Not so with Eberhard’s creation, the Tesla Roadster. Based on a design from England’s Lotus car company, the Roadster can go from 0-60mph in just under 4 seconds, and can go for about 250 miles on a three and a half hour charge. Eberhard’s background in electrical engineering told him to ditch the out-dated and inefficient lead-acid and nickel metal hydride for the lithium ion batteries that laptops use (the Roadster has 6,831 of these). But performance is hardly lacking: the Roadster’s 13,500rpm ceiling means it can do 70mph in first gear (hence, the existence of only two gears, plus reverse).
Granted, all of this comes at a steep $80,000 pricetag, but Eberhard is developing a four door sedan possibly sometime in 2008. Could we finally see the electric car for the rest of us?
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