The 2008 to 2012 Tesla Roadster was one of the first “mainstream” electric cars sold. The car itself was based on a Toyota-powered Lotus Elise sports car. The cars were built by Lotus in Britain without the engine and transmission and then shipped to California, where they were mated with an electric motor, a control unit, and thousands of little batteries. They were not cheap, as they started at $109,000. And even with a gasoline engine, the tiny car was not practical.
These are my impressions of driving my friend’s 35,000-mile Tesla Roadster for a week:
Plugging it at home: My garage only has a regular 110 connection. And with a 110 connection, the Tesla charges at just three to five miles of range per hour. That is molasses slow. I considered getting an extension cord for the heavy-duty 220 connection in my laundry room on the other side of my house (if such a cord exists), but apparently, the Tesla does not like extension cords, as the resistance creates an unsafe amount of heat. Therefore, all of my trips were for short distances, i.e. less than 40 miles round trip. Otherwise, it would take days to fully recharge the car.
Plugging it outside of the home: You know all those charging stations at Whole Foods? I assumed you just pulled your Tesla up and plugged your car in, for free. Wrong. You have to pay for it through a service. Plus, you need a special adapter for the Roadster.
Performance: The Sport model of the Roadster goes from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds. It will go around corners as quickly as your stomach can handle.
Noise level: The only reason I did not receive any speeding tickets is because of the wind noise from the soft top. At 65 mph, it is so loud, you don’t feel like going any faster. After a long ride, my ears hurt because I had been listening to the radio at “11” to compensate for the loud wind noise.
Ride: You feel every road imperfection and going over Botts’ dots is a tooth filling rattling experience. But after a few days, you get used to it.
Parking: With its extremely low ground clearance, I hesitated to park anywhere that had angled driveways. I often just parked the car on the street, and my biceps got a workout due to the lack of power steering.
Lack of storage space: During the first half of the week, I was unable to test the handling limits of the Tesla because I placed my garage door clicker on the passenger seat (I didn’t want it to fly out the window). There was not a single cubbyhole in the cockpit for the clicker. Plus, the car does not come equipped with sun visors. It was only after the fourth day that I was able to take out some papers in the “glove compartment” and wedge the clicker in there.
The wow factor: Every time I was at a red light, at least one fellow driver turned his (and it’s always a he) head and stared at my car. On average, one to two people a day would ask to sit in the car. Despite being a few years old, the Roadster is still a novelty.
Ergonomics: After the first couple of days, I was sore all over from just getting in and out of the little car. Standing at six feet tall, the top of the Roadster was a bit below my belt. I wore fancy slacks once and was surprised that I did not tear it while getting out of the car. Inside, the space is confined. It took a little getting used to having both feet in the tiny footwell. I was at first afraid that my right foot was going to push the accelerator and brake pedal simultaneously. The lack of a tilting steering wheel also made the driving position awkward.
Range anxiety: With 35,000 miles on the clock, the battery on a full charge maxes out at around 160 miles (it had a 200+ mile range when new). That takes care of the overwhelming majority of trips that I take in a typical year. The car has two range read-outs. One tells me the maximum ideal range. The second tells me my realistic range, taking into account my driving pattern during the last 30 miles. They were both pretty spot on.
I had to return the Tesla to my friend at the end of the week. He lives 100 miles away. I thought I was going to be fine, until I found out that the forecast called for rain. How much would the accessories– wiper, headlights, defroster– drain the battery? Answer: Not very much at all. I was worried over nothing. My friend put it best: When you buy a Tesla, as long as you tell yourself at the outset that this car isn’t for road trips, you will be 100% satisfied.
Verdict: This is an amazing car that truly opened people’s minds about electric cars. And without the Roadster, there would not have been the phenomenal Model S. Most of my gripes about the car are related to the fact that this is a tiny sports car with a cloth top. I can’t fault Tesla for that.
Image source: Maxichamp
