It was a beautiful day today. I drove the Pantera to work like I do most days, but today I had to go to our facility in Redwood City which is just two exits down the freeway from my brother's office. Did I mention my brother works for Tesla Motors, the company that builds the killer new high-end electric sports car that will do 0-60 in 4 seconds!
When I finished my day at work I headed over to the Tesla Motors facility for a private tour. All that I can say is that Tesla Motors rocks! This is a very cool car. It's beautiful and much better looking than a Lotus Elise. The Tesla Roadster differs from conventional electric and hybrid vehicles by its use of lithium ion laptop battery technology rather than typical automotive lead acid batteries. That and the fact that most electric vehicles are just plain boring, being designed under the assumption that driving is merely a necessary evil to get someplace you can’t reach on foot or bike.
Driving is exhilarating! The goal for this project was to demonstrate that an electric vehicle can deliver exhilarating performance which glorifies driving. They wanted their initial car to be a car that gearhead car guys would love to own and drive. 0-60 in 4 seconds; 130+ mph top speed; 250 mile range; complete recharge in 3.5 hours. This one's not intended to be a mass-market vehicle. I believe they are planning a more mainstream model such as a sedan in the future. Granted, there's no throaty exhaust rumble at idle or staccato at full throttle, but the car is not silent as you might think. It does make noise; it's just a different kind of noise. Backing up or driving slowly sounds very much like a golf cart. But nail the throttle (rheostat? whatever they call it) and the sound is akin to the whine of a turbine, albeit not as loud. No, I did not get to ride in the car, but I did watch and listen as one of the execs left in it for the evening. Anyway, they've achieved their goal!
Tesla Motors looks like a very cool place to work too. Everyone there is a gearhead just like me. My brother and I were inside looking at the Tesla prototype when one of the guys comes up to tell my brother that there was a Pantera outside in the parking lot and 10-12 of the guys were checking it out. So, he introduced me and told him it was mine and we went outside and talked Pantera with a bunch of the Tesla employees. A little while later as I was getting ready to leave I wanted to take a picture of the Banzai Runner in front of the Tesla sign on the building. When I fired up the Pantera and moved it in front of the building beneath the sign, 4-5 more guys heard the Pantera and came out to take a look. I shut the engine off, opened things up, and spent another 20 minutes talking cars.
The Tesla Roadster is a great car, and regardless of your position on the environmental spectrum, this would be a great place to work! I wish I could afford a Tesla Roadster. FWIW, the first 100 (Signature Edition) cars planned for production are already sold out. They are taking reservations for the second run of 100 cars to be built, and I believe they're already half sold out.
[Also posted on my website: http://www.banzairunnerpantera.com/adventures.htm]
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