It drives as smooth as silk. Its looks turn heads. It sounds like a spaceship and it’s completely emissions free. Today’s Tesla Roadster, the first electric car to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, is quickly catching up to yesterday’s Ferrari. And it has a price to match: $109,000.
Driving the 2010 Tesla Roadster is an experience in itself. I know. Last Friday, I was lucky enough to test drive the sports car. I got to feel the g-force of accelerating from 0 to 30 mph within seconds. I can only imagine what it feels like to lurch from 0 to 60.
But this car is not only about speed and torque. It’s about efficiency. It’s about quality. It’s about environmentalism. But most importantly, it’s about change.
“Electric cars are definitely the future,” said Jeremy Siwek, a product specialist with the Palo Alto-based Tesla Motors.
The two-seat Tesla Roadster is currently the only freeway-legal electric car you can buy. It has a 235-mile range and is two times more efficient than a hybrid, according to the company. And driving it doesn’t harm the environment.
Because the Roadster runs off a 1,000-pound battery, fit snugly in the back trunk, the sports car gives off zero emissions. Not only that, but it is relatively quiet. The sports car gives off a growing whir while accelerating, but nothing that would wake the neighbors up.
The Tesla Roadster costs $109,000, yet Siwek calls it “the least expensive car to drive on the road.” Why? Because it costs only $4 to power 240 miles, drivers avoid exuberant motor-maintenance bills and, well, it’s electric.
“You can do 0 to 60 mph all day long and you’re not wearing the motor out,” he said.
According to Siwek, many people carry the preconceived notion that owning an electric car limits one’s driving freedom.
Siwek pointed out that drivers can recharge the car at RV parks, hotels, restaurants — anywhere there is an outlet.
“It’s very little cost for them,” he said, adding that it only takes three and a half hours to recharge the Roadster. “But most of your charging happens at home. It’s just like recharging your cell phone every night.”
Tesla opened its Seattle dealership in September. So far, according to Siwek, there are about 50 owners in the Seattle area, two of whom live on Mercer Island. And there are others in line for Tesla’s next model, the 2012 Model S sedan, which seats seven and runs for nearly half the price of the Roadster at $49,900 (but still boasts speed, accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds).
Islander Scott Jacobson, a partner with the Madrona Venture Group, is on the waiting list for the 2012 Model S. Asked about his investment choice, Jacobson said it comes down to being “a car buff, a gadget geek and an early adopter.”
“I’ve never gotten excited about electric cars until I drove the Tesla Roadster. It’s the first electric car that didn’t seem to compromise on anything,” he said, adding that because he has two children, he opted for the sedan. “The Model S has all of the same qualities of the Roadster, but it seats seven, has some very cool technology — the entire center console is a touchscreen — and it is relatively affordable.”
Jacobson said that, in his opinion, it will be some time before electric cars become a common sight on Mercer Island. However, he encourages efforts by the city — which has three hybrid cars in use already and plans to introduce charging stations within a year — to promote electric transportation.
“If enough of them — and us — go electric, we can improve air quality and decrease noise pollution on the Island,” he said. “From that perspective, I think it is important for the city to build out some charging infrastructure and promote the fact that MI is electric-friendly.”
For more information on Tesla, visit: www.teslamotors.com.
