Why Tesla Motors Is Still Terrific

To car guys across the world, the name Tesla Motors brings one of two reactions: An instant bout with cold sweat and nausea, perhaps tempered with some fist waving and a mad dash for the whiskey bottle, or, on the rare occasion, guarded curiosity.

The truth is, as great as an electric car that can get 300 miles to the charge and go from 0-60 in 4 seconds might sound, if you jump for joy at this prospect, chances are you were never in love with the internal combustion engine to begin with.

But let me get back on track. . .

The Tesla is an overgrown remote control car that’s big enough to seat 2 adults, costs around $110,000, and is twice as efficient as the mighty Prius.

This translates into around 2 cents per mile to operate, or about 1 % of what it would take to run the cheapest gas-powered offering boasting comparable acceleration specs.

In short, it’s the power and excitement, not to mention excessive price, without the goofy looks and downright comatosing performance of today’s greenest green machines.

And in a world where burning fuel is becoming less and less acceptable, it’s also pretty much the best that any of that automakers have been able to offer to those of us who want not just practicality, but fun.

This fact has not been lost on some of the big boys.  In May of this year, Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes, and makers of the super-popular Smart, put up $50 million for a 10% share.

And they are just the latest in a line of impressive names to jump on the Tesla bandwagon.

Google founders Sergei Brin and Larry Page, Ebay president Jeff Skoll, venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, the Bay Area Equity Fund and a host of other almost-household names have piled nearly $200 million into this company since 2004.

Bolstered by this support, Tesla plans to broaden their product line by releasing the Model-S, a $50k sedan built to compete with the likes of the BMW 5-series. True to the Tesla mission, the Model-S will be able hit 60 in less than 6 seconds, and get its power—all of its power—from the same outlet that powers your toaster.

In case you were wondering, 0-60 in less than 6 seconds is pretty damned respectable for a toaster.

Perhaps most impressive of all is that Tesla’s long term plans include a production run of 20,000 for the Model S—a far cry from the 25 roadsters per week they’re producing today.

Now, I remember what I said about EVs just a few days ago: As long as their batteries are charged from coal-burning plants, flooring this glorified slot-car is still not exactly guilt free.

But let’s face it, at 2 cents per mile, and at 300 miles to the charge, Tesla may be the most forward thinking of any of today’s alternative-fueled car manufacturers.

Because for the first time since the designers at Toyota decided to model their image of green after a bulbous doorstop, somebody has finally decided to make efficiency exciting.

To a greener future.

Dave
CleanEnergySector