Over a year ago rumors were circulating about a new car company that was going to build an all-electric car.  Some smart guys who had been successful in other start-up ventures (PayPal, Google, eBay) and made lots of money in the process were starting this company.  Their experience gave me hope that they could deliver a solution to the global warming crisis (or addiction to oil crisis).  On May ‘06, the company was officially announced and stories about Tesla Motors began appearing.  It was officially unveiled on July ‘06.

As I entered the Moscone Center in San Francisco on November ’06 to attend the San Francisco International Auto Show I caught my first glimpse of the Tesla Roadster. 

I was blown away. I was ready for something that might have great technical specs but it looked so much cooler than I anticipated. I don't think I'm being overly critical when I say that every electric car (and even some of the hybrids) all look like nobody told them that cars are supposed to be sexy and cool.  This car was designed by the folks at Tesla who clearly get that.  It was going to be assembled by Lotus, the premier manufacturer of sports cars in low volume, in the UK from parts coming from all around the world. The performance specifications are amazing. It goes zero to 60 in 4 seconds which is faster than the Porsche Turbo and the Ferrari Maranello, two really fast and very expensive cars. It charges overnight and when fully charged can go over 200 miles without recharging A full charge costs on the order of $3. If gas were $3/gallon can you imagine going 200 miles on 1 gallon? I had to get behind the wheel of one of these.

Not likely is what I heard. Turns out that as of this date, there are only a handful of Tesla Roadsters in existence and they are prototypes which means they were hand made. They say they cost $1M to make so the last thing they want is some hotshot like me who thinks he knows how to drive a sports car flying through traffic and around sharp turns. It turns out that you can get a test ride. For now, that will just have to do.

Getting an appointment involved calling a friend who called a friend and I ended up talking with just the right person. They gave me a one-hour window for my ride in one of the prototypes after which it was immediately going to be driven to LA to be shown off (so don’t be late). I was so anxious and excited about my big ride that I left my place in plenty of time however there was an epic accident on 101 that clogged traffic for miles in either direction so I got off the freeway and raced through the back streets and arrived just in time with my heart pounding from the excitement of the drive and the visit to the prototype of the 21st century automobile company.

The place is exactly as you would expect a Silicon Valley startup to look. It’s located in San Carlos, CA which is a little bit too far north to be considered part of the valley but they needed a big place and I’m sure the rents were reasonable. I was greeted in the lobby by my guide. I got badged and was admitted to the inner sanctum. We went through a typical warren of cubes and entered the shop which is what an autoshop of the 21^st century will look like. There were a couple roadsters in various stages of disassembly and tons of cool looking equipment and laptops everywhere with big fat cables coming out of them. And these highly energized young engineering types working away with big smiles on their faces. No grease and no foul smells.

The woman showed me the details of the car before we drove off. The engine is about the size of a 12-lb turkey. It's incredible that so much power comes out of something so small. Makes a typical V8 look like a bad dream. The trunk is big enough to hold a set of golf clubs lying width-wise however it looks like a bag of groceries would be crunched a bit when you closed the trunk. The real surprise came when I got into the car.

I would describe the process of getting in to be something akin to climbing into a bathtub. You don't just climb in. You sit on the running board, lower your ass into the seat while using your hands to hold you up. Then you scrunch your legs and stuff them in. Once I was finally in the car, it was very snug. While I was sitting there thinking about how snug I was, I looked around and noticed that everyone in the building was shorter and much skinnier than I was.

Conclusion: this car is not for big people. Anyone over 6" may have a problem and certainly anyone who has a big ass will feel like they have just put on a pair of shoes that are just a bit tight. Now I have driven a Formula Ford at Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving and those are very snug. Actually, they are more like climbing into a coffin. But you only are in those for a little while not 200 miles.

Then we went for a drive. Because the freeway was a mess, we just drove around surface streets. The car definitely scoots and is as quiet as they say. What they hadn't talked about is how rough the ride is. The prototype I rode in had the suspension so tight I could feel a bottle cap when we drove over it. After a while I started clenching when I saw something in the road ahead that was going to jar the ride. I can't imagine what it would be like on the shitty California freeways with their potholes the size of house pets. Also, the steering is not power-assisted so turning has a very real feel to it and presumably would be fatiguing over time. The interior is very spartan/utilitarian. When I saw the car at TED, the interior of the production model was described by one of the mktg people as "what you would expect from a luxury sports car." What I heard during my visit was more like functional and utilitarian but definitely not stylish or luxurious. Don't look for any walnut paneling.

Conclusion: This is a real British sports car. It is optimized for handling not comfort. It makes my Lexus Sports Coupe look absolutely luxurious and soft. This car is for people who take cars seriously and who think extra padding is for wussies.

I really wanted to love the car.  Everything about the idea is fantastic.  However, in the end, this model is more of an adventure than I was anticipating.  I have trouble imagining driving in it for too long without my butt going numb or my teeth rattling loose.  I guess I have to wait for the sedan.  This will be another year but will be made in Austin, Texas.  I have heard it described as like a BMW 3-series.