2008 Tesla Roadster

View More Images (23)

Add an Image

Tag:

Tesla-08-Roadster-Coupe

Average User Rating:

Huddler Rank: #1 in Electric Vehicle

Owners:

0 Own It

0 Had It

19 Want It

DESCRIPTION
SPECS
MODELS
LINKS

Edit | History

2008 Tesla Roadster

The Tesla Roadster is the upcoming Electric Sports Car: 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds, 200 mile range, and NO gasoline involved. We're aware that it isn't publicly available just yet, but that doesn't mean Huddlers can't Want It and talk about it in the forums and wikis. Post pictures if you see one on the road and let's keep the buzz going for this exciting innovation!

From the Tesla site: When you build a car that's electric, you start with one built-in advantage: Electric cars just don't have to be as complex mechanically as the car you're probably driving now. Sophisticated electronics and software take the place of the pounds and pounds of machinery required to introduce a spark and ignite the fuel that powers an internal combustion engine.

For example, the typical four-cylinder engine of a conventional car comprises over a hundred moving parts. By comparison, the motor of the Tesla Roadster has just one: the rotor. So there's less weight to drive around and fewer parts that could break or wear down over time.

But the comparison doesn't end with the counting of moving parts. The engine and transmission of a conventional car also need lubricating oils, filters, coolant, clutches, spark plugs and wires, a PCV valve, oxygen sensors, a timing belt, a fan belt, a water pump and hoses, a catalytic converter, and a muffler — all items requiring service, and all items that aren't needed in an electric car.

The Tesla Roadster's elegantly designed powertrain consists of just the four main components. Mind you, these aren't "off-the-shelf" components, and each includes innovations, both small and large. But when you build a car from the ground up, you have the luxury of questioning every assumption — and to distill as you reinvent.

Spec	Value
Engine	3-phase, 4-pole electric motor
Additional Features	2 speed electrically actuated manual transmission
Fuel Economy Hwy (MPG)	135 mpg equivalent
Fuel Type	Electric
Fuel Economy City (MPG)	135 mpg equivalent
Miles per Charge	220
Body Type	Coupe
EV Type	Highway speed vehicle
Release Status	Limited Release

Type	Link
manufacturer	http://www.teslamotors.com/

USER

REVIEWS

Tesla Test Drive at New Dealership in Santa Monica
ecolicious reviewed on Today at 11:32 am

As a green car online journalist, I was fortunate enough to take the Tesla out for a short test drive at their new dealership on May 9. The car I drove was a prototype, but it performed very well.... More

PRODUCT

WIKI

Edit | History

First Look

Technology Comparision

Tesla Motors released a white paper in October 2006 comparing well-to-wheel efficiency (well-to-wheel refers to the entire life of the fuel - from the point when the raw fuel is abstracted from its source [i.e. the well] to the point it turns into your vehicle's motion [i.e. the wheel]; well-to-wheel allows for a standard metric to compare different fuel types), well-to-wheel carbon dioxide emissions, and 0 to 60 miles per hour acceleration for a variety of technologies and example cars. In each case, the Tesla came in first (the Prius came in second for well-to-wheel efficiency and emissions but came in 6th in terms of acceleration).

Technology	Example Car	Gas Mileage	Well-to-Wheel Efficiency	Well-to-Wheel CO2 Emissions	0 to 60 mph Acceleration
Electric	Tesla Roadster	110 Wh/km	1.15 km/MJ	46.1 g/km	3.9 sec
Gasoline Engine (Turbo 6-cyl)	Porsche Turbo	22.0 mpg	0.22 km/MJ	328.2 g/km	4.2 sec
Gasoline Engine (V12)	Ferrari 550 Maranello	11.7 mpg	0.12 km/MJ	617.1 g/km	4.7 sec
Gasoline Engine (V8)	Chevrolet Corvette	25.0 mpg	0.25 km/MJ	288.8 g/km	4.8 sec
Gasoline Engine (VTEC 4-cyl)	Honda Civic VX	51.0 mpg	0.52 km/MJ	141.6 g/km	9.4 sec
Diesel Engine (4-cyl)	VW Jetta Diesel	50.0 mpg	0.48 km/MJ	152.1 g/km	11.0 sec
Natural Gas Engine (4-cyl)	Honda CNG	35.0 mpg	0.32 km/MJ	165.0 g/km	12.0 sec
Hybrid (3-cyl Gas/Electric)	Toyota Prius	55.0 mpg	0.56 km/MJ	131.3 g/km	10.3 sec
Hydrogen Fuel Cell	Honda FCX	64 mi/kg	0.35 km/MJ	151.7 g/km	15.8 sec

