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Silicon Valley Takes On Detroit
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of CBS News
Posted: November 11th, 2006
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/22/eveningnews/main18...
At a glittering Los Angeles party, an ambitious new car maker declared the electric car alive and well. The Tesla Roadster, which can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds doesn't come from Detroit, but from high tech Silicon Valley aiming to do what Detroit couldn't -- make a commercially successful car that doesn't burn gas. "Electric cars don't have to be little, pathetic commuter cars," says Martin Eberhard, CEO of Tesla Motors. "They can be quick and they can be desirable." Eberhard made millions in the computer industry, then convinced other high tech investors like Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal, to put in big money. Musk expects huge rewards if Silicon Valley can break Detroit's grip on the U.S. auto industry. "It's batteries, it's drive electronics, it's electric motors," says Musk. "Those are skills that are present in Silicon Valley and not present in Detroit." There's a quick charger for the Tesla's lithium batteries but the car can be plugged in anywhere. It'll go 250 miles on a single charge -- at a cost the company says, of just 1 cent a mile. Tesla expects to quickly sell its first 100 cars for $100,000 each. But, don't give up. The company also has plans for a car for the rest of us. Tesla promises a less expensive four-door family car within three years. For now, however, it's the rich and famous who are getting a charge out of this electric car, such as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who tried out the car and had two words to say: "Very Nice."
Note: Don't be surprised if this technology inexplicably disappears as so many others have, like the once heralded 100 MPG Toyota Eco Spirit back in 2002. For lots more reliable information on the suppression of new energy inventions, see http://www.WantToKnow.info/newenergyinformation.
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