The coolest green car on the planet is probably the Tesla Roadster. The little open-top two-seater, made by a California start-up, goes from zero-to-sixty in a Ferrari-like 3.9 seconds, without using a drop of gasoline. It's entirely electric, and supposedly can travel up to 250 miles on a single charge. The only problem with the Roaster? It costs six figures. And, as a two-seater, it's not practical for daily use. Oh, and the waiting list to buy one is now more than a year long.
The little company that builds it is about to address those first two issues.
Tesla, according to Kicking Tires, has announced plans to "build a new electric sedan in California." The four-door "would be able to travel 225 miles on a single charge, carry five people and cost around $60,000." The company did not, however, provide a release date for the car.
The sedan, known as the Model S, will be produced in California. The Detroit News adds, "The factory will be in the San Francisco Bay Area and have capacity to make as many as 20,000 cars a year."
Tesla has big plans to bring its technology further down-market. Jalopnik reports, "In addition to announcing the Model S, Tesla boss Elon Musk has stated they hope to develop their technology to the point where future cars may be priced at $30,000 and below, but that won't be the case when the first models roll out in four years."
At this point, a reasonably-priced electric Tesla is still just an idea. But a $60,000 five-seater is a more practical electric solution than the $100,000 Roadster. At that price, the Model S isn't exactly going to be the Model T of the 21st century. But that price does bring all-electric technology out of the price range of supercars, and into the price range of Lexus and BMW buyers. If the company can genuinely bring the car to market, it could revolutionize what car buyers expect to get for their money.
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