Overview & Reviews

While Martin Sheen and others ponder Who Killed the Electric Car? a group of Silicon Valley millionaires is trying to answer the next question: Who will resurrect the electric car? Tesla Motors is the result, a manufacturer of vehicles than run 100 percent on electricity.

The company gets its name from Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, who went toe-to-toe with Thomas Edison (and won) to prove whether AC or DC was the preferred method of transporting electricity over great distances. In the same light, Tesla Motors is trying to prove that electricity is not only capable of transporting automobiles great distances but also that electric cars can be fun to drive.

The company is the brainchild of Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning and PayPal founder Elon Musk. The founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, are also investors. This fresh blood from Silicon Valley is further evidence that Tesla is an entirely different type of car company.

Tesla went about creating its first vehicle with the theory that nobody wanted electric cars because nobody had created an electric car worth buying. So they sought to correct the many perceived electric-car problems like range, recharging times, styling and performance. The company's first product, the Tesla Roadster, is capable of going about 250 miles between charges, which is a drastic improvement from the GM EV1's 60-90-mile range. A complete recharge is accomplished in less than 2 hours. (The EV1 took 5.) Recharging is accomplished via regenerative braking, a home recharging unit and an optional portable recharger.

As for styling and performance, Tesla chose a $100,000 sports car to enter the market as a way to establish "performance DNA" that would trickle down to less expensive models. Based on the Lotus Elise, the British-built Tesla Roadster is lightweight and svelte, capable of keeping up with other sports cars in its price bracket. Tesla promises 0-60-mph times around 4 seconds and a top speed of more than 130 mph. Throw in handling indicative of its Lotus roots and it should be obvious that the Roadster is one heck of a sports car.

Tesla announced in February 2007 that it would be making a new sport sedan known as the WhiteStar, built at a new factory in New Mexico. The company plans on producing 10,000 units each year at a cost between $50,000 and $65,000 per car. Like the Roadster, it should have a range of about 250 miles, but with battery technology improving, that number could rise.

With growing international attention, including Tesla Roadsters ferrying stars to high-profile events like the Oscars and the rising interest in alternative fuels to combat global warming, this young electric car company could soon be a big name in the automotive industry.

User Reviews:

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  Love/Hate relationship with a 3 months old car - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By V500 - May 30 - 12:30 pm

  Too many quality issues - our heating system did not work in our brand new car - we had to take it to the dealership twice (not a fun experience!!). We took the car for our Ski trip - the snow chains literally cut the car - we haven’t found other cars having this issue. As per Tesla this happened because we did not use Tesla recommended snow chains but the Tesla recommended snow chains were out of stock. There was really no other option. Repair/Dealership issues - Tesla takes too much time for any repairs because it takes too long for service centers to get parts and also service centers are really busy because there are so many issues with Tesla cars. Also from our experience the service centers guys don’t care much - you are locked in once you have bought the car as there is no competition (Tesla only sends parts to their own service centers). The service centers also have a long waiting line for loaner cars - again because they have too much work because of all the car issues. Battery Range Issues - Don’t believe the range that Tesla advertises or shows in the car. It never gives you as much miles as advertised and in our experience it could dropped down to as little as 55-60% of the listed range (happened to us because we had to go through a traffic jam) Interior Design Issues - In the interior the storage space is an issue - there is no storage on the doors (which other cars have). They have a big space next to the control screen but it is difficult to use as there are no compartments (Tesla sells you a console for $600 for that). The cup holders in the car are placed at a very inconvenient place - it is very difficult to put the cups there or take cups out Big car with Good acceleration/Good for the Environment - Very nice cosmetic features which includes a nice screen with all controls, handles etc. It has a very good acceleration and fun to drive car. It looks good from outside and it is good for environment. It is also pretty big with a lot of storage space (Frunk provides additional storage) Overall it is a good car but if you are switching from a regular Gas car - you will definitely feel some pain on long trips and also with the current quality issues you probably need an extra car at home to drive around while your car is at the service center!

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  this is something you need to consider before you buy - 2013 Tesla Model S
  By amazinggrace - March 8 - 12:04 am

  my husband accidentally spilled the cooler inside the car after he hit the break, and the car just stopped in the middle of the road. the car was totally dead (was embarrassed as a lot of people that drove by knew it was a Tesla ~___~ and waved at me) and waited 2hrs for the roadside assistant to arrive. the next day the Costa Mesa service center called, and they were willing to change the connectors that had water damage for us for free, I WAS HAPPY THAT TESLA WOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS ISSUE AS I BELIEVE THEY SHOULD BECAUSE THIS IS NOT SOMETHING UNCOMMON TO HAVE IT HAPPENED INSIDE OF A CAR, WHO DOES NOT HAVE A COOLER? AND WHO DOES NOT CARRY WATER IN THE CAR?

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  improvement needed - 2016 Tesla Model S
  By nick - August 6 - 11:37 am

  no storage, 2 poorly placed cup holders, hard to understand controls, no real support on a 100k purchase.

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  Unavailable Repair Parts Tarnishes Tesla Image - 2016 Tesla Model S
  By Tony Barre - January 18 - 6:38 am

  When I bought my new Tesla Model S in May 2016 and for months before I was proud to be part of “accelerating the worlds transition to sustainable energy.” I talked it up with my friends and family and even with strangers I met at Starbucks. I got 2 of my kids to pre-order the Model 3. Then I ran over a truck tire tread on the freeway, causing $6k of damage to the bumper and undercarriage. Since then, the car has been at Kniesls Repair Shop in Roseville, CA, a Tesla-authorized repair shop. It has been there for 6 weeks now awaiting repair parts, with no ETA for those parts. In fact, Kniesls tells me that they have 3 other Teslas in their shop in similar condition awaiting parts for as much as 3 months. After 4 weeks, I contacted Tesla using the form on their web site. No response. At all. If “the worlds transition....” involves no repair parts, I want no part of it, and neither should you. If “the worlds transition....” includes the inability to forecast a delivery date for repair parts, I am ashamed to be a part of it. If “the worlds transition....” entails a complete lack of interest in post-sales customer service, I am afraid of it. What would you do if your car was unavailable for 6 weeks with no forecast for when it would be available again? Would you feel like you were accelerating the worlds transition to sustainable energy?

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  Tesla model S flawed design - 2013 Tesla Model S
  By solarguy888 - September 23 - 9:01 pm

  I took delivery of my Tesla85 1 month ago and it is a highly flawed design especially the large touch screen , it would be great to know the figures on how many Tesla model s cars have been involved in accidents i will guarantee it is higher than the average what ever that may be ,needless to say I contacted Tesla with my concerns on 4 separate occassions and have heard nothing, great customer service, this car cost $130000 in Australia .It will be interesting to see in the near future whether they persist with this touch screen but if enough safety authorities get hold of this design flaw it could mean a recall what would that cost.

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  Think Twice - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By Darma Wright - September 11 - 6:21 pm

  Software glitches galore. Key "fob" is not the answer to getting into the car. Owner gets two. One never worked; the other does occasionally. Getting stranded outside the vehicle is common. Navigation also needs to be reinvented. Re-booting needed to "correct" (partially) some problems. Waking vehicle from deep sleep takes hours. Charging at home with 50 AMP connection is SLOW. Estimate an hour 38 minutes after a 50 mile drive