I recently toured the Tesla show room in in Palo Alto California and got to check out several of the (already sold) Tesla Roadsters. In addition to the outlet in Palo Alto there is also a dealership on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Unlike many car dealerships which have new models shipped in fully assembled, Tesla Roadsters arrive in parts from overseas and are then configured on site.
At the Palo Alto location there is a large glass window at the back of the showroom that peeks into the garage bay where several Roadsters are usually undergoing the final touches. The undercarriage of a Tesla Roadster is quite different from a standard petrol powered vehicle. It is mostly aluminum and nearly flat with no pipes or other components dangling down creating empty space. The chassis weights just under 180 pounds and its unique design is both light, strong, and aerodynamic with very little drag above or below. The aluminum foundation resembles that of other leading electric vehicles including the ZERO motorcycle. Carbon fiber is also used in the design, mostly as trim, and does a nice job looking cool and keeping the overall package light.
Peering into the Roadster and then getting inside I had the eerie feeling of riding inside of my old Lian Li computer case, which was also aluminum… and quite fast in its own way. To be brutally honest, the Tesla is cold, dark, and it feels like a coffin. The foot area is a bit cramped and devoid of texture, the cockpit feels more like it was designed around the concept of the car than the driver. But hey, the good news is there’s just enough room in the trunk for one set of golf clubs! and let’s face it, if you just spent $109K on this car (which is the going rate) then you might be golfing alone for a while as your wife, girlfriend, or significant other is recovering from jealousy of your new found companion. She won’t keep you warm, but she will go very, very fast!
Just add a few tires and a steering wheel and she’s practically a Tesla… This computer was custom designed and built by me in 2004 while attending the University of Colorado at Boulder. It was subsequently signed by the founder of Quiksilver, Rob McKnight, and then auctioned off with all proceeds going to the Breast Cancer foundation. It now lives in Australia somewhere.
