What Would James Bond Drive Today?

I've been a BMW groupie for a decade now.

I own two of them: my Montreal Blue 1999 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster and my Mystic Blue 2005 BMW 645ci.

Both are works of art.

Both are loves of mine.

But I'm about to cheat on them.

Yesterday Tesla Motors announced a sports car roadster which looks like a sexy road rocket, flys like a stealth missile, and costs like a high-end BMW -- but runs entirely on electricity.

I want one.

I've run out of room here at our estate for all the cars we already have, since Nerissa recently got a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. We even had to build a special carport to house my Z3.

So we're crowded.

But I want this electric car.

I was fascinated with electric cars back in the 1970s. (We went through gas shortages back then, too.) But the joke then was you could only drive as far as the cord allowed you. You had to keep the thing plugged in, and the cars were ugly and slow. No wonder they became golf carts.

But this Tesla Roadster is as sexy and fast as anything James Bond ever steered. And the added fact that it uses no gas at all is very appealing.

The car was officially unveiled on July 20 (yesterday). Tesla Motors claims prototypes have been able to accelerate from 0-60 mph (100 km/h) in about 4 seconds, and reach a top speed of 130 mph (210 km/h). Also, the car can travel 250 miles (400 km) on a single charge of its lithium-ion batteries with an equivalent gas mileage of 135 mpg (57 km/l).

All pretty impressive.

And that's why I want one.

After all, more and more conscious consumers are going green. They want luxury, but they also want to respect the environment. They wouldn't mind saving money at the gas pump, too.

I'm in that category.

But I also want the car for marketing reasons.

If I get one of the first 100 of the cars made, I'll probably be the only one in Texas to own one.

I'll certainly be among the celebrities who may own one, such as George Clooney or maybe Lindsay Lohan.

From a marketing and publicity standpoint, getting one of these winged plug-in batmobiles would be wise for me.

Still, I haven't decided at this very moment to order one.

I'm wondering if wanting this car is just another "hungry ghost;" one of those silly addictive desires that comes from your monkey mind. I talked about this at the Manifestation Weekend. I don't think this is a "hungry ghost" desire, but I want to be sure.

But I have a few other concerns, too:

Tesla wants $100,000 up front to order it. It's refundable if I don't like the car, but still, that's a handful of money.

They don't have any service spots in Texas. While the car is designed to not need service (no oil changes, ever, for example), sooner or later, it will need it. At that point it may need shipped to California, or a tech shipped to me.

I still haven't heard how you recharge the battery in the car if you drive 250 miles away from home. You get a special plug to put in your garage to recharge the Tesla Roadster at home. But what do you do once you've left the house?

Once these minor concerns are addressed, I'll start working on attracting the car (I'll order one painted electric blue).

I hope my BMW's won't mind.

Ao Akua,

Joe
www.mrfire.com

PS -- If I order today, I'll have the Tesla Roadster by Summer 2007 -- about one year from now. Talk about making me wait. Doesn't Tesla know we live in the instant gratification Western world? Alas. I must learn patience. And fast.

PPS - Does Tesla have any competition? You bet. All good ideas do. See http://autoreview.belproject.com/item/19