Tesla Motors of Santa Monica, California announced a major milestone today.
Their initial production run of Tesla Roadsters (the “Signature 100 Series”) has been sold out.
The predictable cadre of Movie Stars (Clooney), IT Big Wigs (EBay), and other people with too much money are the guinea pigs. But don’t get me wrong I AM jealous.
The Tesla Roadster can do 0-60mph in 4s!
It has a range of 250miles! (500KM)
It’s small, of course, it’s a roadster. But this initial production run, slated to begin in mid-2007 after EPA testing is finished, will be the start of a brand new car company with a real product that people will really want.
The key to their success is their ability to improve the battery technology so that range is not sacrificed for speed and vice-versa.
I hope they are able to get out a number of consumer-grade vehicles. Be they trucks or small cars, I’d really like to see these things mass produced and hit a tipping point before they are inevitably bought by an established car company. Thus reducing the possibility that they are simply bought up and swept under the carpet.
This is a real opportunity!