International Herald Tribune Editorial - An electrifying car
International Herald Tribune Editorial - An electrifying car
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune
Published: July 27, 2006
Virtue alone will not break the grip that petroleum holds on the automobile market. That's why the introduction of a sleek, high-performance roadster that happens to be electric rather than gasoline-fueled is worth noting.
Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up, has developed a two-seater that goes from zero to 60 miles an hour in four seconds, leaving the days of electric cars as glorified golf carts in the dust. The company seems to understand what it means to love cars as well as the environment. (On its Web site, Tesla revels in the power of the car's acceleration pinning passengers to their seats.)
With a range of about 250 miles, the Tesla Roadster can go much farther on a single charge than earlier electric cars. And 150 of those miles cost about the same as one gallon of gas. But the car itself will not be cheap, running from $85,000 to $100,000. Rather than a stumbling block in this case, it's actually a selling point.
Martin Eberhard, the company's chief executive, understands that new technologies usually start out as high-end products. He and his team are making their car the newest hot gadget, a status symbol. If rappers and football stars buy them, maybe the company can make a dent in the market.
Tesla already has plans for a mainstream vehicle down the road if it can expand its business. Perhaps this is one area where trickle-down theories could really work.
Virtue alone will not break the grip that petroleum holds on the automobile market. That's why the introduction of a sleek, high-performance roadster that happens to be electric rather than gasoline-fueled is worth noting.
Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up, has developed a two-seater that goes from zero to 60 miles an hour in four seconds, leaving the days of electric cars as glorified golf carts in the dust. The company seems to understand what it means to love cars as well as the environment. (On its Web site, Tesla revels in the power of the car's acceleration pinning passengers to their seats.)
With a range of about 250 miles, the Tesla Roadster can go much farther on a single charge than earlier electric cars. And 150 of those miles cost about the same as one gallon of gas. But the car itself will not be cheap, running from $85,000 to $100,000. Rather than a stumbling block in this case, it's actually a selling point.
Martin Eberhard, the company's chief executive, understands that new technologies usually start out as high-end products. He and his team are making their car the newest hot gadget, a status symbol. If rappers and football stars buy them, maybe the company can make a dent in the market.
Tesla already has plans for a mainstream vehicle down the road if it can expand its business. Perhaps this is one area where trickle-down theories could really work.
Virtue alone will not break the grip that petroleum holds on the automobile market. That's why the introduction of a sleek, high-performance roadster that happens to be electric rather than gasoline-fueled is worth noting.
Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up, has developed a two-seater that goes from zero to 60 miles an hour in four seconds, leaving the days of electric cars as glorified golf carts in the dust. The company seems to understand what it means to love cars as well as the environment. (On its Web site, Tesla revels in the power of the car's acceleration pinning passengers to their seats.)
With a range of about 250 miles, the Tesla Roadster can go much farther on a single charge than earlier electric cars. And 150 of those miles cost about the same as one gallon of gas. But the car itself will not be cheap, running from $85,000 to $100,000. Rather than a stumbling block in this case, it's actually a selling point.
Martin Eberhard, the company's chief executive, understands that new technologies usually start out as high-end products. He and his team are making their car the newest hot gadget, a status symbol. If rappers and football stars buy them, maybe the company can make a dent in the market.
Tesla already has plans for a mainstream vehicle down the road if it can expand its business. Perhaps this is one area where trickle-down theories could really work.
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune
Published: July 27, 2006
Virtue alone will not break the grip that petroleum holds on the automobile market. That's why the introduction of a sleek, high-performance roadster that happens to be electric rather than gasoline-fueled is worth noting.
Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up, has developed a two-seater that goes from zero to 60 miles an hour in four seconds, leaving the days of electric cars as glorified golf carts in the dust. The company seems to understand what it means to love cars as well as the environment. (On its Web site, Tesla revels in the power of the car's acceleration pinning passengers to their seats.)
With a range of about 250 miles, the Tesla Roadster can go much farther on a single charge than earlier electric cars. And 150 of those miles cost about the same as one gallon of gas. But the car itself will not be cheap, running from $85,000 to $100,000. Rather than a stumbling block in this case, it's actually a selling point.
Martin Eberhard, the company's chief executive, understands that new technologies usually start out as high-end products. He and his team are making their car the newest hot gadget, a status symbol. If rappers and football stars buy them, maybe the company can make a dent in the market.
Tesla already has plans for a mainstream vehicle down the road if it can expand its business. Perhaps this is one area where trickle-down theories could really work.
Virtue alone will not break the grip that petroleum holds on the automobile market. That's why the introduction of a sleek, high-performance roadster that happens to be electric rather than gasoline-fueled is worth noting.
Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up, has developed a two-seater that goes from zero to 60 miles an hour in four seconds, leaving the days of electric cars as glorified golf carts in the dust. The company seems to understand what it means to love cars as well as the environment. (On its Web site, Tesla revels in the power of the car's acceleration pinning passengers to their seats.)
With a range of about 250 miles, the Tesla Roadster can go much farther on a single charge than earlier electric cars. And 150 of those miles cost about the same as one gallon of gas. But the car itself will not be cheap, running from $85,000 to $100,000. Rather than a stumbling block in this case, it's actually a selling point.
Martin Eberhard, the company's chief executive, understands that new technologies usually start out as high-end products. He and his team are making their car the newest hot gadget, a status symbol. If rappers and football stars buy them, maybe the company can make a dent in the market.
Tesla already has plans for a mainstream vehicle down the road if it can expand its business. Perhaps this is one area where trickle-down theories could really work.
Virtue alone will not break the grip that petroleum holds on the automobile market. That's why the introduction of a sleek, high-performance roadster that happens to be electric rather than gasoline-fueled is worth noting.
Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up, has developed a two-seater that goes from zero to 60 miles an hour in four seconds, leaving the days of electric cars as glorified golf carts in the dust. The company seems to understand what it means to love cars as well as the environment. (On its Web site, Tesla revels in the power of the car's acceleration pinning passengers to their seats.)
With a range of about 250 miles, the Tesla Roadster can go much farther on a single charge than earlier electric cars. And 150 of those miles cost about the same as one gallon of gas. But the car itself will not be cheap, running from $85,000 to $100,000. Rather than a stumbling block in this case, it's actually a selling point.
Martin Eberhard, the company's chief executive, understands that new technologies usually start out as high-end products. He and his team are making their car the newest hot gadget, a status symbol. If rappers and football stars buy them, maybe the company can make a dent in the market.
Tesla already has plans for a mainstream vehicle down the road if it can expand its business. Perhaps this is one area where trickle-down theories could really work.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 8:22 AM
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