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As the first Tesla rolls off the production line and into the hands of some rich white guy, I think it's time to take a look at their competition. While Tesla is certainly the most well-known of the sexy fast green cars, they aren't the first or the last to serve this market.
So where is Tesla's competition coming from? All OVER the place. And while we can't stop loving the Roadster there are some other hot green cars that are worth mentioning (and ogling) and some that might even soon be worth buying.
Lets go in order of price, shall we?
The Rinspeed sQuba
It's difficult to lump this car into any one category. In fact, it's a bit difficult to even fit it into the "car" category, as it does pretty well underwater as well. The sQuba is all-electric, not to keep it green, but to ensure that it can run in an environment that has no oxygen (the bottom of a lake.) Besides fulfilling the dreams of wannabe Bonds, the car is completely emissions-free and uses biodegradeable lubricants. And as for the price...well, it's a one-of-a-kind submersible sports car...but the people at Rinspeed are leaving it up to our imaginations
The only electric sports car to beat Tesla to the punch has been on sale since 2002...the Venturi Fetish. Of course, they've only make about 30 of them, and they've had to be a bit more flexible with the price than Tesla's strict $100,000 ceiling. OK, about six times more flexible. The Venturi Fetish can be yours in a couple of months for the low-low price of $600,000. Venturi doesn't seem to have any goals of getting the price down to Tesla's range. They're looking to serve a more upscale clientèle.
The Lightning GT
Being built by Brittish manufacturer Lightning, and funded in part by the UK government, the Lightning GT might be the only car on this list capable of beating Tesla's 3.9 second 0-60 time. But we don't have any guarantee of that yet because, so far, the high-capacity nanosafe lithium ion batteries have not been connected to the in-wheel PML Flightlink Hi-Pa Drive™ motors. Yeah! That's some hot car-nerd talk! Of course, those fancy words come with a big pricetag: $300,000 and rising (as the dollar drops against the pound.)
Really, for what it delivers, the Roadster is starting to look like a real bargain! The fastest zero to sixty time, tied with the Lightning GT for driving range at 250 miles, and faster than the (somewhat outdated) Venturi Fetish...really the only mark against it is that it isn't submersible. Plus, at $100,000, it's the cheapest full electric on this list. Which, I suppose, is why so many of Americas rich and famous are on the waiting list already.
Well, we're cheaper than the Roadster now, so we must be into hybrids...and we are. But the Karma is no normal hybrid. It plugs into the wall and can drive for 50 miles without using a drop of gasoline. Then, a small gasoline-powered generator kicks on to recharge the battery so that you can keep driving without needed to recharge. It has a slower 0-60 time than any other car on the list (6 seconds) but a faster top speed (over 125 mph.) Now, I don't know why you'd need either of those things, but for the true EcoGeek, you will need the built-in, roof-top solar panels. Of course, that will bump the cost significantly over the $80,000 base price.
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written by Anonymous, March 20, 2008
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written by Ian George, March 20, 2008
I would sooner use the $15,000 to convert my own car to an EV... It would perform better and have highway speeds...
come to think of it for the money those cars are asking for... I could do a EV conversion that would beat every car on that list, with the possible exception of the sQuba.
Personally though I more like vehicles like Twikes, Aeroriders, and Apteras than cars that only cost more for speed and acceleration features I will never use.... but to each their own.
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written by Puneet, March 20, 2008
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written by The Sleepy Surfer .com, March 20, 2008
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written by Tayphyus, March 20, 2008
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written by R. Vargas, March 20, 2008
grow up.
That set a side... I really don't know why the FISKER car WAS NOT mentioned in the list. That is one SEXY LOOKING CAR!!! I think it looks WAY better than the Tesla, AND it even has an integrated solar roof panel to charge up while it's just being parked.
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written by J, March 27, 2008
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written by J, March 27, 2008
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written by JL, March 30, 2008
non-electric cars. An EV is good for the golf course and LA on saturday night, but when you really need to move across country or carry a load of bricks or tow your boat...
YOU WILL NEED Mealer American Motor Co.
www.betterconstructed.com
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written by kerry bradshaw, April 05, 2008
have now been rendered obsolete by the EEStor ultra capacitors. Now you don't need to be rich to afford a fast EV. Sorry, boys, but you'll have to buy sonething else to impress anyone. I doubt that those fellows have a clue as to what's about to happento their new cars
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written by Trisha, August 30, 2008
This website is fab!
You can also check out more hot green cars on a new green website called http://www.ecoswitch.com
Ecoswitch writes about green products, including cars that have this superstar factor and which are friendly to our environment!
Hope that is of interest!
Trish x
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written by Uncle B, August 26, 2009
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