January 24, 2008

ELECTRIC ROADSTERS AND THE FUTURE

Tesla is positive it can start building the electric roadster on March 17, despite recurring transmission problems. The sports car can currently do a 0-60mph run in 5.7 seconds, which is about 0.4 seconds slower than my cherry red, campus commuting Camaro Z28. Very disappointing considering an original stated time of 4.0 seconds and the fact that this car costs $98,000.00 While I do understand that this all electric sports car is the wave of the future, I find the price, its performance, and its coyote ugly looks a poor reason to waste your hard earned $.

Sadly, with the new environmental laws in place, GM’s promise to retire its big V8’s, and rising gasoline costs. Our future could very well sit on the success of this Tesla Roadster. Bob Lutz recently expressed his opinion that the best short-term solution will be found in bio-fuels, with electric vehicles being the long-term solution. I personally feel that hybrid technology will leapfrog bio-fuels (at least in terms of impact on the public) in most major automotive markets and lead into purely electric vehicles.

With ethanol supply still relatively small, and new harvests still years away. Diesel, a good alternative—but one with limited future possibilities (as there is only so much you can do with diesel). I strongly feel that Hybrid technology and its rapid emergence into the market will in fact prove to be the best short-term fight we have against our increasing environmental woes. Hydrogen and electric powered vehicles are the wave of the future. The technology to manufacture and sell these at a “market acceptable” price will not happen anytime soon, but it’s good to know that lawmakers are taking the right steps to support such initiatives. So long as companies like Toyota and GM keep trying to one up each other in the quest for a greener image, the public will continue to benefit as will the future of motoring.

No comments: