I Want One Right Now

Nikola Tesla, pioneer of wireless radio, took to his vocation with an artist's sensibility. Inspiration came to him in blinding flashes, literally. He shot for the stars and fell miserably short, dying alone in a New York hotel without a dime to his name, eclipsed in life by rivals like Thomas Edison whom Tesla felt were undeserving of acclaim.

With backing from Silicon Valley billionaires, and new green technologies that have Big Three automakers paying attention, California startup Tesla Motors stands a good chance to score a bit of a posthumous victory for their namesake, who could be considered the spiritual father of the company's high performance, pure-electric motor.



Pictured above are the Tesla Model S and Roadster. The sporty Roadster can reach 60mph in less than four seconds, and tops out at 125mph, for safety. It can run for 244 miles on a charge at a cost of pennies per mile. This is an $80,000 vehicle. The cheaper Model S, just unveiled for $50,000, gives up little on performance while offering the conveniences of a four-dour sedan. A $30,000 model code-named "Blue Star" is next off the assembly line.

You can get solar panels, too---for your home---so that the vehicle can effectively run 50 miles a day at no cost to the consumer. They also help to ensure that power grids don't take a shit when all the cars Tesla wants to put in driveways start sucking juice like OJ Simpson's cellmate.

Flabby Ford, which on Tesla's budget would be hard-pressed to produce a door handle, won't be left in the wilderness. They've got a pure-electric vehicle slated for 2011.