Reviving the Electric Car
History
1902 Woods Electric Phaeton
1911 Baker Electric
1832 Robert Anderson invents a non-rechargeable
electric carriage.
1835 Thomas Davenport builds the first practical electric
vehicle and receiving a patent for the first electric motor
in 1837.
1859 French physicist Gaston Planté invents the
rechargeable lead-acid battery.
1891 William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa builds the
first successful electric automobile in the United States.
1900 One-third of all cars found on the roads of New
York City, Boston, and Chicago are electric.
History
Victor Wouk with 1972 Buick Skylark Hybrid
1975 Sebring-Vanguard-CitiCar
1908 Henry Ford introduces the gasoline-powered Model T.
1912 Charles Kettering invents the electric automobile starter.
Eliminating the need for a hand crank starter on gasoline powered
vehicles.
1972 Victor Wouk builds the first full-size hybrid vehicle
1974 Vanguard-Sebring's CitiCar is introduced it has a top speed of
30 mph and a 40 mile range.
1975 The U.S. Postal Service purchases 350 electric delivery jeeps
from AM General.
History
1996
Saturn EV1
Chevrolet Volt Concept Car
1996 General Motors Saturn EV1 is released.
1997 Toyota introduces the Prius, the first mass-produced hybrid.
2003 General Motors announces that it will not renew leases on the
EV1.
2007 General Motors unveils the Chevrolet Volt concept car.
2008 Tesla Motors begins production of the Tesla Roadster
1904 Baker Electric Stanhope
Horsepower – 1.75
Top Speed – 14 mph
3 Speed Transmission
Range – 40 miles
Weight – 975 lbs
Shaft drive
$1600
1975 Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar
Horsepower – 3.5
Top Speed – 44 mph
3 Speed Transmission
Range – 50 miles
Weight – 1475 lbs
Direct Drive
Full charge in 6 hours
$3500
1998 Saturn EV1
Horsepower – 137
Top Speed – 80 mph (regulated)
Range – 75 to 130 miles
Weight – 3084 lbs
Full charge in 6 hours
$33,995 ($349 per month lease)
Saturn EV1 Today
Tesla Roadster
Horsepower – 248
Top Speed – 125 mph
2 Speed Transmission
Range – 220 miles
Full charge in 3.5 hrs
(with 70 amp home
charging station)
Shaft Drive
Weight – 2690 lbs
$109,000 (2009)
Tesla Roadster
Factory Options
Premium Audio Package $2,000
Custom seats $2,500
Painted Carbon Fiber Hard Top/Exposed Carbon Fiber
Hard Top $3,200/$5,000
Metallic or Premium Exterior Paint $500/$1,000
High Power Connector: 40 amp/70 amp $1,500/$2,000
Mobile Connector $1,200
Fully loaded- $122,700
Tesla Roadster
Performance
Continuous
Torque
0-60 in 3.9
seconds
125 mph
top speed
Tesla Roadster
Tesla Roadster
Battery Technology
6,831 Lithium Ion
batteries (laptop)
Each cell is
independent
100,000 mile life
expectancy
Non-hazardous
waste
Recyclable
Accounts for $20,000
of the cost of the
vehicle
Battery Cost
Tesla Roadster
Energy Efficiency
Tesla Roadster
Energy Efficiency
Per Mile Cost
At $.06 US per KWh, a battery-powered car costs $.02$.03 per mile on grid electricity
Tesla Roadster cost is calculated using average winter/summer PG&E
schedule E-9 off-peak “rate A” tariff, as of March 1, 2007.
Per Mile Cost
Comparison
Tesla Roadster
Energy Efficiency- Solar
“…the panels produce about $3,200 worth of
transportation fuel plus about $600 worth
of home energy, for a total of about $3,800
per year.”- Martin Eberhard
Tesla Roadster
Maintenance
12,000 miles/12 months
Reduced Maintenance

No motor oil or oil filters to change

No smog equipment to check
No air filters to replace

No power steering fluids to refill

Tesla Business Model
Electric vehicle technology without sacrificing
performance or style.
Competitive price point with other “supercars”.
High end technology can be optimized and reused on
more accessible vehicles.
Plans for WhiteStar sedan are in the works.
Obstacles
Start-up car company
Lithium Ion battery costs
Range concerns
Price and consumer acceptance
Market