Electric Avenue

An inventor and engineer born in the Austrian Empire, Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) has been called the father of modern electricity — his work was the basis for alternating current (AC) electricity. So it’s fitting homage that the electric Tesla Roadster carries his name.

Built by Silicon Valley-based Tesla Motors, the 100 percent electric sports car is la crème de la crème of electric vehicle technology. With its sports car good looks, in 3.9 seconds it goes from 0 to 60 mph with zero emissions and will take you up to 244 miles before needing a recharge.

A $5,000 reservation fee grants you access to the “Drivers Area” of the Tesla Web site; a $55,000 reservation fee ensures you a slot for production of your very own electric roadster. The final total for the Tesla Roadster adds up to about $100,000.

Short of shelling out $100,000, what are your pure electric vehicle (EV) options? To get around the block, there are low-speed Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) cars, or the 80-mile-range Tango kit car, but otherwise an electric vehicle from a major automotive manufacturer that will take you down the freeway is pretty much in the future.

Testifying on Capitol Hill last year, the president of the Electric Drive Transportation Association said that the shift to electric drives will require continuing battery technology enhancements, new infrastructure, manufacturing investment and shifts in public policy.

Getting vehicles in test fleets is another element. Mitsubishi Motors is putting its four-passenger, lithium-ion-powered electric mini MiEV with Southern California Edison (SCE) for fleet testing. SCE is a leading utility supporter of electric vehicles and has a nationally recognized prototype testing and evaluation program.

Meanwhile, Nissan will be working with Sonoma County, California, to promote EVs, develop a charging network and cooperatively work on zero-emissions mobility. Nissan then plans to launch its first U.S. pure-electric car in 2010, with plans to mass-market electric vehicles globally by 2012.

BMW AG also is looking at electric and had the world premiere of the MINI E at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. The company’s very popular MINI Cooper adapts well to an electric drive system. Outfitted with a lithium-ion battery that takes about two hours to charge, the MINI E has a range of about 156 miles, goes 0 to 62 in 8.5 seconds and has a top speed of 95 mph. BMW is lining up 500 customers in Los Angeles and New York City who will provide feedback on the car to help the manufacturer prepare for mass production.

Recently though, GM has been taking most of the electric spotlight with its talk of the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, due November 2010 and described as the company’s “version of the U.S. moon shot in the 1960s.” It’s expected to have a 40-mile all-electric range and recharge in three hours off a 240-volt outlet. The company says a full recharge should be cheaper than your favorite cuppa joe.

Even more recently, there was good news from Hawaii, which will be the first state ready with infrastructure to accommodate electric vehicles, a move Gov. Linda Lingle says will help get islanders off the gas habit. A California company will be building the charging stations that should be operational by 2011. Powered by wind and other renewable energy, potentially up to 100,000 charging locations will be up by 2012.

Look for more news on the electric vehicle front in the inevitable next round of gas price escalation — if not before — and as consumers demand more alternatives. (Think of the stress reduction if roads were traveled by nearly noiseless vehicles!) But for those who can’t wait, there are vehicle conversion specialty businesses to get drivers to kick the oil habit sooner. In San Francisco, for example, Carolyn Coquillette turns hybrids into all-electric vehicles at her Luscious Garage. At a top end of 15 miles on one charge and a conversion cost of $6,000, however, this is a choice for only those most committed to spurning oil.