Here’s an awesome question for all you green motor enthusiasts out there:  which car is more green, an electric Tesla roadster or a car powered by bioethanol?  Here are two points to consider by way of the Biofuels Institute:

*  The Tesla gets its juice from a power plant that is burning coal, which means it has 2.095 pounds of CO2 per kWh and can go 3.12 miles per kWh.

* The theoretical corn-ethanol E85-burning vehicle puts out CO2 according to the GREET model (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation) for lifecycle emissions and is operating at the proposed new CAFE standards.

These facts by themselves don’t mean a whole lot, but when you follow them to their logical conclusion what you get is a downright shocker: as it turns out, the E85 car is actually THIRTY PERCENT GREENER (in that it generates thirty percent fewer CO2 emissions over the course of both vehicles’ hundred and forty five thousand mile life spans) than the Tesla Roadster.

I was pretty shocked to hear that myself.  Now the next time someone looks all smug in their electric car while you’re filling up on flexfuel, just look at them, shake your head sadly, and know that you’re greener than thou.

Tags: e85 flex fuel, e85 vehicles, Ethanol, Tesla, tesla motors, tesla roadster

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Well, Tesla owners, you may well be happy to know that you’ll be able to call for help almost at any time around the clock day or night should your hugely expensive electric car break down.

But I hope that you didn’t spend your entire life savings on the roadster itself, because using the repair service is gonna cost you. Like a LOT.  Read on:

Customers will pay $1 per round-trip mile from the nearest Tesla service center — and there are just four of them in North America, with none in the heartland. Tesla has service centers in California’s Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Seattle and New York City. Stores are slated to open later this year in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Toronto and South Florida. The electric-car startup says it plans to have at least 20 regional sales and service locations in the U.S. in about two years.

Just so you know, the barest minimum charge is a hundred bucks. And considering where these guys are coming out of, you’ll pay a WHOLE lot more than that by the time you’re done.  Of course, Tesla claims it’s losing money on the deal, as a dollar per mile is less than their actual cost.

But somehow…I’m not convinced.

Tags: costly repairs, house call, minimum charge, repairs, service charge, Tesla, tesla motors, tesla roadster

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Tesla has been kind enough to supply us with a picture of their forthcoming all electric Tesla Roadster Sport. As you can see, the car looks very similar to the regular Roadster except it has a bit of a meaner look.

Furthermore, the Sport will sprint from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds thanks to an updated electric motor and the car will be outfitted with a plethroa of carbon fiber accesories such as a hood and rear spoiler. On the inside, there will be a “push-buton transmission selector” which will oust the original shifter knob along with a touch screen center console.

via World Car Fans

Tags: all electric, convertible, electric engine, ev, Sport, tesla roadster

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We first heard about Dodge’s Circuit EV in January of this year and then again in May when its production was announced to have been halted.

Today however, we have hints that the car may actually see the light of day with AutoBlogGreen reporting that the Circuit will be manufactured by Lotus in the UK and then shipped to American shores for the electric powertrain. Furthermore, buzz also suggests that Chrysler is looking to push about 100,000 of these at a price much lower than, say, the Tesla Roadster.

These reports haven’t been confirmed but if they are true we may be seeing the Dodge Circuit enter production as early as 2010.

Tags: all electric, circuit, reports, rumor, tesla roadster

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Tesla has had three CEOs in the last three years alone and now, original founder and designer of the famed Tesla Roadster, Martin Eberhard, has filed a lawsuit against current Tesla CEO Elon Musk, suing over a number of actions that could be possibly damaging to both Musk and the company. This suit covers slander, libel and breach of contract. Eberhard claims that Musk consistently set out to expel him and gain control of the company when he initially became an investor. Eberhard is also claiming that Musk is discounting his role as the original founder of Tesla and is alleging that Musk is claiming to have founded the company and originally had the idea for the Tesla Roadster.

Finally, Eberhard is suing for severance pay that he never received, as well as a special Founders’ Series of the Tesla Roadster, which was limited to the first few Tesla models off the assembly line. Evidently he was promised one of these early models, which his lawyers believe could be worth several million dollars eventually, but instead Musk gave the car to a friend. The Roadster that Eberhard finally received was shattered due to some endurance testing that required running the car into the back of a truck. This whole saga sounds like a big, expensive mess.

Tags: ceo, Elon Musk, lawsuit, Martin Eberhard, Tesla, tesla roadster

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The 500th Tesla Roadster was awarded to a New Jersey based Philanthropist, a milestone that the electric vehicle manufacturer is sure to take note of. The 500th customer is Martin Tuchman, chairman of The Tuchman Foundation who plans to charge his Roadster partly with solar energy thanks to photovoltaic panels he helped install throughout his hometown of Kingston, NJ.

“My Roadster drives like a dream — it’s amazing,” said Tuchman, a former automotive engineer and owner of a 1967 Mercedes 250 and a 1993 Jaguar convertible. Tuchman converted his 1937 Chris-Craft into an electric boat so he could take it on nearby Lake Carnegie, which prohibits gas-powered boats. He plans to use his Roadster as his primary commuter car.

This news comes in the midst of the planned opening of their New York Store. Tesla will also soon be opening stores in Chicago, London, Seattle, Miami, Washington, Monaco and Munich. Tesla will begin deliveries in Europe this summer.

(Source) Press

Tags: chris craft, commuter car, deliveries, electric boat, electric vehicle manufacturer, gas powered boats, jaguar, jaguar convertible, kingston, martin tuchman, milestone, munich, philanthropist, solar energy, tesla roadster

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With a rocky state as far as finances are concerned, the ENVI is as good as gone. This was revealed as Fiat has practically overtaken the whole assembly line of Chrysler. The reason for the move is that Fiat thinks that the project may prove to be costly.

ENVI was scheduled to deliver its first electric-vehicle in late 2010 with lithium-ion battery packs supplied by A123Systems. The division had created a total of five vehicle concepts but never confirmed which of those five concepts would make it into production. However, last month CNNMoney said that Chrysler’s first production ENVI would be the Lotus Europa based Dodge Circuit.

“The Europa-based Dodge Circuit electric car has been killed by the credit crunch,” reports AutoCar. Nonetheless, insiders say that Lotus is now talking to European OEM to setup another electric-car program like the Tesla Roadster.

The Dodge Circuit EV is (or was) a pure electric-car that carries a 268-hp electric-motor allowing it to travel 150 miles to 200 miles on a single charge. 0 to 60 comes in under 5 seconds with a top speed of 120 mph.

(Source) EGM Car Tech

Tags: assembly line, car program, car tech, Chrysler, Dodge, electric car, electric vehicle, ev, Fiat, hp electric motor, lithium, lithium ion battery, Lotus, lotus europa, tesla roadster, top speed

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While expectations were quite high on the scheduled release of the Tesla Model S by 2011, it looks like everything has been frozen at the moment. Lacking the necessary measures to raise $100 million in venture capital for the factory, they have now turned to government aid for help in pushing through with the concept vehicle.

“Instead, the company is hoping to get $400 million from the government as part of the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program,” the report said; of that, $250 million would go into the factory and $150 million into a separate powertrain facility.

The report speculates that the move may be a negotiating tactic on the part of Tesla to get the city of San Jose to come back with a sweeter offer. Tesla currently plans to have the Model S, a less expensive, four-door sedan intended to compliment the Tesla Roadster, on the road for 2011.

(Source) Silicon Valley Insider

Tags: city of san jose, technology vehicle, tesla roadster, venture capital

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