My Next Car

 

Look at the size of that SatNav screen.

While we were walking around Bellevue Mall we noticed that Tesla Motors had a shop and one of their cars on display.

Want one.

The Tesla is an electric car powered by Lithium Ion batteries (the ones that they put in laptops and mobile phones). These give it high range (up to 300 miles) and amazing performance (0 to 60 in 6 or so seconds). They have a rather clever plan to put “Supercharge” stations over the country which are 200 miles or so apart. These can deliver a decent charge in around half an hour and should make it possible to drive right across America in the car. Because the stations will be solar powered Tesla are even offering free power top-ups for the lifetime of the car. I’m not convinced on that part, it will take an awful lot of sunshine to fill up the 40kWh batteries in even the lowest range vehicle, but you can’t knock them for trying, and I’d love for it all to work the way they say it will.

I really fancy a car like this, even though it apparently doesn’t have an engine.

Of course it is far too expensive for me, and anyway I love my Nissan Cube, but should I ever be in the mood to drop 50,000 pounds or so on a new car, it would have to be one like this.

Although I probably won’t buy the base model. (thanks to Peter for the line).

Comments

[Carl Pickering]

The only snag is the car can make it between charging stations in California but they've been having difficulties retaining charge on that cold East Coast where 100 miles is about it.