Table from: Eberhard, M. & M. Tarpenning. (Oct. 6, 2006). The 21st century Electric Car (PDF). Tesla Motors. Retrieved on Dec. 3, 2007.

Delays on Delivery

Originally, the Tesla Roadster was to be delivered during the 2007 summer. Then the release date was pushed to October 2007. But in September, the interim CEO Michael Marks sent a letter to customers announcing another delay. At this point, 50 Roadsters will ship during the first quarter of 2008 and another 600 will ship during the rest of the 2008 model year. According to Darryl Siry, Tesla's VP of Sales, Marketing and Service, the primary cause of the delay has been issues with durability and reliability of the transmission (he has also said that the initial rumors of issues with the lithium-iron batteries are entirely untrue).

How To Buy A Tesla Roadster

If you live in the United States, visit the Tesla website to configure your vehicle.
- You will have the option to select options and accessories including satelitte radio, a touch-screen navigation system with voice guidance, a carbon fiber hardtop, Bluetooth integration, a 7-speaker sound system, custom floor mats, and a mobile charging system. You will also be able to select one of twelve exterior colors and one of four interior colors.
- Fill out your contact information.
- Submit your form and send in your $5,000 deposit. This will put you on the wait list (depending on manufacturing, you may be able to receive a 2008 model; if you are not offered a 2008 model, you will be in line for a 2009 model).
- When you come to the top of the wait list, if a car is available, a Tesla Motors consultant will contact you. You may then choose to put down a $30,000 deposit for the car (your wait list fee of $5,000 will be credited to your $30,000 deposit). You will be sent an approximate delivery date.
- Upon receipt of your deposit, you will be given access to an exclusive online portal in which you can modify your vehicle's configuration, among other things.
- Wait for your car to be delivered.
If you live outside of the initial key markets (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Miami) where service centers will be located, you will be charged an additional $8,000 service fee.
If you live in Hawaii or Alaska, Tesla Roadsters are not yet available in your states.
If you live outside of the United States, Tesla Roadsters are not yet available.
If you have already given your deposit for your Roadster and decide you are no longer interested, you $5,000 deposit is refundable (minus $100 for processing). The $30,000 deposit is refundable until three months before the production of your car.

Current Tesla Roadster Pre-Orders (unconfirmed):

