Tesla Roadster review

Sports cars and the environment don’t exactly get on. But the electric-powered Tesla Roadster has been designed for greenies who like a bit of speed. And now the US-built machine is available in the UK for the first time. So I drove it. Fast.

The car is based on the same platform as the Lotus Elise and so handles extremely well, although the brakes lack feel. However, it’s the performance figures that really make the car stand out. The Tesla is lightning-quick - 0-60mph takes just 3.9seconds, that’s quicker than a Ferrari F430! Yet the Tesla can return the equivalent of 256mpg. Okay, so top speed may be only 125mph but really, that’s still plenty quick enough for a ban – or even a jail sentence.

Even at high speed the Tesla is almost silent. There is a slight whir from the electric motor, but that’s it. However, as I found out, you need to be mindful of unsuspecting pedestrians stepping out in front of you!

The planet-friendly Tesla uses 7,000 lithium ion batteries similar to the ones found in your laptop or mobile phone. It takes around 3.5 hours to fully charge and that will give you a range of around 200 miles.

And because there are absolutely no tailpipe emissions it’s free to tax and exempt from London’s Congestion Charge too. This doesn’t make up for the car’s £92,000 price tag though. This means the Tesla Roadster is only likely to be bought by rich environmentalists. Or film stars – owners include George Clooney. But despite this there can be no denying the Tesla Roadster is a technological breakthrough and could well be the future of motoring.