Disclaimer: I am on the board of Tesla Motors, own a Tesla Roadster, and love my Tesla Roadster.
Five years ago I took my first ride in an early prototype of the Tesla Roadster. It had no dashboard, the seats were more like metal frames, and there was no roof. But it did have a steering wheel and foot-pedal (I guess you can't call it a gas pedal anymore). It didn't need anything else. The test drive blew me away. I still remember the first time my head was pushed against the back of the 'seat' as we launched from zero to 60 in less than 4 seconds. I was intoxicated with joy. I wasn't alone. Everyone who tried the prototype that day became a believer. Electric cars were the future. And now that future is coming to Colorado.
Nikola Tesla, one of Colorado's famous residents, always believed that the gasoline engine made no sense. Tesla Motor's original business plan had a copy of a letter from Nikola Tesla from the late 19th Century talking about the challenges inherent in gasoline engines, and the promise of the electric engine. But for a few twists of fate the gasoline engine we know today might have just been a small footnote in history.
Nikola Tesla spent one of his most productive years in Colorado Springs. While in Colorado, Tesla proved that earth was a conductor of electricity, he produced artificial lightning with discharges consisting of millions of volts, and up to 135 feet long (based on his famous Tesla Coil), and performed long distance power transmission experiments which lit up banks of lights around Colorado Springs. That was an exciting time in the evolution of electricity to live in Colorado, and 100 years later things are heating up again.
This week Tesla Motors will announce the opening its Gallery in Boulder, Colorado. The store will open with a cocktail reception on October 23 for interested buyers of the Tesla Roadster, the world's first production electric sports car.
How does it drive in the snow? Quite well as it turns out.
The gallery will be located in downtown Boulder, and will service the greater Denver Metropolitan area. Visitors to the gallery will be able to see and learn about the Tesla Roadster as well its upcoming Model S sedan. Tesla Motors currently sells the Roadster and the Roadster Sport. It continues to get rave reviews from around the world, including this one by Business Week from earlier this month.
If you're interested in taking the Roadster for a test drive, send me a tweet @kimbal and I'll connect you with the right folks at Tesla Motors. And until it expires at the end of 2009, any Tesla Roadster buyer can take advantage of a pretty amazing tax credit by the State of Colorado to promote electric vehicle sales in the state. You can learn more about it here.
The Tesla store will open with a bang with a VIP opening party at the Tesla Store on October 23. It's going to be the hottest ticket of the month. And I have five tickets to give away! The first five people to tweet 'Tesla Rocks' to @kimbal will get the tickets.
Update: That was quick. Kimbal Musk's five free tickets for the Tesla Motors VIP reception in Boulder have all been snatched up on Twitter.