By Jason Veitch
"Look! It's moving. It's alive. It's alive... It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!" Colin Clive's, passionate cry of jubilation for his creation of the monster in the 1931 hit movie Frankenstein was revisited recently in a decorated aircraft hangar in Santa Monica where Elon Musk, Chairman of Tesla Motors, successfully launched the "Tesla Electric Vehicle." There were no shackles and chains, but there was a helluva lot of electricity! The very essence that gave life to the monster also powers a sophisticated, powerful, brushless motor at the heart of Tesla's creation. It's fitting that this electric phenom bears the name of 19th Century mega-inventor, Nikola Tesla.
The timing of the launch of the Tesla Electric Vehicle is made even more poignant with this year's successful release of both An Inconvenient Truth and Sony Classic's mind-blowing Sundance & Tribeca hit Who Killed the Electric Car? The Tesla Electric Vehicle addresses Gore's issue of climate-changing emissions with a unique roar - it is capable of surviving on green energy and, with its solar charge option facility, eliminates conventional automobile waste products. It utilizes a Lithium-Ion battery pack that can be recycled and is safe for land-fill. Combine all that with a tire-shredding zero-to-60 in four seconds and a range of 250 miles before a convenient 3.5-hour battery charge is required, and you have a very socially and sensually appealing package. Not to mention that, unlike most other voltage vehicles on the market, the Tesla looks like a modern sports car should, with its Elise lines and feline stance. But what of tomorrow for this next go-round of electric vehicle? Will it escape the tortures of Dr. Frankenstein's monster? Chris Paine, writer and director of Who Killed the Electric Car?, exposed the electric's victimized place in history. But whether it be Capitol Hill Fat Cats, Big Oil or the collective choices we've made as consumers, we each played a part in the failure of what may have seen the U.S. emerge from the '90s as an automotive leader rather than having to play catch-up to new numbers winner, Toyota (hmmm, don't they make the Prius?). Regardless of what or who killed the electric car, can we afford to refuse its renaissance any further? With non-renewable fossil fuels (gasoline) at $3.50 a gallon, the Tesla provides us with an inspirational, high-performing hotrod. However, its success lies heavily in the hands of the public and the politics that keep us parading in the high-priced emissions of the status quo. If the Tesla can break free of the red tape, it may well take the checkered flag. |
