SFist Photo: Tesla Motors' Roadster- the Electric Edsel?
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom zipped around the Wharf today in an extremely swift all-electric Roadster from San Carlos-based Tesla Motors. How many electric vehicles can you see in this photo?
Well, Edsel might be going back a bit too far, but how about Segway Inc. as an apt comparison? Remember 2001, when an electric-powered transportation device backed by famous tech kingpins, politicians, celebrities and $100 million or so in development money was revealed? It was supposed to rock our world? Did IT?
Are there any similarities here with this car? Some hyperbolic coverage from the MSM makes us wonder a bit. Here's an opinion from Washington Post-affiliated Slate - the author was "unbelievably stoked", even after a self-imposed cooling off period. "It's Electric!" Mmm.
If you would like to view the press release from Tesla and Hyatt describing today's trip from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe via Sacramento (will Arnold Schwarzenegger show up to the pit stop?), click here. And if you want some corporate-approved coverage, click here.
But if you would like a more nuanced viewpoint (and a few more photos), see you after the jump!
First of all, this thing accelerates very, very quickly. Fine. Fast electricars are quite the thing these days what with heartthrobs George Clooney and Matt Damon showing interest.
But speed is just what we would expect from a project that, basically, takes lots of new-school batteries and puts them in a carbon fiber-skinned and lengthened Lotus Elise. Our question is how are people going to feel about their vehicles a few miles down the road? Wikipedia is usually a good source for information but last time we looked, a section that included criticism was edited out.
Here are some nuanced views. Play Devil's Advocate here. Learn a little history here. Is conspiracy your bag? Or are you a newshound? Are you a digger? A cranky blogger? There are enough perspectives for all.
We're not yet sure that the hype surrounding this particular car (and the more useful follow-up vehicles that are promised) is justified. Edsel produced about 111,000 vehicles. Will Telsa Motors do more than that? Just asking.
