Tesla electric car: Silent revolution

With petrol prices hitting record highs in the US, interest in electric cars appears to be sparking once again. Despite a resounding lack of federal initiative, a growing number of entrepreneurs have decided to give the electric car business a go.

Perhaps the most hopeful of the electric conveyances currently being pitched in the States is the Tesla; the brainchild of Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal, eBay's highly lucrative finance arm.

Named after Nikola Tesla, father of the alternating current, the two-seater was introduced to the press and a high-flying assortment of do-gooders and political animals, at a ceremony in a Santa Monica aircraft hangar in late July. An unabashed sports car, the Tesla, it is claimed, will accelerate to 60mph in a supercar-fast 4.0secs.

However, the key to the Tesla's success, say its hopeful backers, will be advanced, lightweight, quick-charging lithium-ion batteries - the sort you might find in your laptop - which permit a decent range of 250 miles on a single charge and a maximum speed of 130mph.

Whatever its range or utility, price may well remain a market inhibitor. With an estimated $100,000 price tag, the Tesla is meant to generate only enough sales to underwrite more popularly priced models for mass production.

© Source: original article on topgear