TESLA

TESLA 2009 ROADSTER


Even for those who have paid a $50,000 initial deposit previously must dig deeper into their pockets as Tesla decides to up the original price of all its Roadsters by at least $6,700 pointing to its survival as the reason for the move.

The Tesla Roadster was initially priced at $92,000 in 2008 and has been bumped to $109,000 in this present year. Tesla is basically asking customers to pay for features that were originally included as standard in the car. The spokeswoman for Tesla said that for customers who would want to receive the car in its original price tag would do so minus a few features of which one of these include a high-power connector that charges the Roadster’s batteries in just a little over three hours. This connector, which was initially included as standard, now costs $3,000 as an option and without it recharging time can reach a whopping 37 hours! Also included are the $2,300 forged-alloy wheels, a $400 SolarPlus windscreen, and a new destination charge of $1,000

The 2009 Tesla Roadster is an electrically-powered, two-seat, open-top, rear-drive sports car. It does not have an internal combustion engine and therefore uses no gasoline and produces no emissions. Its lithium ion batteries are recharged with electricity in your home, and an optional Mobile Connector allows you to charge from any available 110v or 220v electrical outlet. But this is not a golf cart - its acceleration time and handling rivals many supercars.

The 2009 Tesla Roadster's 375 volt AC induction air-cooled electric motor has an output of 248 peak horsepower (185kW) and 276 ft/lbs (375 Nm) of torque, with an EPA-estimated range of over 200 miles. Depending upon on how far the battery has been discharged and what source is being used to charge the batteries, the custom microprocessor-controlled lithium-ion battery (with 6,831 individual cells) can be recharged in as little as 3.5 hours. The Roadster uses a resin-bonded and riveted extruded aluminum monoquoque chassis with four-wheel independent double-wishbone suspension. Standard features include air conditioning, heated leather sport seats with inflatable lumbar support, CD/MP3 player with iPod interface, forged alloy wheels, power windows and remote keyless entry. The premium leather seats are available in nine colors or combination of colors. The available premium audio package includes satellite radio, navigation and 7 speaker sound system with subwoofer. Other options include microfiber cloth seats, Bluetooth cellular phone integration, matching body-colored carbon fiber hardtop with full headliner, metallic and premium paint, and a Mobile Connector for travel charging.

Finally, a sports car without the guilt of exhaust emissions and poor fuel economy. The Tesla Roadster is essentially new for 2009 (a very limited number of Roadsters were available for the 2008 model year).