Sergey Brin - Google
Larry Page - Google
George Clooney
Dennis Haysbert
Martin Eberhard - former Tesla CEO
Elon Musk - Tesla Chairman of the Board
Michael Marks - former CEO of Flextronics, interim Tesla CEO
Chris Paine - writer and director, "Who Killed the Electric Car"
Dean Devlin - producer "Who Killed the Electric Car"
Scott Burns - producer, "An Inconvenient Truth"
Arnold Schwarzenegger / Maria Shriver - Actor/politician & his wife
Gavin Newsom - San Francisco Mayor
Nicholas Pritzker - Hyatt hotel CEO
Eric Stang - Reliant CEO
Brian Halla - CEO of National Semiconductor
Matt Damon - Actor
Will.I.Am - Singer
Michael "Flea" Balzary - Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist
Jim Marver - VantagePoint Venture Partners
Steve Jurvetson - Venture Capitalist
Jon Faiz Kayyem - Managing Partner of Efficacy Capital Ltd
Rob Wilder - CEO of WilderShares LLC
Dean Kamen - New Hampshire inventor
Jeff Skoll - formerly of eBay
Jon Mittelhauser - co-founded Netscape Communications
Stephen Casner - Fellow, Packet Design
Bob Bressler - Owner of Bressler Vineyards
Don Cox - Professor of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University
Earl Cox - Don Cox's son
Rich Chen - formerly of Google
Josh Hannah - Flutter.com president
Tom & Cathy Saxton
Bill Bennett
Doug Cheeseman - adventure tour operator
Farzad Nazem - Ex Yahoo! CTO
Loren Carpenter - Pixar co-founder
Julie Chaiken - sportswear designer
Allen Skolnick
Barry Skolnick - CAMBR CEO
Don Ruggiero - CAMBR CFO
Corinne - El Dorado Hills, CA
Greg Woulf
Simon Hackett - ISP Representative, Australia
Matt - Domain broker from NY
Michael Valentine
Scott Byer - Photoshop Architect from Cupertino, CA
Steve Stevens - AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories
Tony Belding - Blogger from Hamilton, TX
Don Auker - EV fan from Lebanon, PA
Linda Nicholes - EV activitist

