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"All 100 are gone" (http://news.com.com/2061-11128_3-6105809.html)

Michael Kanellos - CNET News - August 15, 2006

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Tesla_Roadster.jpg
All-Electric Tesla Roaster is already a success.

Will people $100,000 to plunk down on an electric sports car? Yes, says Tesla Motors.

Tesla, which has created an all-electric sports car, has already booked deposits for its first 100 cars, according to Martin Eberhard, Tesla's CEO. The $100,000 deposits guarantee that the buyers will get the cars, which will come out next year.

"All 100 are gone," he said.

The company unveiled its Tesla Roadster on July 19 in a glitzy event in Santa Monica. At the time, around 37 people had already plunked down deposits. Many early buyers, such as Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Ebay co-founder Jeff Skoll, are investors in Tesla. So far, only a few cars have been fully completed.

The Tesla Roadster goes from zero to sixty in about four seconds, about as fast as a Ferrari. But, unlike a Ferrari, it doesn't make a vrooming noise or smell like gas. It sort of makes an eerie hum, like those cars in the 70s cult classic Death Race 2000.

They are fun to ride in.

The good thing here is that if Tesla can make an electric sports car with a 250 mile range, then it shuld be possible for Toyota or Honda to make a family sedan with a 250 mile range.

They don't need to make it 250 miles all electric, just whatever your average commute each day is. With a smaller gasoline engine they'll be able to improve ICE efficiency even more, with the end result being a plug-in hybrid that's all electric for 60-80% of the time, with the ICE being available for long trips on weekends and stuff. I'm positive that any manfucturer could put together a small, aerodynamic , plug-in hybrid with the battery capacity to go ~20-60 miles per day all electric and a ~10-20hp gas or diesel genset in the back for long trips.
Obviously, pulling energy from the grid will be much more efficient, and by using a genset that will always run at maximum efficiency with the battery acting as a buffer, gasoline efficiency can be optimized. The downside would be that P&G wouldn't do anything anymore, but on the upside, the driver would probably get better than P&G mpg assuming the same average speed.The price would be largely dependent on how big your battery pack needed to be, but I think they could be built for ~$14k-$whatever for a wide range of consumers.

Hi All:

___I am just excited to see a nice real world all electric get off the ground and although the cost is outrageous, they may gain the experience as well as bring in the expertise to build the next gen futuristic/modern 4 door sedan for < $30K sometime in the not to distant future … I can almost see their 5, 10, and 20 year business plan written on the wall with Ford, GM, Honda, and Toyota, in their sites at each and every development hurdle. It is only the price and C rates of the Li-Ion packs nowadays holding everybody back and speaking with an insider/industry rep just the other day, the Li-Ion safety issue is a problem now seen in the rear view mirror as the issues have been overcome without question.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

It's only a matter of time before we see EVs with large ranges. Can't wait to kiss the ICE goodbye :)

This is awesome rather than pulling the old stinking iron out out the garage on your day off,you can now enjoy clean,quiet,smooth and fast. To bad it can't be more affordable for guys like me "joe lunch box". Bob

I would think for EV cars to become *truely* mainstream, only two things need to happen:

-- EV range needs to be about 200 miles per charge
-- The price on a 4-door family sedan needs to be no more than $30,000.

I think there will come a time in the not too distant future where that will be possible. It's going to happen a lot sooner than fuel cells (since most families don't have a million dollars for a Ford Focus FCV.)

Hi All:

___Another way to look into the future of automobile transportation …

Make|Model|Price|0 – 60 mph Performance|EPA FE Combined|Emissions|Range|NVH
2007 Dodge|Viper|$83,000|4 seconds|15 mpg|LEV - Tier II/Bin9|277 miles|Ridiculous Amount
2008 Tesla|Roadster|$100,000|4 seconds|135 mpg equivalent|ZEV|250 miles|None

___Silently passing up every gas station ever built? Priceless :D

Tesla Roadster

We are now accepting reservations for our regular production Tesla Roadsters. The first 100 of these will come fully loaded (as opposed to our base model) with all Tesla Roadster optional equipment including:
Hard top
Navigation system
Mobile charging cable
Upgraded leather interior
Floor mats
These options are on top of the features of the well-equipped standard Roadster:
Soft top
A/C, power locks and windows, cruise control
Heated seats, stereo w/ CD player, iPod connector, ABS brakes, traction control
Unique PIN number to start the car and prevent hot-wiring
Valet mode to limit car’s range, acceleration and speed
Alarm system that sounds when doors or windows have been opened
Dual airbags, side impact protection, front and rear crumple zones
Access to the carpool lane (HOV) without a passenger (subject to state and local laws)For anyone who is interested in the Tesla Roadster and is located 100 miles or more outside the metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City or Miami, we will be charging an out-of-area service fee of $8,000. This will allow us to provide you with the same high level of service for those located near our Tesla Motors Customer Care Centers and will cover our cost of sending a Tesla Motors-trained technician to your home or to transport your car to our nearest facility if necessary.

Price: $100,000 (excluding taxes, title, etc.)
Delivery date: Fall of 2007 (anticipated)
Reservation payment: $75,000, which is applied to the sales price at the time of delivery.
While this is not a special edition Tesla Roadster, it is still an early production car and we have reduced the reservation payment by $25,000. To reserve the next available production number, the reservation payment of $75,000 is required and is refundable at any time up to and including the day of delivery.

___Good Luck

___Wayne