Tesla Roadster: Silicon Valley's Breakthrough Electric Car

Submitted by Brooks Cole on July 27, 2006 - 3:27am.
Who killed the Electric Car? It may have been old school electrical engineering as much as the Petro overlords. What better way to create the next-generation Electric Car than by piggybacking off of the Darwinian race to make laptop batteries ever more efficient? Powered by lithium-ion cells and the backing of PayPal cofounder Elon Musk, Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and ex-eBay chief Jeff Skoll, Martin Eberhard has created Silicon Valley's first real auto company: Wired columnist Joshua Davis recently took a ride in one and describes the experience in this breathtaking article. According to the Wired Article, Eberhard's first car, the Tesla Roadster, is powered by 6,831 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries -- the same cells that run a laptop computer. Range: 250 miles. Fuel efficiency: 1 to 2 cents per mile. Top speed: more than 130 mph. The first cars will be built at a factory in England and are slated to hit the market next summer. And Tesla Motors is already gearing up for a four-door battery-powered sedan. See other sexy pictures of the Tesla Roadster here. Submitted by Brooks Cole
Wow, it looks hot! I wonder
Submitted by GregoryHeller on July 27, 2006 - 2:17pm.

Wow, it looks hot! I wonder if they can skin it with Thin Film PV cells, to help you keep the batteries charged. I also wonder about the environmental impact and recycle-ability of the Lithium Ion Batteries, and as per our discussion here last week, how much energy goes into producing the vehicle.