<h3><strong>First Look</strong></h3>
<p> </p>
<p> <object width="425" height="350" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/CErclCee5Cc"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CErclCee5Cc"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param></object></p>
<h3> </h3>
<h3><strong>Technology Comparision</strong><a href="http://192.168.145.200/huddler/wiki/WhatsHotContent#TechnologyComparision" class="anchor" title="Link to this section"><br></a></h3>
<p>Tesla Motors released a white paper in October 2006 comparing well-to-wheel efficiency (well-to-wheel refers to the entire life of the fuel - from the point when the raw fuel is abstracted from its source [i.e. the well] to the point it turns into your vehicle's motion [i.e. the wheel]; well-to-wheel allows for a standard metric to compare different fuel types), well-to-wheel carbon dioxide emissions, and 0 to 60 miles per hour acceleration for a variety of technologies and example cars. In each case, the Tesla came in first (the Prius came in second for well-to-wheel efficiency and emissions but came in 6th in terms of acceleration).</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<table width="607" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1"><tbody><tr><td>
            <p><strong>Technology</strong></p>
            </td>
            <td><strong>Example Car</strong></td>
            <td><strong>Gas Mileage</strong></td>
            <td><strong>Well-to-Wheel Efficiency</strong></td>
            <td><strong>Well-to-Wheel CO2 Emissions</strong></td>
            <td><strong>0 to 60 mph Acceleration</strong></td>
        </tr><tr><td>Electric</td>
            <td>Tesla Roadster</td>
            <td>110 Wh/km</td>
            <td>1.15 km/MJ</td>
            <td>46.1 g/km</td>
            <td>3.9 sec</td>
        </tr><tr><td>Gasoline Engine (Turbo 6-cyl)</td>
            <td>Porsche Turbo</td>
            <td>22.0 mpg</td>
            <td>0.22 km/MJ</td>
            <td>328.2 g/km</td>
            <td>4.2 sec</td>
        </tr><tr><td>Gasoline Engine (V12)</td>
            <td>Ferrari 550 Maranello</td>
            <td>11.7 mpg</td>
            <td>0.12 km/MJ</td>
            <td>617.1 g/km</td>
            <td>4.7 sec</td>
        </tr><tr><td>Gasoline Engine (V8)</td>
            <td>Chevrolet Corvette</td>
            <td>25.0 mpg</td>
            <td>0.25 km/MJ</td>
            <td>288.8 g/km</td>
            <td>4.8 sec</td>
        </tr><tr><td>Gasoline Engine (VTEC 4-cyl)</td>
            <td>Honda Civic VX</td>
            <td>51.0 mpg</td>
            <td>0.52 km/MJ</td>
            <td>141.6 g/km</td>
            <td>9.4 sec</td>
        </tr><tr><td>Diesel Engine (4-cyl)</td>
            <td>VW Jetta Diesel</td>
            <td>50.0 mpg</td>
            <td>0.48 km/MJ</td>
            <td>152.1 g/km</td>
            <td>11.0 sec</td>
        </tr><tr><td>Natural Gas Engine (4-cyl)</td>
            <td>Honda CNG</td>
            <td>35.0 mpg</td>
            <td>0.32 km/MJ</td>
            <td>165.0 g/km</td>
            <td>12.0 sec</td>
        </tr><tr><td>Hybrid (3-cyl Gas/Electric)</td>
            <td>Toyota Prius</td>
            <td>55.0 mpg</td>
            <td>0.56 km/MJ</td>
            <td>131.3 g/km</td>
            <td>10.3 sec</td>
        </tr><tr><td>Hydrogen Fuel Cell</td>
            <td>Honda FCX</td>
            <td>64 mi/kg</td>
            <td>0.35 km/MJ</td>
            <td>151.7 g/km</td>
            <td>15.8 sec</td>
        </tr></tbody></table><p>Table from: Eberhard, M. & M. Tarpenning. (Oct. 6, 2006). <a href="http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/twentyfirstcenturycar.pdf" class="ext-link"><span class="icon">The 21st century Electric Car</span></a> (PDF). Tesla Motors. Retrieved on Dec. 3, 2007.</p>
<p> </p>
<h3><strong>Delays on Delivery</strong><a href="#DelaysonDelivery" class="anchor" title="Link to this section"><br></a></h3>
<p>Originally, the Tesla Roadster was to be delivered during the 2007 summer. Then the release date was pushed to October 2007. But in September, the interim CEO Michael Marks sent a letter to customers announcing another delay. At this point, 50 Roadsters will ship during the first quarter of 2008 and another 600 will ship during the rest of the 2008 model year. According to Darryl Siry, Tesla's VP of Sales, Marketing and Service, the primary cause of the delay has been issues with durability and reliability of the transmission (he has also said that the initial rumors of issues with the lithium-iron batteries are entirely untrue).</p>
<h3> </h3>
<h3><strong>How To Buy A Tesla Roadster</strong><a href="#HowToBuyATeslaRoadster" class="anchor" title="Link to this section"><br></a></h3>
<ol><li>If you live in the United States, visit the <a href="http://www.teslamotors.com/buy/buyPage1.php" class="ext-link"><span class="icon">Tesla website</span></a> to configure your vehicle. <br><ul><li>You will have the option to select options and accessories including satelitte radio, a touch-screen navigation system with voice guidance, a carbon fiber hardtop, Bluetooth integration, a 7-speaker sound system, custom floor mats, and a mobile charging system. You will also be able to select one of twelve exterior colors and one of four interior colors.</li>
