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A Roadster in the Tesla Motors showroom in Menlo Park, Calif. Tesla is delivering 4 cars per week at a base price of $109,000. A sedan is planned for production in 2010.

In June of 2008, GM's board of directors voted to fund production of the Volt.  GM's Chevy Volt is a "plug-in range-extended electric vehicle with an on-board gasoline generator". Estimated recharge time is "6.5 hours using a 110 volt (standard home) outlet, and about 3 hours if you have a 220 volt supply," says GM.  GM projects that the first versions of the Volt will cost around $40,0000. Production models are expected to roll in 2010.  The Volt's battery pack will sit between the two front wheels. Production hinges on sourcing battery technology. GM is evaluating lithium-ion packs from A123 Systems and others, but a battery pack vendor has not yet been identified.  The Volt's battery will last for the first 40 miles. After that, the car's gasoline-powered generator will kick in. Total range (batteries plus gas engine) is projected to be 675 miles. MPG 50.  A Roadster in the Tesla Motors showroom in Menlo Park, Calif. Tesla is delivering 4 cars per week at a base price of $109,000. A sedan is planned for production in 2010.  The Tesla Roadster ships with a charging station kit that can be installed in a home garage by an electrician. There is an optional mobile charging kit that allows charging from any electrical outlet.  Tesla's Roadster uses Li-ion cells. Tesla expects 100,000 miles or 5 years of battery life, albeit at diminished capacity as the batteries age.  The Roadster's battery pack sits in the trunk. The white container on top of the battery pack contains a 50/50 mix of water and glycol, which circulates via sealed fluid paths to cool the battery cells. The battery pack has a life expectancy of 100,000 miles.  A rendering of the Roadster's battery pack (blue). The Roadster's Power Electronics Module (PEM -- in green) translates the driver's commands into "precisely timed voltages, telling the motor to respond with the proper speed and direction of rotation."  An overnight charge gives the Roadster enough juice to drive 220 miles. Regenerative braking helps extend the length of the charge.  The Tesla Roadster has no tailpipe because it produces zero emissions. It also doesn't have -- or need -- lubricating oils, filters, coolant, clutches, spark plugs and wires, a PCV valve, oxygen sensors, a timing belt, a fan belt, a water pump and hoses, a catalytic converter, or a muffler. 

A Roadster in the Tesla Motors showroom in Menlo Park, Calif. Tesla is delivering 4 cars per week at a base price of $109,000. A sedan is planned for production in 2010.

Photograph by Tesla Motors