The bold shape of it makes all the noise you need. Most definitely not your dad’s golf cart, this completely electric roadster’s pretty much silent but deadly.
No gears — just touch and go
The only reason gears exist is because the automobile’s power band is too long. Consequently, with the Tesla, the only shifting required is your attitude.
Sure you may miss the experience of moving from gear to gear, but that’s the future for you. Besides, you’ll get over it when you put your foot down.
(While we’ve done wonders with it, the combustion engine is 200-year-old technology. It makes you wonder over the possibilities. What if we made cars powered by steam? It’s clean and efficient.)
Regenerative braking
Take your foot off the Tesla Roadster’s accelerator without touching the brake and the braking system immediately kicks in, sending power back to the battery. It’s not a jerking sensation — more like when you do the same action while driving with a standard transmission: there’s a noticeable drop.
Jump to light speed
The Tesla Roadster ain’t cheap. But it ain’t cheaply made either. Check out the power:
• Torque, 273 lb-ft at 0-5,400 rpm
• Horsepower, 288 hp (215 kW) at 5,000-6,000 rpm
Notice the zeroes in the torque. It doesn’t need to rev high for max oomph. Translation? Suddenly you’re in front of everybody! A slingshot, moving from 0 – 60 in 3.9 silent seconds.
Intellectually you understand: it’s electric, so it’s either on or off. But there’s that shift in attitude you have yet to make. Like performing onstage or running a marathon, until you try it, you’ve only read about it. And that ain’t the same.
Remember the first time you saw the Millennium Falcon suddenly suck the stars towards itself? Yes, but this is real life. The first time I tried out the acceleration, sorry for the cliché, it was like being in a movie.
That feeling’s actually not good in real life, so I slowed down. No need to attract the attention of the police — it’s plenty satisfying having everyone else on the road stare.
Price: $116,500
I love your life.
saw a blue one in Vancouver. It was about as loud as an electric drill