Born in the minds of a group of Silicon Valley millionaires, financed by Elon Musk, a PayPal billionaire, the Tesla Roadster Sport is the first electric car, a supercar at that, with real commercial potential. It is an unusual motoring start-up founded not by a motor enthusiast but Californian software engineer Martin Eberhard.
Eberhard wanted to create a car that could run entirely on electricity but unlike all its competitors, was practical enough to use every day. But he soon discovered why it had not been developed before, it was far too difficult to develop the technology and put it in a car everybody could afford. So they didn't; they decided that the first car would have to start out like the high tech gadgets, hyped-up, over priced and rare, becoming cheaper with time and volume. This would mean that the development of the company would be subsidised by the first line of consumers.
He enlisted British motoring legends Lots to design and build the body of the car whilst his company would undertake the engine. Then the empty cars were shipped to California to have the engines installed. The final cost of the car came to around 80,000. Not the most expensive supercar anyone would agree, but it could be one hell of an investment for those looking to play a part in motoring history.
Before the production of the Roadster began, Musk used his strong connections with Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and the movie industry to encourage a waiting list of the rich and famous as jumping on the eco-wagon becomes increasingly fashionable.
When officially tested, the Roadster was found to be capable of achieving 0-60 in 3.7 seconds with a limited top speed of 125mph. This meant the first electric supercar could out-perform a Ferrari while keeping you pinned in your seat from the instance you touch the pedal, all in absolute silence.
Tesla also plan on selling the intellectual property for their engines to some of the European car giants which could create a huge supple of affordable electric cars, meaning even if your next car isn't electric, the one after probably will be.
Even though the Tesla is limited to 125mph, you will still need a driving offence solicitor for any speeding offence you may commit.
