Video: Driving Northwest: Tesla's electric Roadster

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The automotive industry is a brutal way to make a buck. Throughout modern history, despite the warning signs, entrepreneurs have plunged in with the idea that their new car company will be the next Ford, Toyota or VW. But for every Soichiro Honda there seems to be a dozen John DeLoreans. The next company to take a crack at the ruthless industry is Tesla Motors. It's not just any car; their first vehicle is an electric roadster.

Tesla Motors sprang from the minds of Marc Tarpenning, Martin Eberhard and PayPal guru Elon Musk. Perhaps because the name "Musk Roadster" didn't sound overly sexy, they've named the company after the famed electrical engineer Nikola Tesla. Not only did he give us the AC electricity we use in our homes today, his name sounds very cool. The founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page think this venture is a good idea and have invested.

This is not a golf cart

The folks at Tesla started with a simple observation: No one wants to drive the modified golf carts that have been passed off for electric cars. So instead of designing a small, slow, rickety appliance, they birthed a sleek sexy sports car. Loosely based on the aluminum Lotus Elise architecture (only 7 percent of the chassis is shared), the carbon fiber-skinned Roadster is a car many of us will lust after. The chassis and body are shipped in from Europe, batteries come from Japan and final assembly is in California

The Tesla Roadster is stylish, lightweight, and with 0-60-mph times of 3.9 seconds, lightning fast. This kind of performance isn't cheap. A base Roadster will set you back $109,000 and can run as high as $120,000. Fortunately batteries are included. Even if you're wealthy, prepare to be patient. At this writing there are 40 "productions starts" a month. Order now and your shiny new Tesla should be in the driveway within a year.

An electrifying performer

The Roadster is powered by Lithium-ion batteries, the same kind that boot up cell phones and laptop computers. The difference is the Tesla's rear mounted pack uses 6831 cells, which would power a phone for a very long time. Imagine the outrageous additional minutes charge. The slight hum the Roaster makes is courtesy of the battery cooling system. To get maximum pack life, it's crucial for the individual cells to remain the same temperature as each other as they discharge so all of them age at the same rate. It's also important to keep them cool so they don't burst into flames.

Nestled next to the battery is the PEM, or Power Electronics Module. This module controls things like motor torque control, regenerative braking control, and charging. Under that is a 115-pound electric motor that will propel the car to a top speed of 125 mph.

Up front where an engine is normally found is the air conditioning and anti-lock braking system. With no engine block to use as an interior heating source, a large resistor is used instead. The seats are heated since it's much more efficient to heat a person directly than the whole cabin. A wise use of electricity and light weight means a longer driving range.

A charge to drive 

Wiggling past the high door sills into the snug cockpit, a driver faces a fairly standard instrument panel. Turn the key and there's the faint hum of electronics and the rushing sound of a fan. There's no clutch, drop the shift lever into "D" and go. The Tesla is very fast but that doesn't really define the performance. For one thing, the engine has gobs of low end torque so the car immediately leaps off the line. Since the Roadster has a single-speed gearbox, there's no lag of any kind. No reverse gear either, the motor just reverses polarity. The throttle (not a gas pedal, remember?) has an unusually direct feel to it. These qualities coupled with the car's light weight give the accelerator the quality of a speed rheostat, dialing in the wanted performance immediately. It will make you smile involuntarily. The PR folks on hand call it the Tesla Grin. 

$109,000 Blue Light Special

Sadly, we assembled auto writers are limited to driving the car in the parking lot of a shuttered Kmart in Bellevue, Wash. We're also asked to take it easy. The car we're driving is "development prototype 11," not a production car, explaining the wires dangling out from under the instrument panel. 

While it's difficult to gauge the handling in this sort of setting it's apparent the small steering wheel has a very direct connection to the road. With no motor sound the primary aural experience is tire and wind noise. Since we're all used to driving with an engine sound to provide certain cues, it's easy to push the Tesla into a corner too quickly. It takes a couple laps to get my head around the Tesla's dynamic. After two more it's time to hand the car over to another journalist. Dang.   

While this is a press event, rabid car fans have somehow found out about the appearance and converged on the Kmart. They have all sorts of questions: "How far will it go on a charge?" About 240 miles. "How long does a full charge take?" 3.5 hours on 220 current, up to 30 hours on 110 (though a 2/3 charge comes up much faster). "Are the batteries recyclable?" Yes. Tesla is a performance car but the electric powertain certainly gives it an eco streak. A guy driving past it in his Prius is obviously green with envy, if you get the pun.        

Even with a storable canvas top for unexpected rain squalls, the roadster is not a practical car. If you can live with a Miata sized vehicle as a daily driver, the Tesla could be your only vehicle. For most owners, this will be a second car (or third or fourth or fifth). The trunk will carry a modest set of golf clubs. Those who can't pack light will want to wait for the mid-sized sedan Tesla is developing. Its target price is about half of the Roadsters. 

Big idea, small distribution network

Right now there are no showrooms outside of California. That's fine for stars like George Clooney but for those living in the Midwest that presents a service problem. That's expected to change in 2009 as they make their move into New York, Chicago, Miami and yes, eco-minded Seattle. Tesla was in town at the end of September scoping out sites. 

Since it's hard to bend space and time, nobody knows if Tesla will be a successful company or destined to the same fate as Preston Tucker's endeavor. The car itself feels solid but the worldwide financial mess that's occurring isn't helpful to any company right now. There have also been well documented problems. Founder Martin Eberhard was asked to leave. The original two-speed transmission was dumped because of durability issues and early Tesla owners have received single speed trannys that don't deliver full performance. Tesla plans to replace those gearboxes with a new unit that will bring those specs back up to the claimed 0-60 numbers. 

Still, people love the idea of a car that uses no gas and Tesla's unique position gives it an advantage. For the rich who want to the coolest toy on the block, the Tesla Roadster provides a real charge.