Meet Tesla's Fully Electric Car

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 27, 2009 8:45 AM CDT

(Newser) – The electric car is real—at least in prototype form. Tesla Motors yesterday unveiled a working prototype of its much-anticipated Model S, a fully-electric 5-door sedan, the LA Times reports. It’s actually Tesla’s second electric vehicle, but unlike the Roadster, which is produced in London and carries a $109,000 price tag, the Model S is intended as a mass-market vehicle. The first ones hit the road in 2011.

Of course, with prices starting at $57,400, the Model S is hardly a bargain-hunter’s dream, but the company stresses that it’s eligible for a $7,500 tax credit. The goal is to produce 20,000 a year in Southern California. The Model S can do zero to 60 in 5.6 seconds and has three battery options, ranging from 160 miles a charge to 300 miles. The smallest battery can be recharged in 45 minutes, much faster than current charge times.

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Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen, right rear, walks between two prototypes at the introduction of the Tesla Model S all-electric 5-door sedan, in Hawthorne, Calif., Thursday, March 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, at the wheel, and chief designer Franz von Holzhausen take the prototype Tesla Model S sedan for a spin after its unveiling in Hawthorne, Calif., March 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

A Tesla Roadster is charged with a special 220 volt, 70 amp charger system at a Tesla showroom in Menlo Park, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008.

Journalists crowd around the prototype Tesla Model S all-electric 5-door sedan after its unveiling in Hawthorne, Calif., Thursday, March 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

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We're trying to accelerate the electric car revolution. This is not a handmade car. It's not a derivative on an existing gasoline car. - Tesla CEO Elon Musk

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 4 comments

riffran

Mar 28, 2009 6:06 AM CDT

slowly but surely, the tech is getting "there"...Nice acceleration. Brushless DC motors have great torque, and do not need a transmission....add regenerative braking..and the better battery...yeah!!!!

Snowleopard

Mar 28, 2009 1:18 AM CDT

That being said, Telsa is purposely shooting for the high-end market. Smart strategies since new technologies cost a lot when they're first introduced. About 1/3 of the cost of their cars are in the lithium batteries, so I don't think the price drop will be that significant, unless battery technology itself becomes a lot cheaper. As for the 22k electric car, just a guess, but I think they're going to leave the low cost electric vehicles to the major car manufacturers for at least the next few years, since they don't really have the economies of scale on their side.

Mr.C

Mar 27, 2009 6:11 AM CDT

thanks for sharing - I doubt that that is a hard rule, but it would be great to have a 22k electric

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