Silicon Valley startup unveils sexy electric car
As gas prices rise and vehicle emissions nudge the planet toward chaos, a Silicon Valley startup is hyping the electric Tesla Roadster — which goes from 0 to 60 in four seconds, has a top speed of 135 miles per hour, and costs over $80,000 (built-in satellite navigation technology and iPod dock included). “Most electric cars were designed by and for people who fundamentally don’t think we should drive,” Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard recently wrote on the company blog. “We at Tesla Motors love cars.” Financed in part by big guns from Google, eBay, and PayPal, the two-seater Roadster can go up to 250 miles on its 240-horsepower electric motor before its lithium-ion batteries need recharging. The Roadster will be available in L.A. and San Francisco this year, and in Chicago, New York, and Miami by the end of next year. For those of us on more modest budgets, Tesla Motors hopes to launch a cheaper electric family sedan within three years.
