Electric Elise is a socket rocket

Charge! This sensational new battery-powered car is getting ready to shake up the traditional sporting market by offering performance and looks - plus zero emissions and low running costs.

Auto Express Car Reviews

Roadster combines super-efficient electric running with great performance, sporty handling and racy looks

By Sam Hardy

07th August 2006

Built by California-based Tesla Motors, the two-seater, rear-wheel-drive Road-ster is the result of three years' secret development. Designed to appeal to driving enthusiasts, it combines a 248bhp electric motor and lightweight construction to allow 0-60mph in four seconds and a 130mph-plus top speed.

However, thanks to clever lithium-ion batteries and regenerative braking, it can return the equivalent of 135mpg and has a range of 250 miles. A full recharge via any mains socket takes only three-and-a-half hours.

If you think the carbon fibre body is reminiscent of a Lotus Elise, it will come as no surprise to learn that the Norfolk firm had a big hand in developing the electric car. Chief stylist for the project was Barney Hall - principal designer at Lotus - while engineers have helped tune the Roadster's handling.

The dashboard is also based on the Lotus sports car's, although the rest of the cabin is much more luxurious, with leather seats, sat-nav and a stereo with an Apple iPod docking port. Roadster production has already started at Lotus' Hethel factory, and sales are scheduled to kick off next summer in the US.

The first 100 'collector's edition' cars cost around £70,000, although later models could be £10,000 less. Once the project gets off the ground, the Roadster will pave the way for a cheaper, more practical electric family car in 2008, for as little as £35,000.