        <li>Fill out your contact information.</li>
        <li>Submit your form and send in your $5,000 deposit. This will put you on the wait list (depending on manufacturing, you may be able to receive a 2008 model; if you are not offered a 2008 model, you will be in line for a 2009 model).</li>
        <li>When you come to the top of the wait list, if a car is available, a Tesla Motors consultant will contact you. You may then choose to put down a $30,000 deposit for the car (your wait list fee of $5,000 will be credited to your $30,000 deposit). You will be sent an approximate delivery date.</li>
        <li>Upon receipt of your deposit, you will be given access to an exclusive online portal in which you can modify your vehicle's configuration, among other things.</li>
        <li>Wait for your car to be delivered.</li>
    </ul></li>
    <li>If you live outside of the initial key markets (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Miami) where service centers will be located, you will be charged an additional $8,000 service fee.</li>
    <li>If you live in Hawaii or Alaska, Tesla Roadsters are not yet available in your states.</li>
    <li>If you live outside of the United States, Tesla Roadsters are not yet available.</li>
    <li>If you have already given your deposit for your Roadster and decide you are no longer interested, you $5,000 deposit is refundable (minus $100 for processing). The $30,000 deposit is refundable until three months before the production of your car.</li>
</ol><p> </p>
<h3><strong><strong>Current Tesla Roadster Pre-Orders (unconfirmed):</strong></strong></h3>
<ol><li>Sergey Brin - Google</li>
    <li>Larry Page - Google</li>
    <li>George Clooney</li>
    <li>Dennis Haysbert</li>
    <li>Martin Eberhard - former Tesla CEO</li>
    <li>Elon Musk - Tesla Chairman of the Board</li>
    <li>Michael Marks - former CEO of Flextronics, interim Tesla CEO</li>
    <li>Chris Paine - writer and director, "Who Killed the Electric Car"</li>
    <li>Dean Devlin - producer  "Who Killed the Electric Car"</li>
    <li>Scott Burns - producer,  "An Inconvenient Truth"</li>
    <li>Arnold Schwarzenegger / Maria Shriver - Actor/politician & his wife</li>
    <li>Gavin Newsom - San Francisco Mayor</li>
    <li>Nicholas Pritzker - Hyatt hotel CEO</li>
    <li>Eric Stang - Reliant CEO</li>
    <li>Brian Halla - CEO of National Semiconductor</li>
    <li>Matt Damon - Actor</li>
    <li>Will.I.Am - Singer</li>
    <li>Michael "Flea" Balzary - Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist</li>
    <li>Jim Marver  - VantagePoint Venture Partners</li>
    <li>Steve Jurvetson - Venture Capitalist</li>
    <li>Jon Faiz Kayyem - Managing Partner of Efficacy Capital Ltd</li>
    <li>Rob Wilder - CEO of WilderShares LLC</li>
    <li>Dean Kamen - New Hampshire inventor</li>
    <li>Jeff Skoll - formerly of eBay</li>
    <li>Jon Mittelhauser - co-founded Netscape Communications</li>
    <li>Stephen Casner - Fellow, Packet Design</li>
    <li>Bob Bressler - Owner of Bressler Vineyards</li>
    <li>Don Cox - Professor of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University</li>
    <li>Earl Cox - Don Cox's son</li>
    <li>Rich Chen - formerly of Google</li>
    <li>Josh Hannah - Flutter.com president</li>
    <li>Tom & Cathy Saxton</li>
    <li>Bill Bennett</li>
    <li>Doug Cheeseman - adventure tour operator</li>
    <li>Farzad Nazem - Ex Yahoo! CTO</li>
    <li>Loren Carpenter - Pixar co-founder</li>
    <li>Julie Chaiken - sportswear designer</li>
    <li>Allen Skolnick</li>
    <li>Barry Skolnick - CAMBR CEO</li>
    <li>Don Ruggiero - CAMBR CFO</li>
    <li>Corinne - El Dorado Hills, CA</li>
    <li>Greg Woulf</li>
    <li>Simon Hackett - ISP Representative, Australia</li>
    <li>Matt - Domain broker from NY</li>
    <li>Michael Valentine</li>
    <li>Scott Byer - Photoshop Architect from Cupertino, CA</li>
    <li>Steve Stevens - AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories</li>
    <li>Tony Belding - Blogger from Hamilton, TX</li>
    <li>Don Auker - EV fan from Lebanon, PA</li>
    <li>Linda Nicholes - EV activitist</li>
</ol><h3> </h3>
<p> </p>
<p><object width="425" height="350" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/w1C44JQU7Pc"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/w1C44JQU7Pc"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param></object></p>

2008 Tesla Roadster

Tesla-08-Roadster-Coupe

USER

REVIEWS

PRODUCT

WIKI

First Look

Technology Comparision

Delays on Delivery

How To Buy A Tesla Roadster

Current Tesla Roadster Pre-Orders (unconfirmed):

Related Forum Threads

Highway speed indeed

What's this about a gas-powered Tesla?

Tesla ready for production!

I saw a Tesla Roadster on the road!

Up close and personal with the Tesla Roadster

Related Wikis

Electric Car Revolution

Related Products

Fisker Automotive Karma Plug-In Hybrid

Chevy Volt

Venturi Fetish

WRITE A

REVIEW