Tesla Roadster News
-
Pretend for a moment that you're one of the fortunate folks who purchased a new Tesla Roadster while it was still in production. You're satisfied with the car, but now all anyone wants to talk about is the swanky new Tesla Model S. What's an early adopter to do? You could, or course, trade in that Roadster for another vehicle from a different manufacturer. Some dealers might balk at the idea, since the all-electric Tesla is a very different car than the kind in which most of them traffic. And of course, those dealers wouldn't be able to sell you the Model S, because only Tesla can do that...
-
Detroit Electric SP:01 - The New Tesla Roadster?
The Detroit Electric SP:01 you see above was teased last month, but readers will note its similarity to the British Lotus Elise sports car--albeit one with electric power. This is not, it has to be said, an original idea. The Tesla Roadster of a few years past also used a Lotus Elise chassis...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Motors Loses Libel Case Over Top Gear's Roadster Review (Again)
It isn't easy being a startup car company. Running a new business is difficult enough without others damaging the reputation of your product. That's why Tesla CEO Elon Musk fought so hard over The New York Times' assessment of its Model S in a recent road trip, and why the company sued Top Gear for...
Antony Ingram -
Stretch Nissan Leaf Electric Limo For Sale On eBay: What Would You Pay?
Want a Nissan Leaf but disappointed that you can't take more of your friends along for the ride? Or don't have space for champagne flutes? The Nissan Leaf limo for sale on eBay could be just the thing to meet your needs. If you think the concept of a Nissan Leaf electric limo sounds familiar, then...
Antony Ingram -
Want To Trade Your Tesla Roadster In For A 2012 Model S? Now You Can
If you’ve ever purchased a car, the chances are you’ll be familiar with the concept of trade-ins: giving the dealer your old car-- and the equity contained within it--as a down-payment on a newer model. Now electric automaker Tesla Motors is offering a similar trade-in deal for owners...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Not Driven An Electric Car Yet? Try These Five First
If you've not yet driven an electric car, we think you're really missing out. Even if you consider yourself an electric car cynic, it's worth having a drive in one, experiencing the smoothness and silence, and the surprising acceleration available even in less powerful models. Whether you're a...
Antony Ingram -
Now we’ve entered the start of September, it’s officially no-longer summer. For many Americans that means no more road-trips, balmy summer evenings or family camping trips. So while you prepare for falling leaves, finding your winter sweaters and working through until Thanksgiving, we thought we’d share some of our favorite summer road trips made by electric cars and their owners keen to show that electric cars don’t just make the daily trip to and from work. Taking the 101 Tom and Cathy Saxton, well-known electric car advocates from Seattle, Washington, took their...
-
Globe Trotting Tesla Tragically Crashes 600 Miles Short Of Finish
Back in July, we told you about Frenchman Rafael de Mestre, and his Verne-inspired attempt to travel around the world in just 80 days in his all-electric Tesla Roadster. Using some clever social media, and a few video cameras to boot, de Mestre has live blogged his trip in detail, giving us the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Keeping An Eye On Your Electric Car? You’re Not The Only One
If you drive an electric car, the chances are you’ve experienced at some point the fear that your car will run out of charge before you reach your destination, otherwise known as range anxiety. But what about the fear that the battery pack in your new electric car will suffer rapid...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Want A Tesla Roadster? Buy George Clooney's Old Car
The Tesla Roadster is no longer on sale, and with attention on the recently-launched Model S, the upcoming Model X crossover and a rumored BMW 3-Series-sized Tesla sedan, it may be some time before the company produces another sports car. That means you're limited to used vehicles, and what better...
Antony Ingram -
Five Electric Supercars We Want In Our Garage
For some, cars are much more than merely a method of transport. Much of the stereotypical gearhead backlash against electric and hybrid vehicles is to do with the perception that the vehicles are transportation for tree huggers, hippies and people who believe that people shouldn't have fun. It's...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Roadster Owners Get Third-Party Charging Adaptor, CAN Finally Charge
It officially ended production last year, but the iconic Tesla Roadster is still being developed and tweaked thanks to a few enterprising Tesla owners and fans. The latest must-have for any Tesla Roadster? A small adaptor that allows Tesla Roadster owners to charge their cars at any public J-1772...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Remember the two French guys in their Mitsubishi i (well, Citroen C-Zero)? Their eight-month, 15,500-mile journey in the tiny electric car is just one of many long-distance EV publicity drives we've seen, but certainly one of the longest. Naturally, they're not the only people to have thought of circumnavigating the globe on in a production electric car--and now they're being joined by French Tesla Roadster owner Rafael de Mestre. Only Rafael isn't so much joining the French duo as intending to beat them, snatching the record for first global journey in an electric car. The C-Zero team of...
