Tesla Test Drive: Time to Try an American Car?

>>background music It's fast, it's sweet, it's electric, it's American, it's a Tesla Roadster and it's one of the six American vehicles Moneywatch.com suggests checking out. There's no question that our other choices are much more affordable. Our picks include the Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, Chrysler Town and Country, Cadillac CTS and the Ford Escape Hybrid and then there's the Tesla. Our priciest choice at $109,000, the Roadster has generated a lot of buzz as the first high performance electric car on the American market. Tesla claims to be faster than a Porsche and twice as energy efficient as the Toyota Prius. We asked car expert, Jim Motovolley assumed spelling to give us a closer look.

>>Jim: It takes off instantly. It goes 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds, 3.9 seconds so it's incredibly exhilarating to drive. I know you're used to seeing an engine under the hood but with a Tesla that's not what you get. All the moving parts are really in the trunk. background music Let's take a look. This area here is for storage. It's kind of deep so you can get something like golf clubs back here. You'll notice that the Tesla battery pack covers up the motor and the controller. You might think that was a service issue but it really isn't because on electric cars the motor, the controller and even the battery pack need very little maintenance.

>>The Tesla Roadster runs on a lithium battery and comes with a charger that's installed in your garage. Fully charged the car can travel over 200 miles.

>>Jim: So it will probably cost you, in electricity, maybe $4 or $5, something like that, .2 cents a mile and I think most people would find that a bargain compared to what they're paying for gasoline.

>>Tesla plans to release a 4 door electric sedan in 2011 which will retail for around $50,000 but for now the Roadster continues to rely on car enthusiasts with an exhilarating drive.

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