Blowing away all previous mileage marks by production electric vehicles, the Tesla announced that its upcoming roadster recorded 255 miles on a single charge in a recent EPA City test cycle. It hit 235 on the Highway portion of the test. That gives it an EPA combined rating of 245 miles.
All that and Tesla still claims 0-60 in under four seconds. We have yet to drive one.
The Tesla two-seater is powered by 6800 tiny lithium-ion batteries. While the first lead-acid GM EV1s generally got 40 to 60 miles on a charge, subsequent nickel-metal hydride (NiMH)-powered units could usually go over 100 miles between plug-ins. The NiMH-powered EV1 went 140 miles in its EPA certification run in 1999.
The first 50 Tesla Roadsters will be produced in the first quarter of 2008, with another 600 planned by the end of that year. The roadster was originally planned for a summer ’07 debut, then fall of ’07.
Next up from Tesla is an electric-powered sedan called the WhiteStar, which was expected in 2009 though no update on its arrival date was given.
The roadster is to be built by Lotus in England, while the WhiteStar will come out of a new plant in New Mexico. A smaller sedan is next on the plate, with the goal being a full line of electric vehicles at some point in the future
1 comment:
Do you like it?????
Ha ha ha, Goldmoney
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