[Peakoil] Re: A sleek, high-performance roadster that happens to be electric

[Leigh Kite]

Yeah, I've been following Tesla motors for a while now, waiting for them to 
unveil this.

You have to be happy with a 400 K range and 3 hour home charge.  The only 
problem I can see  is scale and sustainability of the lithium ion battery 
packs.  They do wear out, and often they're more expensive to replace than 
whatever you're powering with them.

I wonder what the response from the energy cartels as well as Ford/GM is 
going to be?

Unfortunately I can't fit a 17 piece drum kit in a roadster, so I'll have to 
wait until somebody makes a fully electric people mover.

Now that fully electric is displaying some level of feasibility, nobody 
should support this stupid hybrid idea; let the companies know that we want 
a real solution.

Cheers,

Leigh

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Keith Thomas" <keith at evfit.com>
To: "'Peakoil Discussion'" <peakoil at act-peakoil.org>
Cc: "Leigh Kite" <lkite at tpg.com.au>
Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 7:36 PM
Subject: A sleek, high-performance roadster that happens to be electric


This is from the New York Times today. One for Leigh especially.
--------------------------------------------
Keith Thomas
www.evfit.com
--------------------------------------------

  Go Speed Racer!

Published: July 23, 2006

Virtue alone will not break the grip that petroleum holds on the
automobile market. That’s why the introduction of a sleek,
high-performance roadster that happens to be electric rather than
gasoline-fueled is worth noting.

Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up, has developed a two-seater
that goes from zero to 60 miles an hour in four seconds, leaving the
days of electric cars as glorified golf carts in the dust. The company
seems to understands what it means to love cars as well as the
environment. (On its Web site,
http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=1, Tesla revels in the
power of the car’s acceleration pinning passengers to their seats.)

With a range of about 250 miles, the Tesla Roadster can go much farther
on a single charge than earlier electric cars. And 150 of those miles
cost about the same as one gallon of gas. But the car itself will not
be cheap, running from $85,000 to $100,000. Rather than a stumbling
block in this case, it’s actually a selling point.

  Martin Eberhard, the company’s chief executive, recognizes that new
technologies usually start out as high-end products. He and his team
are making their car the newest hot gadget, a status symbol. If rappers
and football stars buy them, maybe the company can make a dent in the
market.

Tesla already has plans for a mainstream vehicle down the road if it
can expand its business. Perhaps this is one area where trickle-down
theories could really work.