Executive Producer Stefano Durdic made a visit to Chicago's Academy for Global Citizenship today, to give the students at this public contract school a chance to tour the Tesla Roadster and learn about electric cars.  The young students had the same questions about electric cars that most adults have: "How fast does it go?" "Does it make any noise?" "How long does it take to charge the battery?" "Is it expensive?" "How far can it go before you have to charge it again?" "What other colors does it come in?" "Does it come in pink?" At first they didn't seem to believe Stefano when he told them it can go 120 miles per hour and that it had over 6,000 lithium ion batteries in the back.  But after getting some hands-on time with the car to look at the batteries and to see how the "gas tank" wasn't a gas tank but an electric outlet, the kids became believers. 

 Regular readers of this blog will know all about Plug in America's triumphant Inaugural EV Parade West in Santa Monica, CA a few weeks back.   Now here's a chance to enjoy some video from the event. A final count of 77 electric vehicles and over 250 people participated in the rally and subsequent parade. All types of electric vehicles drove quietly and emission free in formation for a few miles through city streets. 

When I was a kid in Arab, Alabama, in 1965, I discovered slot cars. They were a new phenomenon then and quickly got everyone's attention. They were fast as hell, sounded cool, and it only cost one penny per minute for track time. I remember the really fast cars had "re-wound" motors, whatever that was. All I remember was that those were the cars that always won, and boy, were they quick! Now, I'm reading about Tesla coming out with a quicker car. What, the Roadster wasn't fast enough? Listen to what Elon says: "The Roadster Sport does 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, compared with 3.9 seconds for the standard Roadster. It comes with a hand-wound stator and increased winding density for lower resistance and higher peak torque." It's re-wound motors again! Sounds just like the talk I used to hear at the slot car track in Arab during my junior high days. The technology allowing for the world's quickest cars is not much different from the technology behind those fantastic cars of my youth. The point here is that efficiency and power in the EV world come from tweaking the wiring of motors and better batteries, not in increasing the bore of cylinders and higher octane gas. A Tesla Sport will beat the snot out of virtually any gas powered production vehicle, and do it with a tiny fraction of the energy the gas burner will use. And all of the energy will be from domestic sources, not some Saudi oil field protected by billions of our tax dollars and our soldiers' lives. And before you dismiss this Tesla improvement as some rich person's fantasy come true, keep in mind that all of the technological improvements to the Roadster will be used in the moderately priced Model S, and eventually in the Blue Star economy Tesla. This is a trickle down theory you can believe in! Read more in the email Elon Musk sent out January 11, 2009... Here's the entire email Elon Musk sent out on January 11 2009: Subject: Introducing the Roadster Sport We wanted our loyal customers to be the first to know that we are now taking orders for the Roadster Sport, and we’ll be talking about it this week at the 2009 North American International Auto Show. Roadster Sport with optional clear-coat carbon fiber top. The Roadster Sport delivers 15 percent more peak power and does 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, compared with 3.9 seconds for the standard Roadster. It comes with a hand-wound stator and increased winding density for lower resistance and 15 percent higher peak torque. In addition to Yokohama’s Ultra High Performance tires, the Roadster Sport has improved suspension with adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars that will be tuned to the driver’s preference. The Roadster Sport starts at $128,500 in the United States and €112,000 (excluding VAT) in Europe. Deliveries will begin in late June. Customers who haven’t taken delivery – even those whose car is already in production -- may upgrade to the Roadster Sport. We are quite confident that this car will smoke nearly any rival in its price class – yet it is twice as efficient as compact hybrid sedans. It also represents a significant milestone for Tesla as the first production derivative of the company’s proprietary, patented powertrain. It’s de facto proof that Tesla’s technology is flexible and expandable. We are planning to unveil the all-electric, zero-emission Model S five-passenger sedan soon – and we will absolutely honor our customers by giving them a sneak peek before the media and public. You’ll hear more about it in the next couple months. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support. We delivered 147 Roadsters in 2008, exceeding an aggressive internal benchmark -- and vastly more than skeptics thought possible. We are in the midst of an ambitious production ramp-up, from 15 to 30 per week by the spring. Many of you can look forward to getting your car in the upcoming weeks and months – and those of you with higher VINs can take comfort in the fact that we’re producing more and more cars every week. I am leaving soon for Detroit, where Tesla will have a space on the floor of the Detroit auto show for the first time. This is only proper, befitting our status as the newest member of the global automotive industry. If you are coming to Detroit to see the country’s largest auto show or just following it online, please be sure to see what we’re up to. Thanks again for your continued support. Sincerely, Elon