-
Want To Know What An Electric-Car Only Race Sounds Like?
Visit any major race track on any day of the week and there’s bound to be a cacophony of noise as professional race teams or enthusiastic amateurs drive lap after lap in praise to the gods of gasoline. But what would it be like if every car going around the track was powered by electricity?...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
With 2012 Tesla Model S Launched, Tesla Roadster Horses Around
However good the parent, the arrival of a new baby can have the unfortunate effect of making older siblings feel neglected and unloved. We didn’t expect those kind of feelings in the automotive world, but a stunt recently posted on the Internet involving a Tesla Roadster reminds us of a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Green-Car Death List: 2012 Models To Which We Bid Adieu
Every year, some car models pass from our midst, often dying quietly and unnoticed. Here's our list of the green cars that are no longer with us. There were, of course, more cars than just this handful of the greenest models that died in 2012; here's a more complete list. Chevrolet Aveo While the...
John Voelcker -
2008-2011 Tesla Roadster: Should You Buy One, And For How Much?
For the past five years or more, the iconic Tesla Roadster has been the poster child for electric cars. Produced between 2008 and 2011, the two-seat Tesla Roadster combines the desirability of a luxury sports car with race-car performance, while its massive 53 kilowatt-hour battery pack gives...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
How Much Range Does Your Leaf Lose If You Unplug It For 8 Days?
Remember Michael DeGusta, the guy who indadvertedly ‘bricked’ his oh-so-expensive Tesla Roadster after storing it in an almost-empty state for nearly two months? In the case of DeGusta’s Tesla, the car used most of the remaining charge trying to keep itself warm, but the story did...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
You might think that electric vehicles aren't naturally suited to driving long distances just yet, but that hasn't stopped plenty of people giving it a go anyway. Here then is the GreenCarReports guide to the world of long-distance EV publicity stunts, arranged conveniently by distance, shortest to longest. We'll keep this article updated when new teams attempt new distance challenges... 313 miles, 2009 - Australian road trip in a Tesla Roadster Prior to the JEVC's decimation of the EV distance record, Simon Hackett and Emilis Prelgauskas managed 313 miles from a standard Tesla Roadster at...
-
Nissan Leaf Battery Warranty: What You MUST Do To Keep It Valid
Yesterday, we covered a story about several Tesla Roadster owners -- and one in particular -- who claim that Tesla caused them to turn their $109,000 cars into very expensive bricks. The owners in question claim that Tesla didn’t make them aware that leaving a roadster unplugged for extended...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Is Tesla 'Bricking' Story Just An Angry Owner's Warranty Claim?
And now perhaps it all becomes clear. The Tesla battery 'bricking' post that was today's electric-car news story and generated reams of coverage may simply be an attempt by an unhappy owner to get Tesla Motors to replace the battery in his Roadster. At least, that would appear to be the logical...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Battery 'Bricking': The Real Story Behind The Scare
Late last night, a sensational blog post circulated through Silicon Valley. It claimed that several $100,000-plus Tesla Roadsters were now useless as the result of a "devastating design problem," with their battery packs "bricked" from being left too long without plugging in. Early this morning, we...
John Voelcker -
Bricking A Tesla Roadster Battery: Today's Electric Car Meme
Heard of "bricking" yet? No? You will shortly. It's the phenomenon in which the lithium-ion battery pack of an electric car that's left unplugged for a long period goes completely, utterly dead--to the point where it cannot be recharged, and becomes a large, expensive "brick." [FURTHER UPDATE: Is...
John Voelcker -
After Model X, Tesla To Sell Cheaper Electric; 2015 Roadster To Follow
Tesla's upcoming product plans seem designed for maximum stability, so don't expect to see a new Roadster until after the launch of Tesla's affordable Gen 3 car.
Kurt Ernst