: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
The Tesla Roadster is a technological marvel and a damn sexy car that's quicker than a General Motors exec scrambling for a bailout. We finally got a chance to take one for a spin, and although the Roadster isn't perfect, it's fast, nimble and a lot of fun. Check out our impressions over at Autopia and enjoy a little EV motoporn.
Left: Although based on the Lotus Elise, the two cars share fewer than 7 percent of their parts, and most of those are in the dashboard. Everything else was redesigned to accommodate the electric drivetrain. As sexy as the car is in pictures, it's even better in person. Like all proper sports cars, it looks best in red.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
The engine and battery are in the middle of the car, leaving just enough room in the trunk for a set of golf clubs — but not a spare tire. Don't worry, though. The $109,000 price tag includes the can of Fix-a-Flat you see tucked into the left underside of hood.
With 276 foot-pounds of torque pushing the car from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds, the license plate is all most people will see when you stomp on the accelerator.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
The interior is all business, with few amenities beyond A/C, a stereo/navi system and power windows — but, oddly, no power mirrors. Electronic nannies include anti-lock brakes and traction control.
There's no power steering, so turning the tiny Momo wheel is a bear until you're up to speed. The heated leather seats are supportive and reasonably comfortable, but getting over those wi-i-i-i-ide doorsills requires the grace of an Olympic gymnast.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Carbon-fiber bodywork makes the Roadster exceptionally light with a curb weight of 2,723 pounds. Impressive, considering the Elise weights 1,984 pounds, and the Roadster is burdened with 6,831 lithium-ion cells in a battery pack that weighs 992 pounds. To give you an idea how light the carbon is, the hood of the Roadster weighs 8½ pounds.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Yes, that's a radiator. The Roadster doesn't have an engine, but anyone with a laptop computer knows lithium-ion batteries get mighty hot. A cooling system ensures the 53-kilowatt-hour battery will stay cooler than James Dean and Steve McQueen combined.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
The Roadster comes with a 120-volt, 15-amp charger that recharges the 53-kWh battery in — get this — 37 hours. An optional 240-volt, 70-amp "high power" charger cuts that to about three hours, but it costs $3,000.
Still, Tesla says the regular charger is sufficient because the battery rarely gets drained. "With an EV, you're constantly topping it off," says spokeswoman Rachel Konrad. "You aren't charging it up from empty."
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
There's just enough room under the front bonnet for, well, nothing, really. Every inch is packed with the radiator that keeps the liquid-cooled battery from overheating, various brake system components, and a power controller that reduces the battery's 700-volt output to a more system-friendly 12 volts.
: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
The air ducts on the side aren't there for show — although they look pretty freakin' sweet. They help cool the power-electronics module, the massive computer that controls the car.
The PEM translates commands like acceleration and braking into precisely timed voltages that regulate the speed and direction of the electric motor. It also controls motor torque and regenerative braking, and it keeps tabs on the battery voltage. Think of it as the car's frontal cortex. Tesla says the PEM controls more than 200 kW of electric power under peak acceleration. That’s enough power to illuminate 2,000 100-watt light bulbs.
: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
The Roadster draws more stares than Bar Refaeli at a nude beach, something we found almost as appealing as the car's impressive acceleration.
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