Electric Roadster costs a cool £94k

Electric cars are a big deal at the moment, and the news yesterday that Tesla officially opened its flagship European showroom in London's Knightsbridge made national headlines.

Even PH got caught up in the current, as eagle-eyed PHers may have spotted our very own Riggers appearing with a whole ten seconds of comment on the Channel 4 News...

The store, which will eventually be joined by three other European showrooms in Munich, Monaco and Zurich, is a marker of intent for Tesla's European ambitions for its battery-powered sports car. "We expect the London store to dramatically increase our brand identity throughout the continent," says Tesla CEO Elon Musk, "and with right-hand drive models now due at the beginning of next year, the UK market will provide a solid foundation on which to build this."

Showroom is just a short hop from Harrods

Tesla is proud of the fact that its new showroom is within walking distance of Harrods - presumably these things are important if you plan to shell out £94k on an electric sports car with the performance and dimensions of a Lotus Elise. Probably more significant is the Tesla's exemption from the London congestion charge.

The Tesla Roadster might not be blessed with the noise and excitement of a 'proper engine', and it might take several hours to recharge, but Tesla looks as though it is here to stay. It says it has 1300 orders across Europe for the Roadster, is planning an 'entry-level' RHD Roadster for early next year and is taking 'reservations' for the Model S saloon, due for launch towards the end of 2011.