Plug-in power
<p>Only 1,200 electric Tesla Roadsters have been purchased since being put into production in 2006.</p>
<p>Deb Fisher, of Coeur d'Alene, shows the charging options for her electric Tesla Roadster. Tesla Motors will have a model available to view and test drive at the Coeur d'Alene Resort on Saturday at 10 a.m.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - It looks like a Lotus, sounds like a golf cart, corners like a boomerang, accelerates like a Scud missile, and costs almost as much as a discounted Idaho condominium And from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, the makers of the Tesla Roadster are inviting the public to prove all that for themselves.
COEUR d'ALENE - It looks like a Lotus, sounds like a golf cart, corners like a boomerang, accelerates like a Scud missile, and costs almost as much as a discounted Idaho condominium
And from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, the makers of the Tesla Roadster are inviting the public to prove all that for themselves.
The plug-in electric car that goes from zero to 60 mph in less than four seconds will be at The Coeur d'Alene Resort, with representatives of the company and the Seattle distributor offering seat time to anyone interested in spending $109,000 for a car rarer than most Ferraris.
"We are reaching out to the public and prospective customers," said KC Simon, spokeswoman for the California manufacturer.
Coeur d'Alene is one of the first stops on the company's Electric Summer Roadster Tour that will demonstrate the lightweight Roadster. The Lotus-built carbon fiber body is equipped with 800 pounds of batteries, and weighs in at only 2,800 pounds total.
Warren and Deb Fisher plunked down a large deposit, then waited 14 months for delivery of Tesla No. 551, of 1,200 produced since 2006. In August the Coeur d'Alene couple got their car, and have since put 4,500 miles on it.
"It is now our everyday driver," Warren said. "It is rocket fast."
Before they even got the car, while Tesla's future as a car maker was still questionable, the Fishers installed solar panels on their home, which generate about 5,000 kilowatt hours per year, enough for about 20,000 miles of driving. Their bright yellow Roadster heralds their infatuation with the concept with its license plate: KWPWR.
Warren estimates the cost of energy to operate the car at 2 cents per mile. But the Tesla is not just an urban assault speedster.
"We go to Spokane and back without any worries," Deb said. The range of the car allows them to go as far as Missoula and back, but a trip to Seattle requires about a three- to four-hour stop in Ellensburg, where they charge up at a 220-volt RV plug-in. They also have 110-volt chargers that will replenish the lithium ion batteries overnight, except if they are fully discharged, which means about 30 hours of socket time.
Deb admits the economics of their decision aren't all that practical, but there is an upside.
"We have a blast in this," she said. A quick ride around the block shows why. A tap on the accelerator pedal makes the tiny Roadster surge forward in a shocking rush. "It will do it at any speed."
The Fishers expect to be at The Resort part of the day on Saturday to share their impressions of the car.
Anyone interested in trying out the Tesla can reserve what will be about a 15-minute test drive by contacting Genny Carter at (206) 682-2625 or e-mailing gcarter@teslamotors.com
Information: www.teslamotors.com