The Tesla Roadster is the all-electric supercar that's as fast as a Ferrari



...but as quiet as a bicycle

Can you be green, without ever wanting to hear another bleeding-heart word about the environment as long as you live?



I do my bit more than most: I recycle all my rubbish and sort it into three different bins.



I turn all my kitchen waste into compost. Even my washing powder is twice-the-price organic stuff that doesn't give worms tummy-aches when it returns to the earth.



But whenever I drive to London, dutifully paying my £8 for the privilege (on top of my road tax, petrol tax, parking and all the other rip-offs), without fail a cyclist will rap on my window and make some holier-than-thou comment, before zooming off through a red light where he knows I can't get him.

With the Tesla Roadster there's absolutely no power lag: put your foot down and you instantly get the entire 380Nm of thrust

God, I hate those cyclists. Every last herbal tea-drinking, Harriet Harman-voting one of them. That's one of the reasons I live in the countryside, where birds tweet, horses roam, pigs grunt and Lycra-clad buttocks are miles away. But recently, there's been a disturbing development.



Each Saturday, a big black truck appears at the bottom of my road, with bikes stuck to the roof and rear. Out of it step a bunch of City-boy ponces in fluorescent Spider-Man outfits, shades, bum bags and stupid cleated shoes, who then pedal around our narrow lanes four abreast with their private parts alarmingly apparent. Do they enjoy it? They never smile. I'm sure they just come here to wind me up.

Anyway, the other day Live sent me the new eco-friendly electric car. Not a G-Wiz (if they did that I'd be off ), but a Tesla Roadster, trumpeted as the world's first battery-powered sports car. It costs £90,000, does 130mph, but emits 89g/km less carbon than a Toyota Prius - ie, none at all.

So naturally, the first customers were tree-huggers Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney. It's very Californian, this car. Company boss Elon Musk is a Silicon Valley multimillionaire, so that's where they build them - but it's actually based on Norfolk's own Lotus Elise.



The Tesla Roadster's steering wheel

Not much of the Elise has survived the transformation: they had to strengthen the chassis and add six inches to its length to accommodate both the battery (actually 6,831 laptop batteries stuck together) and the powerful temperature control, without which it would overheat - and refuse to work in cold weather.



Centre console with drive models and display screen showing tyre pressures

Where an Elise uses aluminium and glass fibre, this uses carbon fibre - and because it doesn't need the scoops and vents the Elise uses to cool its engine and brakes, it's got more aristocratic lines, almost like a grand tourer. I haven't seen anything quite like it before.

The wheels look good, but the tyres are low-rolling-resistance to extend its range, which means a harder ride and less grip. Thanks to that heavy pile of batteries, it handles a fair bit worse than an Elise, but it's still sporty.



The T-top roof (removable panels either side of a central strut) is a godsend, as during my test drive the sun made one of its brief appearances and it only took seconds to chuck the bits in the boot next to the recharging plug.



Yes, it uses an everyday 13-amp plug, charging up on just £3.50 of electricity - though you'll need to fit a 62-amp 'three phase' socket in your garage if you want to reduce the charge time from 16 hours to less than four.



Inside there isn't a lot - two seats that are comfortable up to a point, a cup-holder, a stereo and air con - but then you don't always expect luxuries in sports cars. Ferrari ripped the carpets, stereo and padding out of its 430, called it a special-edition 'Scuderia' and charged £30,000 extra, so it's quite commonplace. I promise you, in the Tesla you don't notice anything except the acceleration.

Sports-style bucket seats for driver and passenger

This could go head-to-head with any Ferrari, hitting 60mph from a standing start in 3.9 seconds. But what completely freaked me out was that it does it in complete silence. At the speed limit, I could still hear the birds tweeting in the bushes.

Adding to the out-of-body experience, there's absolutely no power lag: put your foot down and you instantly get the entire 380Nm of thrust - all coming, unbelievably, from a motor the size of a cabbage with just two moving parts (moving at up to 14,000rpm).

I had this car for six hours - partly because they needed to get it back to the showroom in Knightsbridge, but also because it only had enough juice in it for 120 miles, after which it needs to be recharged overnight.



You may think that's a huge drawback for a sports car, and I agree. I like to drive to the Essen Motor Show in Germany at this time of year. In this, it would take two or three days - assuming you could find somewhere to plug it in... and I've just remembered the plugs are a different shape in Europe. It's a logistical nightmare.



The Tesla Roadster's rear spoiler







TECH SPEC

£94,000, teslamotors.com



Engine Three-phase electric motor with lithiumion battery pack



Power 248hp



Max torque 380Nm at 0-5,500rpm



Top speed 130mph



Emissions Zero (road tax-exempt)



Claimed range 211 miles on a full charge



Transmission Single-speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive



Standard features Brembo/AP racing brakes with ABS, traction control, heated sports seats with inflatable lumbar support, air con, hand-built carbon-fibre body, LED rear lights, cruise control



Optional Sat-nav with upgraded seven-speaker sound and subwoofer, carbon-and-leather interior, custom paint, custom-tuned suspension, performance tyres, high-power connector









DRIVE TALKING

What's hot on the road this week

BENTLEY'S BIG AMBITION



Bentley launches the replacement for its Arnage flagship at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show. With a 6.75-litre V8 engine and a top speed of 200mph, the Mulsanne will be a direct rival to Rolls-Royce's 155mph Phantom. If you want one, you'll need £350,000 to spare. It's due out next summer.











TECHNO WIZARD

Saab is to unveil its most hi-tech car in history in Frankfurt. The 9-5 saloon has an adaptive chassis, adaptive headlights, adaptive cruise control, head-up display, all-wheel drive and a variety of engine options. Prices are yet to be announced.











MINI'S NEW MARVEL

Frankfurt has one last pair of aces up its sleeve: two new Mini models, both scheduled for production in Cowley, near Oxford - a major boost for the British car industry. The first is the Mini Coupe, a strict two-seater with low roofline, 50:50 weight distribution and twin-turbocharged 1.6-litre engine. The second remains unconfirmed, but is likely to be the two-seat Roadster.





By Simon Lewis

