Car enthusiast Jay Leno gives his Tesla Roadster review:
The problem with electric cars up to this point is what I call the veggie burger syndrome. When they came out with the veggie burger they made it look like a hamburger, which was disappointing because it doesn’t taste anything like a hamburger. It had been the same with electric cars until this point.They would take a Volkswagen Golf or some equivalent, rip out the innards and replace it with an electric motor. So you get a car that is not only slower but would not be as safe because most of the safety features were probably taken out of it, it wouldn’t go as far and you’d have something that was less than what you started with.
Tesla is quite smart in that it is reaching the enthusiasts of the market. If you like sports cars and you want to be green, this is the only way to go. The Tesla is a car that you can live with, drive and enjoy as a sports car. I had a brief drive in the car and it was quite impressive. This is an electric car that is fun to drive. Prior to this, most electric cars were driven by people with earth shoes.
I said he was a car enthusiast:
I love electric cars. One of the favourites in my garage is my 1909 Baker Electric car.
The bottom line:
With this Tesla, you have a Lotus which is faster. The only disadvantage is that you can’t refuel quite as quickly. However, when you do refuel, it’s the equivalent of five cents a gallon, or something similar.
An interesting point about electric cars:
Electricity is the best way to run an automobile in the sense that there is no maintenance of any kind.I have never done any maintenance on my 1909 Baker Electric, other than maybe greasing the wheel hubs. You don’t do anything. You plug it in, charge it and drive it. The motor is virtually maintenance-free. This is a car made back in 1909 I am talking about, and the Tesla is the same way. There is nothing much to break or wear out in the engine department, with the exception of maybe the battery, which remains to be seen. They are claiming well over 200 miles per charge, which is pretty impressive.
I’ve been waiting to see an electric street bike for some time — maybe I watched Akira too many times — but the new Brammo Enertia seems to be a “veggie burger” bike, not a Tesla-equivalent:
Top Speed: 50 mph
Range: 45 miles (at 25 mph)
It does have brisk acceleration off the line though:
At it’s quickest setting, the Enertia will sprint from 0 to 30 mph in 3.8 seconds!
Gizmag refers to that as “is in the range of a semi-sporty 250cc motorcycle.”
If you’re going to charge $12,000 for a motorcycle, should you boost performance and charge even more, or should you cut corners and provide a decent commuter bike?