There is a myth out there that says, “Electric cars will either be prohibitively expensive, small, short ranged, or ugly, and will take forever to become practical mainstream vehicles.”
Well, Tesla Motors has been producing electric cars for years now. While many other upstart electric auto manufacturers (mainstream, not golf carts) have come and gone under the financial pressures associated with bringing an electric vehicle to the consumer at large, Tesla has been fine tuning its business relationships, buying factories, and debugging its initial test base, the Tesla Roadster (an electrified Lotus Elise). It’s been successful in doing it too!
Image via Wikipedia
So successful, in fact, that Tesla found resources to develop an additional model. That model is the Tesla S. It will be hitting showrooms in 2012.
While the Tesla Roadster was that small, expensive electric vehicle that everybody uses as justification in ignoring the “electric revolution”, the Tesla S is different. It is more main stream in design and is a larger, 4 door electric vehicle. It is also not prohibitively expensive. In fact, its price point is on par with luxury sedans out in the market now, such as Cadillac, Lexus, BMW, etc..
Watch this video for a better perspective on the Tesla S.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JUFfk7GxEuw
Hybrids have been paving the way in changing the psyche of American car buying public for years now. The combustion engine is not the exclusive offering the United States anymore. Electric cars, once ignored, are also now gaining ground in the American market. But, the electrics that have been introduced so far by the mainline manufacturers have left the public wanting,… wanting lower pricing, more space, more range, or a more aesthetically pleasing design.
The Tesla Model S is an elegant 4 door car and less pricey than the Tesla Roadster thanks to improvements in technology and supplier relationships. It’s range is 160 miles (options are available for longer ranges). Pricing comes in at $49,900 (after U.S. Federal Tax Credit). AND,… it’s fast! Times for 0-60 are listed at 5.6 seconds. A future performance model will lower that time closely resembling sports cars.
As the Tesla S starts selling, more development money will come in to Elon Musk, the owner, which in turn will aid in bringing other models to the Tesla line at even lower price points.
You can find another story about the unveiling of the car here.
Although it has been a long haul for Elon Musk, one that almost brought him to financial ruins, he has made a strong case for the beginning of electric car acceptance by the car buying public. In fact, the mainstream vehicle line-up of many manufacturers may include several electric models in the near future thanks to the efforts of Tesla Motors. So, now you will understand when I say electric cars are not as prohibitively expensive anymore,… and are becoming practical mainstream vehicles.
Hernandiesel 