Jonathan in Beijing

We are both in Beijing, China for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Follow the adventure at:

http://jonathaninbeijing.blogspot.com

The Tesla Roadster

On Saturday, I went up to the Tesla dealership (the world's first) on Santa Monica Boulevard in West L.A. While there they let me test drive the Tesla. I took it for about a half hour and took it up the 405 to Sunset, through UCLA, Bel Air, Holmby Hills, and down through Westwood Village and past the Mormon temple.

While I was driving the auto, 6 people stopped me to ask about or comment on the car. It really is a gorgeous car and fun to drive. Everyone notices the car and is intrigued by its sleek design and futuristic look. I enjoyed the Jetsons-/Star Wars-like sounds that the car produces as it accelerates. The acceleration is smooth and the suspension and steering wheel are great. Very tight on corners.

The car is 100% electric, and gets over 200 miles per full charge. You just plug it in at home or work. That's nice.

Bad: low visibility in the car, not so luxurious interior features, and the seats are very deep and low. For such a futuristic car, why are the seats not automatic? For lumbar support, I had to squeeze a pump similar to the ones used for measuring blood pressure. I thought that was odd. The GPS in the car is mediocre . . . terribly tiny screen, but it's all okay. Really, the car is made for sporty fun and speed -- it's not a Mercedes. To get in and out of the car is a pain in the butt - figuratively and literally. The bucket seats are so extremely low because the car is modeled after the Lotus Elise. I am a little disappointed with some of the car's features and the lack of some interior luxury, but overall I like the car because it's just so cool and unique.

Also, the trunk storage space is as big as that of a Porsche 911/Turbo - it fits a set of golf clubs perfectly.

It's exciting that Tesla is a California company. It's also exciting that Tesla is contributing to the effort to move America's drivers away from gas-guzzlers. Tesla has already unveiled plans to produce and sell a 4-door sedan called the Model S. Stay tuned for more info on that! It should be available in 2011 and will be selling at about $60,000.