I thinks this could be the real breakthrough in electric cars. Until now, electric cars has mostly been slow, impractical and most of them rather unaesthetic to look at as well (to add insult to injury).
However, this basically changes with the new Tesla Motors roadster. It goes from 0-60mph (0-97 km/h) in just 4 seconds. It looks good, and it can drive more than 200 miles on a charge. For the first time I see electric cars having a real future and not just as experimental cars. This looks like a real roadster that can compete favorably with engine based cars.
As I see it the only drawback that still remains is the range. Even though 200 miles on a full charge (which takes 3-4 hours I believe) is a big improvement it's still impractical compared to regular cars (which can of course be filled with gas in a matter of minutes). However, if they can increase the range and bring down the time it takes to charge further I see no reason why electric cars won't be the standard of cars in 15-20 years from now.
The key to that is that the driving pleasure (speed and handling) and comfort must not be compromised. The car must be as fast (or faster) and comfortable as normal car - I don't want a slow and ugly car, few people wants that. Tesla Motors gets this and I have a feeling most other car manufactures will follow suit sooner rather than later.
What do you think, a technological experiment with little real-world influence or a glimpse of the future to come?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi4wILg3V-Y[/youtube]
However, this basically changes with the new Tesla Motors roadster. It goes from 0-60mph (0-97 km/h) in just 4 seconds. It looks good, and it can drive more than 200 miles on a charge. For the first time I see electric cars having a real future and not just as experimental cars. This looks like a real roadster that can compete favorably with engine based cars.
As I see it the only drawback that still remains is the range. Even though 200 miles on a full charge (which takes 3-4 hours I believe) is a big improvement it's still impractical compared to regular cars (which can of course be filled with gas in a matter of minutes). However, if they can increase the range and bring down the time it takes to charge further I see no reason why electric cars won't be the standard of cars in 15-20 years from now.
The key to that is that the driving pleasure (speed and handling) and comfort must not be compromised. The car must be as fast (or faster) and comfortable as normal car - I don't want a slow and ugly car, few people wants that. Tesla Motors gets this and I have a feeling most other car manufactures will follow suit sooner rather than later.
What do you think, a technological experiment with little real-world influence or a glimpse of the future to come?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi4wILg3V-Y[/youtube]