( dpa ) - The first Tesla electric sports car has rolled off the production line less than two years after the manufacturer showed a protoype of the zero-emission vehicle based on the Lotus Elise.
Production of the 2008 model is sold out and Tesla is now taking reservations for the 2009 model year Tesla Roadster, the Californian- based company announced. The car is being billed as the world's first production electric sports car.
So far more than 900 Tesla Roadsters have been reserved, say the makers. The Tesla sportster costs 98,000 dollars.
The car has a powerful electric motor which gets its power from lithium-ion batteries. These take around three-and-a half hours to fully charge and are kept topped up during driving with energy gained from regenerative braking.
The two-seater has been developed together with Lotus Engineering from Britain and boasts lively performance. Tesla says it is now working on a five-seat four-door saloon to be built in the United States.