000, you will need deep pockets to afford this car. To even get on the waiting list for a Tesla Roadster, you have to pay $5,000. This is definitely not a car for someone who is looking for a cheap car or a car that is family friendly. However, this two-seater is perfect for someone looking for a fun and fashionable car to hit the road in.
While the sticker price will set you back a good chunk of change, you can eventually start making up for it by saving on gasoline. No longer will you have to waste money filling up the gas tank. It’s estimated that you’ll spend about two cents per mile with a Tesla Roadster, which compares quite favorably to gas powered cars. The mile per gallon equivalent for a Tesla Roadster is more than 135 miles.
Not only does this car look like a sports car, it also drives like a sports car. Tesla Motors, the company that makes the Tesla Roadster, claims that the car goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than four seconds. That’s very nice acceleration – especially considering the fact that this is a fully electric car.
Tesla Motors is a relatively new company. Founded in 2003, it was started by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, both of whom are engineers. The San Carlos, California based company was founded with the hope of making customer-oriented electric cars a reality. Tesla Motors got an early boost by receiving more than $7 million from Elon Musk, the PayPal co-founder. To date, Tesla Motors has generated more than $100 million from investors, with Musk chipping in for more than a third of that money.
After much hard work and hours upon hours of testing, Tesla Motors was able to showoff its Tesla Roadster prototype in July of 2006. With much interest and a number of test drives, critics gave the sports car rave reviews. Tesla Motors sold the “Signature One Hundred” Tesla Roadsters shortly after the prototype was unveiled, and those cars sold out quickly. Tesla Motors released one hundred more of the cars and those again sold out virtually overnight.
The first quarter of 2008 will be when the Tesla Roadster introduces the 2008 production model. Amazingly, the waiting list for the 2008 Tesla Roadster is so long that Tesla Motors is now offering a waiting list for the 2009 Tesla Roadster.
Part of the reason why the Tesla Roadster is already so popular is all the positive press it has received. Time magazine named the Tesla Roadster the best transportation invention of 2006. BusinessWeek named Tesla Roadster as the best product design in 2007 for its ecodesign. Other publications, such as Forbes and Popular Mechanics have given the Tesla Roadster very positive feedback.
The Tesla Roadster won’t be the only car Tesla Motors will produce. In fact, they want to eventually tap into to a multitude of car markets. A sports sedan is being planned that will cost approximately half as much as the Tesla Roadster. This sedan is likely to become a reality in 2009 or 2010. A couple years after that, Tesla Motors hopes to introduce their most affordable car. This still unnamed car would cost approximately $30,000 and could become an option for almost every car buyer on the market.
Although to get to that point, Tesla Motors needs to find success with the Tesla Roadster. While there are a number of Tesla Roadsters on the road right now, 2008 will likely be a sink or swim year for the car company. With its first production model hitting the streets, the scrutiny will be at an all-time high.
There have already been some complaints about the Tesla Roadster. One such complaint is the few number of service centers available. With service centers planned only for Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami and the San Francisco Bay Area, some customers are worried about how they will tackle any problems they will face with their new car. Since the car is so unique and very different from a gasoline powered car, a regular mechanic likely won’t have the experience or know-how to service a Tesla Roadster.
Additionally, reports of a transmission problem have surfaced as of late regarding the Tesla Roadster. Due to transmission issues, the 2008 Tesla Roadsters will be shipped with the car locked in second gear. However, once the transmission issue is solved, Tesla Motors will replace the transmission free of cost.
While the Tesla Roadster isn’t yet the perfect car, it’s in a fast growing niche that is desperate for a decent solution. On the whole, the people are tired of paying an arm and a leg for gasoline. Not only that, the repercussions on the environment are well documented. Many point to humans’ reliance on gasoline powered cars as the leading cause of global warming.
For the Tesla Roadster, the biggest hurdle it’s going to have to overcome if it wants to become a mainstream option is reliability. People will sacrifice a lot to avoid using gasoline in their cars, however they won’t sacrifice reliability. If you can’t rely on the Tesla Roadster to get you from point A to point B, this car isn’t going to make it big. If it can prove to be reliable, people won’t hesitate to make the switch.
If you want a Tesla Roadster anytime in the near future, the best idea is to get on the waiting list for the 2009 model. While it costs $5,000 to get on the list and another $95,000 to purchase the car, you otherwise won’t be able to get your hands on a new Tesla Roadster.
With big money backers and an eager consumer base, Tesla Motors has a bright future ahead of itself. With the 2008 Tesla Roadsters hitting the streets soon, we’ll have a better idea about whether or not this is a car company that can truly revolutionize the car industry. Ten years from now, either Tesla Motors will be a huge thriving corporation, or it will be looked at as a broke company with good intentions that just couldn’t put the pieces of the puzzle together.
