My Tesla arrives in Los Angeles!
Published by Chris Paine on November 12, 2008 — 1:52 am
It's alive! It's alive! It's alive!
My brand new silver all-electric Tesla Roadster sportscar (#23) arrived by truck in Los Angeles yesterday. Shrouded in plastic and tucked into the back of a semi with three other Tesla's, it waited to be rolled onto the streets of Los Angeles.
My nervousness turned to pure joy as it eased down and I got to drive it into the showroom for its final set of checks. Wow! What a beauty.
It's been five years since my last silver all electric sports car, a GM EV1, was infamously destroyed. Since then, I've had the pleasure of driving a Toyota Rav-4 EV conversion. But this week takes me right back to car heaven. America's first ground-up design pure electric sportscar since the EV1 arrives again. Hurrah!!
It was a long two years ago that Dean Devlin, our executive producer on "Who Killed the Electric Car", challenged me to "put your money where your mouth is" and order Tesla's $100,000 Roadster. All I had seen was the first Tesla prototype that we previewed for the world in our film for three seconds... but that was enough.
We knew who was involved, we knew the legions of people who had fought so hard for electric cars, we knew the technology was possible (hell, we had both driven GM's EV1 for five years of flawless performance), and now we could see the future. "It's cheaper then a fully loaded Mercedes" I remember someone with Chanel shades saying. Having never paid more then $20,000 for a car, this was not convincing. What sold me was knowing this was speed and a new era of clean domestically powered American automobiles .
The first 100 orders paid upfront - and thankfully so because the few stocks I sold to buy the car are worth far less today - and then we waited and waited as Tesla sped, lurched, detoured, veered and hurtled through the incredible complex labyrinth of building cars.
And now... the day has come! A day when Detroit's gas car companies are improbably fighting for their lives. A day when Tesla too has challenges, but a car in-hand.
Final delivery happens at Noon tomorrow in Tesla's Los Angeles showroom. The keys will likely be handed to me (and EV1 co-veteran Linda Nicholes) by Bob Sexton, the very mechanic who rotated the tires of our EV1s at Saturn Marina del Rey back in 1998.
I am very very lucky!
My nervousness turned to pure joy as it eased down and I got to drive it into the showroom for its final set of checks. Wow! What a beauty.
It's been five years since my last silver all electric sports car, a GM EV1, was infamously destroyed. Since then, I've had the pleasure of driving a Toyota Rav-4 EV conversion. But this week takes me right back to car heaven. America's first ground-up design pure electric sportscar since the EV1 arrives again. Hurrah!!
It was a long two years ago that Dean Devlin, our executive producer on "Who Killed the Electric Car", challenged me to "put your money where your mouth is" and order Tesla's $100,000 Roadster. All I had seen was the first Tesla prototype that we previewed for the world in our film for three seconds... but that was enough.
We knew who was involved, we knew the legions of people who had fought so hard for electric cars, we knew the technology was possible (hell, we had both driven GM's EV1 for five years of flawless performance), and now we could see the future. "It's cheaper then a fully loaded Mercedes" I remember someone with Chanel shades saying. Having never paid more then $20,000 for a car, this was not convincing. What sold me was knowing this was speed and a new era of clean domestically powered American automobiles .
The first 100 orders paid upfront - and thankfully so because the few stocks I sold to buy the car are worth far less today - and then we waited and waited as Tesla sped, lurched, detoured, veered and hurtled through the incredible complex labyrinth of building cars.
And now... the day has come! A day when Detroit's gas car companies are improbably fighting for their lives. A day when Tesla too has challenges, but a car in-hand.
Final delivery happens at Noon tomorrow in Tesla's Los Angeles showroom. The keys will likely be handed to me (and EV1 co-veteran Linda Nicholes) by Bob Sexton, the very mechanic who rotated the tires of our EV1s at Saturn Marina del Rey back in 1998.
I am very very lucky!
28 Comments
wow! congrats!! *jealous*
btw, can you check if the water-pump indeed is running day and night nonstop?
Congrats and lucky you being able to afford that. I would rather wait for something like this baby here. Costs way less but is really cool.
Congratulations! What a journey it’s been. You should drive it up north sometime and do another event at our high school alma mater.
What a lucky guy.. Here on the east coast they still don’t know what an “EV” is. Congrats and enjoy the ride..
