Just saw a Tesla Roadster in person...

[Twoplanker]

Walking home from dinner on Redondo Beach I saw this guy parking an exotic car that looked a bit like a Lotus. I stopped and chatted with him a bit. He was the General Manager of Tesla motors.

The Lotus Roadster is amazing: 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and yet still gets 256 miles per gallon!


Here's a bad iPhone photo that I snapped:



Sweet!

[mc_roon]

the just set up shop in menlo park. pretty cool cars if you have the $$ to get one

[The Dad]

We saw two in five minutes about a year and a half ago. We then discovered that the HQ is one town north of us.

[squirrelmurphy]

sexy cars. saw an interview with one of the top guys saying that if they do well w/ the roadster offering, there is potential for a full electric sedan or wagon for ~30k within 5 years.

soooo.... does that come in AWD?

[nick > jesus]

soooo.... does that come in AWD?

yeah, it does. Four electric motors, one for each wheel.

[Twoplanker]

the just set up shop in menlo park. pretty cool cars if you have the $$ to get one

$109k is not too bad for this kind of car - fast, quick, innovative. It's a bargain.

[Buzzworthy]

$109k is not too bad for this kind of car - fast, quick, innovative. It's a bargain.

Heh, not with your driveway in the winter. Talk about the impossible, or say impassable.

[Keegan]

Man I'd love this car! Wonder what the chances of a test-drive are...

[Smokey McPole]

I saw Tesla when they opened for REO Speedwagon or something in 1986 or something. It was fuckin' rad!

[Chainsaw_Willie]

256 mpg? How does that work? It's a full electric. It doesn't have a gas engine on-board.

And yeah, if I had the scratch, I'd buy one.

[splat]

Puts a whole new spin on taking the company car home.

[Twoplanker]

256 mpg? How does that work? It's a full electric. It doesn't have a gas engine on-board.

And yeah, if I had the scratch, I'd buy one.

It's a conversion described as:

"Conversion from electric consumption to gallons of gasoline equivalent is calculated using the Department of Energy equivalence factor documented in the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 10, Part 474."

[AbsolutStoli]

there was one parked in the driveway of some house in boulder, practically across the street from where i work. from the looks of it the dude traded in his 911 turbo for the tesla. i havent seen either in the driveway for a few weeks now though. its a nice looking car though.

[squirrelmurphy]

yeah, it does. Four electric motors, one for each wheel.

Hm, their website says one electric motor in the rear, powering both rear wheels. That idea ^^ ain't bad though, I know Honda was working on something like that a few years back.

[pappag]

The Tesla is nice, but I think the Scorpion from Ronn Motors is more up my alley:



450 bhp
40 mpg
0-60 in 3.5s
$150,000













ORSESHOE BAY, Texas — Engineers at Ronn Motors have designed a hot new car, named the Scorpion, that uses a gasoline and pure hydrogen mix to increase fuel economy and cut down on emissions.

Power comes from a 3.5-liter six-cylinder VTEC Acura engine from the 2008 TL Type-S, which lays down 450 hp thanks to new twin turbos and an intercooler. The engine is connected to a hydrogen system that breaks down water molecules and puts them into a non-pressurized tank to be drawn by the intake manifold. There is an addition of close to 30 or 40 percent hydrogen to the internal-combustion process, allowing for an estimated fuel economy of 40 mpg.

The vehicle will also feature a six-speed manual transmission, limited-slip differential, lightweight clutch and flywheel, Wilwood 12-inch disc brakes and 20-inch two-piece forged Modena Wheels by MOZ. The body is hand built in carbon fiber and weighs in at only 2,100 pounds. All of this allows for a 0-to-60-mph time of only 3.5 seconds.

Plans are for the car to be out in the fall, with a price around $150,000. Check out the Ronn Motors Web site for further details.



http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=129931

http://www.ronnmotors.com/

[squirrelmurphy]

whoa, that all black one is sexy

is pure hydrogen easy to come by these days? I suppose if you're dropping $150 on a car, you wouldn't care if it ran on gold flakes...

[TyeStick]

Walking home from dinner on Redondo Beach I saw this guy parking an exotic car that looked a bit like a Lotus. I stopped and chatted with him a bit. He was the General Manager of Tesla motors.

The Lotus Roadster is amazing: 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and yet still gets 256 miles per gallon!

It looks like a Lotus, because the body was designed by lotus.

[Beaver]

Hm, their website says one electric motor in the rear, powering both rear wheels. That idea ^^ ain't bad though, I know Honda was working on something like that a few years back.

Volvo is working on that too.

[FrankZappa]

Isn't Tesla the one with very few moving/mechanical power train parts. Something like 12...?
Think how easy would that be to fix.

[The Dad]

Isn't Tesla the one with very few moving/mechanical power train parts. Something like 12...?
Think how easy would that be to fix.

I think the final production model dropped a speed from the transmission.

Leaving it with one.

[PNWbrit]

I had to drive my Dad's Toyota Prius rental the other day.

I'm really going to miss the petrol when it's all gone.

[FrankZappa]

Nah. I mean the entire line. Power plant to wheel. Only close to a dozen parts as compared to the conventional engine, drive... which has thousands of parts.