The Tesla Roadster

California, USA -- Another addition to the GreenMonster's list of electric sports cars is the 2-seat, 2-door roadster, the Tesla Roadster by Tesla Motors.

This highway capable car uses lithium-ion battery technology, which they call ESS (Energy Storage System), has a capacity of 53 KWh of electrical energy when fully charged at 3½ hours using the high power connector which supplies 70 amp, 220 volt electricity. The full charge lets you drive for 244 mi (393 km) before it needs to be plugged again.

This darling accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h) run by a 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction motor licensed from AC Propulsion's EV Power System design which includes a Reductive Charging patent covering integration of the charging electronics with the inverter, thus reducing mass, complexity, and cost. Transmission is a single speed BorgWarner automatic fixed gear.

Officially unveiled to the public on July 19, 2006, in Santa Monica, California, it has delivered its first 100th car in December 2008 and its 200th car in February 2009.

The price is at $109,000 for the 2009 models. A $5000 refundable reservation fee starts the process and locks in price; and additional $55,000 to lock in a production slot and delivery timeframe.

REVA Reveals REVA L-ion -- a Lithium-ion Battery Powered Car

Bangalore, India -- The GreenMonster continues to shop for electric cars around the globe and came across this highway-speed capable car from India called REVA. Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) was said to be the first company worldwide to successfully commercialize electric cars and sell or test market its range of electric cars in 18 countries across Europe and Asia and has the largest deployed fleet of electric cars in the market with over 2,500 EVs on the road that have logged in an estimated 50 million kilometers of user experience.

An announcement was made that the new REVA L-ion, powered by the next generation high-performance lithium-ion batteries will be available this year in May. Lithium-ion batteries will enable to the electric car to charge in 6 hours with an onboard charger and 1 hour with an external charger requiring 3-phase power. Top speed is the same with the REVA i at 80 km/h (50 mph), but the range has increased to 120 km (75 mi) from the 80 km (50 mi) range of the REVA i.

The REVA i, introduced in January 2008 after the discontinued REVA (or G-Wiz in the UK), runs on eight 6-Volt EV lead acid batteries that fully charges in 8 hours (80% in 2.5 hours.) on a 220 Volt, 15 Ampere socket. The standard REVA i model costs about £7,995.

Hmm... how much would the new REVA L-ion be? We'll see.