Tesla's Model S now unveiled. It's awesome.

Image comes from here.

Want to support American automakers and drive something that doesn't damage the environment?

(note: yes I know electricity is largely made from coal, but electricity production can be changed whereas gasoline is just gasoline world without end)

This is the car you want. I've been waiting for a while to see this car revealed. Strange...I thought I wrote a post on how Leonardo DiCaprio bought their roadster last year but I can't find it so perhaps that was a post on a forum somewhere. But I digress. Here's the Model S.

Many will recognize Elon Musk as the founder and president of SpaceX:

We have just listened to the panjandrum Elon Musk and the car's designer speak about the new Tesla S sedan, and these are the things to know about the first mass-produced highway-capable electric car: production will ramp up to 20,000 units annually by the end of the first year of production; after the $7,500 tax break, the Model S will start at just under $50,000 – $49,900 to be exact; and 440-volt charging will be available. That base price is for the 160-mile range pack; a 230-mile range pack and a 300-mile range pack will also be available.

That tax break makes a huge difference, bringing it under the psychologically very important $50,000 barrier. For those that prefer metric 160 miles is 260 km, 230 miles is 370 km, and 300 miles is 480 km.

How long does it take to charge?

On a 220V outlet, the car can be recharged in 4 hours.

Speed?

The quickness: the standard S will get to 60 in 5.5 to 6.0 seconds. A coming sport version will get to 60 in "well under five seconds," Musk says.

And finally, eventually the infrastructure should be set up to let you take even longer journeys than 480 when you need to through simply changing batteries (which I assume they would then charge for when the next client comes around):

For infrastructure, Tesla is working with a government-affiliated partner to set up battery changing stations at various locations. They will be able to change the battery in 5-8 minutes, "quicker than filling up your car with gas."

The bad news: the car doesn't go into production until Q3 of 2011. Considering that $50,000 is still a fair amount of money maybe that's a good thing. Fans of the car can spend some time saving up money to buy it and avoid having to borrow a huge amount of money to pay off later.