by Paul A. Eisenstein

(2006-09-04)

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"Who killed the electric car?" So goes the title of a recent documentary film. For all intents, efforts to mass-market electric vehicles has failed catastrophically since California's effort to mandate a market for battery-powered products was rolled back. So why are so many high-profile investors lining up to pump money into a small Southern California firm developing a $100,000 electric roadster?

Despite that hefty price tag, Tesla Motors is betting its little two-seater will have far more drawing power than previous EVs, including the General Motors EV1. The Roadster claims 0-60 mph times of just 4.0 seconds, a top speed of 150 mph and a range of at least 200 miles on the highway and 270 miles in stop-and-go urban driving. Using the U.S. government's calculations, the carbon fiber-bodied vehicle will get the "equivalent" of 130 miles per gallon.

"These vehicles won't compete on price," explains Elon Musk. The Roadster "will compete on performance" that matches that of many of the highest-powered gasoline-powered sports cars, adds Musk, one of the founders of the Internet's popular eBay auction site.

Musk has put up much of the $60 million so far raised by Tesla Motors, which is based in the Silicon Valley town of San Carlos. Other investors include Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the wealthy founders of Google. And Michael Dell, the mail order computer mega-millionaire, is among the many high-profile customers who have posted large deposits for a two-seater still months away from production.

Martin Eberhard, Tesla's CEO, is a man on a mission, intent on showing that electric vehicles can meet consumer expectations, despite conventional wisdom to the contrary. "We need to break our addiction to oil," Eberhard declares. But he admits that not everyone shares his socio-political convictions. So to connect with consumers, Tesla "can't (just) ask Americans to behave like better people. We have to build a better car."

The Roadster targets a narrow, high-priced niche, "rather than a $25,000 car for everyone the first time," adds Eberhard, who adds that the project has been underway for three and a half years.

The visually striking package features a double-wishbone suspension under its lightweight body. And it boasts a number of technical features one would expect of a costly sports car, including cross-drilled Brembo brakes readily visible behind its forged alloy wheels.

But an estimated "40 percent of the engineering work has gone into the battery pack," stresses Tesla's chief executive. The Roadster makes use of the latest Lithium-Ion technology, in a pack with a total of 6831 individual cells.

The Tesla's dedicated, high-power charger will bring the batteries up to 100 percent charge, says Eberhard, in about three hours. Plugging into a conventional, U.S. outlet, at 110 volts, should top off a fully discharged battery in eight hours.

The transverse-mounted electric motor delivers the equivalent of 240 horsepower. And mated to a two-speed transmission, it is a torquey package that can leave rubber and match or approach the performance of more conventional sports cars, such as the Mercedes-Benz SL500 or Jaguar XK.

At least that's what Tesla claims on paper. Development continues, with current efforts focusing on drivability. The first Roadster isn't due out the door until the summer of 2007. Components will be sourced from suppliers around the world, according to Musk, and will be assembled in England. The company is hoping to produce as many as 1000 Roadsters annually.

A phased launch will initially target high-traffic, environmentally sensitive U.S. markets, starting with San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City. So far, there are 140 orders on the books - with the first 100 buyers required to post 100 percent down payments. That alone has generated another $12 million in cash for the start-up company.

While the two-seater is still in the late development stage, Tesla has already begun planning a second product. Known simply as the "number two car," it will be a five-seat sedan aimed at a much more mainstream market, according to Musk, more on the order of an Audi four-door, such as the A4. H is projecting volumes of 10,000 "and up." Tesla is still locking down plans for an assembly plant, though it hopes to produce the sedan in the United States, starting by 2009.

Whether the Roadster can overcome market skepticism obviously remains to be seen. Despite the optimism of EV advocates and California legislators, electric vehicles simply didn't connect with consumers when they burst onto the market a decade ago. Manufacturers such as General Motors and Honda cited slow sales when they pulled their products from the market.

But early entries, such as the EV1 just couldn't meet expectations, Tesla officials insist, especially when it came to range. With a single charge closer to a tank of gasoline in energy and claimed range, the company is betting such concerns can be overcome, especially among buyers who can afford to have multiple vehicles in their personal fleets.