Electric cars and the future

Just a quick note that today the automotive world was opened up to a new reality that has been much harkened-to but until now not realized: the electric, mass-produced automobile. And guess what? It's rather attractive! The Tesla Model S was officially unveiled today, with seating for 7 and a three-hundred mile range in the top-of-the-line model. What's more, it accelerates to 60 miles per hour in 5.6 seconds with a top speed of 120 mph. All-wheel drive is available too, making it a viable option for our snowbelt brethren.

The interior features a 17-inch touch screen with haptic interface, meaning it "clicks" when you touch it, like the recently released BlackBerry Storm smartphone. There is a quick-charge option that, with a 480 volt power outlet, allows you to fully recharge the battery in 45 minutes.

Granted, the base price is $57,400 ($49,900 with the federal $7,500 tax credit) for a version with a 160 mile range , so it's not going to be affordable to everyone. But if you consider it in the larger scheme of things, for roughly the same amount of money you could purchase a BMW 535i, which is probably the premier sports sedan in the world, or at least the benchmark against which all others are measured. That BMW, however, would be a stripped-out model, which technically don't exist in the world of German luxury cars, which virtually always include numerous options that would quickly drive the price up. In addition, the BMW would not be able to hold 7 passengers in comfort, and its highway mileage is rated at 26 mpg, hardly a headline-grabber when you're up against a car that is emissions-free.












So why is this car significant today, despite the fact that it won't be available until 2011? I would argue that we are now entering the world of the automobile 2.0, beyond the internal-combustion engine that has dominated our roads since the late 1900s. Yes, there was the GM EV1, but that was a two seater that was extremely light and rather spartan, and it was leased to consumers with the stipulation that GM could take them back, which GM did, famously crushing the vast majority of the cars in a special machine, fueling the formation of conspiracy theories (see "Who Killed the Electric Car"). The Model S will be on full sale, no ifs ands or buts, and no take-back clauses in the bill of sale.

Take a look at the luxurious interior in the photo above, the Alcantara (artificial suede) covered armrest with contrasting stitching, the lovely sculpted seats. This is a car that will appeal to the well-heeled, early-adopting tech person who does not want to sacrifice luxury for friendliness to the planet. It is these early, more expensive cars that will pave the way for future, more affordable cars as high-capacity batteries become more widely available and their prices come down. This is a first step, and I believe it is a big one.

Indeed, the one last issue to be resolved for the auto enthusiast is the lack of a fruity, rumbling exhaust note that is the hallmark of a highly-tuned internal combustion engine. Batteries don't make noise, and electric motors just whine, hardly the stuff that gets one's heart racing. Enter the German auto tuner Brabus, who added a V8 soundtrack to the Tesla Roadster. With the arrival of the Model S, I have no doubt Brabus will have more business in artificial engine soundtracking.

By the way, for more on the Model S and everything related to green automobiles, I highly recommend the excellent Autobloggreen.com.