The revolutionary line of electric vehicles from Tesla Motors will now include a right-hand drive version that drivers in the U.K. and other nations who drive in the left lane can enjoy.
The all-electric Tesla Model S, scheduled for availability in 2012, has a range of up to 300 miles without recharge and pickup that can take you from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, according to the manufacturer. And when it comes time to power it up again, the stylish sedan can be recharged in 45 minutes from an electrical outlet using its QuickCharge feature.
At a modest price of US $49 900 (after a tax credit), the Model S seats five adults and two children, with a 17-inch touchscreen entertainment display for passengers.
To get the show on the road more quickly, the U.S. Department of Energy recently approved $465 million in low-interest loans to Tesla Motors to accelerate the production of its affordable electric vehicles. The company, based in San Carlos, Calif., said it will use $365 million of the funding for engineering and assembly of the Model S, according to a prepared statement.
The founder of the company Elon Musk (featured several times in these pages) said in late June that his firm will use the loan money "precisely the way that Congress intended," as a source of venture capital to build sustainable transport.
Now comes word that the new Tesla sedan will not be limited to the streets of America. The Australian website PCAuthority reports that the sedan version will soon include a right-hand drive configuration. The report notes that the Model S will still have to overcome the challenge of needing convenient recharging facilities while away from home to keep it juiced up, as well as a hefty price tag to replace its hefty battery (which has a life expectancy of some 180 000 miles of road use presently).
Still, it's an exciting prospect for motorists the world over, no matter which side of road they drive on.
