Kevin Rose broke the embargo on the new Model S pics.  The all electric five seater sedan is supposed to be on the road in the next year or so according to Tesla Motors.  The car certainly does look good.  I hope this is more than just vaporware.

model s

Ever since chrysler unveiled the three production intent electric vehicles to the public the Dodge EV has been compared to either the Dodge Viper or the Tesla Roadster.  Both comparisons are appropriate since all three vehicles are high performance cars.  The Viper has incredible horsepower and 0-60 times, it is also a sports car that only seats two people.  It’s also a Dodge, but the comparisons between the Viper and the EV don’t go much further than that.  The EV really has a lot more in common with the Tesla Roadster.

The Tesla Roadster is built on top of a Lotus Elise.  Tesla imports the Elise and then modifies to a great extent to make the Roadster.  As an all electric car it uses no gas and almost no oil during every day use.  It also has a lot fewer moving parts so there’s less chance of something going wrong.  The Roadster has a battery pack that will give it a 250 mile range and can recharge overnight.

The Dodge EV is built on top of a Lotus Europa.  Dodge imports the Europa and then modifies it to make the all electric Dodge EV.  It is very similar to the Roadster in the manner in how it drives, acceleration, braking, handling, etc.  According to Dodge the battery pack will let you go 200 miles before needing a recharge, 50 miles less than the Roadster.

We should also note the biggest difference is that the Roadster is already in production.  Tesla has delivered 70 of them so far and has over 1200 people on the waiting list.  Right now they can produce 10 a week but that is expected to double in 2009.  Notably Jay Leno, George Clooney, and the Governator have all bought a Roadster.

Assuming Chrysler makes it through the next 18 months (big assumption right now) the Dodge EV could very well be their first production vehicle.  Chrysler intends to have one in production by the end of 2010.  The low volume and prebuilt chassis make the Dodge EV a prime suspect for the first ENVI production vehicle.  My guess at the price would be in the 90k range, undercutting Tesla by 20 thousand.

Competition is good, but I hope that the Dodge EV doesn’t hurt Tesla’s sales.  They are, after all, the first new American car company in a long time and they’re building cars that will help us get off of oil.  Good luck to both.

Dodge EV

Chrysler recently announced that it is seriously considering producing the Dodge EV as it’s first production ENVI vehicle.  The Dodge EV is based on the Lotis Europa was unveiled on Tuesday.  Chrysler is also no stranger to platform sharing, it currently produces the Routan minivan for Volkswagen based on the Chrysler Town & Country and will produce the Titan for Nissan based on the Dodge Ram.

On the other side of things, Lotus is already supplying California-based Tesla with its Elise two-door, which serves as the basis for the Tesla Roadster.  Chrysler took notice of the Roadster’s Lotus roots and discovered just how ideal Lotus platforms were for sporty, yet efficient, vehicles.

“Lotus has a lot of experience with lightweight vehicles and aluminum structures,” Frank Klegon, Chrysler executive vice president of product development, told Automotive News. That light curb weight is a major factor in the Dodge EV’s ability to sprint from 0-60 in under five seconds and reach a top speed of 120 mph.

If Chrysler does give the Dodge EV the green light  the Michigan automaker will source the EV’s platform directly from Lotus. But, Chrylser will supply it’s own drivetrain like Tesla.

The production Dodge EV will likely undercut the Roadster’s $109,000 price tag. Klegon noted the Dodge EV would list for less than $109,000, but failed to give an exact figure. Whatever the price, the Dodge EV could be roaming the streets in production guise as early as 2010.

Source: Leftlanenews