Chris – congratulations, jealously does not aptly express my feelings
My company has been compiling a bit of a shrine to the roadster with video tours, photos from sightings around the Bay Area, and active discussion forums. We would definitely appreciate if you swung by to share any impressions, photos or anything else.
http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/2008-tesla-roadster-coupe
Regardless – enjoy it and congratulations! Take care,
dan
Chris, Met you at the PIA fundraiser… Was a pleasure and best of luck with the car! Good luck getting some sleep tonight.
Dave
Chris,
I am so jazzed that you’ve finally got your new EV. Not to mention very jealous!
As you know, my old EV was somewhat of an anti-Tesla. These days A PHEV is about as close to a Tesla as I can get.
Thanks for supporting such a great company and here’s to them building white-star ASAP for the rest of us EV nuts!
Greetings from Dreary Bristol, UK!
Nikki
Hay Chris !! That’s GREAT! Silver TOO.. Same color as the one we got a chance to drive up here in Seattle 9/27. It is Scary FAST… (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RffF3idMw0 ) So never spend any time looking in your rear view mirror as you trash that Corvette, or Porsche… for when you least expect it… There will be a UPS truck on your front Bumper !!…
Steve Lough
President
Seattle EV Association
Hope you don’t park it near any of those WIldfires going on up there!
I am so envious!
that car is so cool I want one you are a lucky dude
Incredibly jealous and itching for a joyride….
What a vehicle! I can’t wait for the Revenge of the Electric Car to see it!
We’ll have a electric car get together at the Maine premier if you have it at the Railroad Square Cinema. We brought our solar car to the opening of Who Killed the Electric Car.
Congratulations, thats a really nice car.
Greetings from Germany
Christian
See my idea here on youtube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIl0IaI7Vrk
My vehicle is a more economical altenative, that will be far less expensive to own and drive. Not only is it possible for our vehicles to plug in to purchase power, but depending on the distance traveled, one can also accumulate supplemental power.
Sounds cool. Let us know how it runs.
that car is so happening, but I personally prefer the Shelby cobra and have a site dedicated to car fans ….at kitcarconnection.com you are lucky dude
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Hi,
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Finding an electrician shouldn’t be difficult. Locating the one that you believe is right for your project might not be quite as easy. If an electrician is in possession of a state license you can at least assume he working legally within the trade. When talking with Los Angeles electrician, ask to see a copy of his license. Call the local state contractors licensing board to verify any electrician’s license. You’ll also want proof of liability insurance and workers comp for the electrician and any employees and make certain all documents are up to date.
Thanks,
- Madlina Francis
Hi,
Thanks for writing such an interesting article. It’s really good to know about the real estate and home decoration and renovation in detail. You might not think of it often but the fact is that at some point in time every home is going to need the services of an electrician. The electric power that runs our homes with such convenience is a necessary part of our everyday lives. Some homeowners are quite handy at taking care of the small projects such as replacing an old ceiling light fixture or rewiring a wall receptacle. But for the most part, any projects that involve electricity is best lest to a professional Houston electrician.
Finding an electrician should be easy. But finding an electrician that’s right for your job may require some extra work. If an electrician has a state license you can probably assume that he has some capabilities in the field. When talking with Houston electrician, ask to see a copy of his license. Call the local state contractors licensing board to verify any electrician’s license. You also need proof of liability and workers comp insurance and check that the policies are current.
Thanks,
-
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You can make your EV by yourself
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Greetings!
The industry brought out some years ago the DC over AC system mainly aimed at the materials handling industry. This cuts down on wear & tear on the motors and extends battery life but also requires an exceedingly large traction battery pack in the region of 80 volts. Each cell of this pack is 2 volts and believe me they are not light you would therefore need a vehicle of massive proportions just to take the weight of the battery pack.
Porsche Rims
Wow Thats so cool, how do I get one! haha
Electric Vehicles are the cleanest, safe, efficient and cost effective mode of transportation. Electric vehicles are high performance vehicle and will continue to meet with new and exciting challenges in the near future. There are several reasons to have more and more Electric cars.
We all love to drive for long hours and avoid proper maintenance of the vehicle until any severe problem occurs in the vehicle. With Electric cars you have the opportunity to enjoy your ride without worrying about the maintenance. Electric cars do not require any oil, spark changes or any real repairs, thus eliminating the need of spending thousands of dollars on the maintenance. All it requires is to change the electric battery or to replace any of the fuel cell.
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