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After departing the frozen tundra of New York City, the Tesla Roadshow migrated south to Miami, Fla. We have more than 60 customers in Florida, including many people who had purchased a Roadster sight unseen, and it was high time they became intimately familiar with the car and Powertrain 1.5.
We timed our Dec. 4-7 trip to coincide with Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the world’s most prestigious art shows. We strategically displayed three Roadsters throughout Miami’s swanky Design District – and at $109,000 each, the Roadsters were probably the least expensive items on exhibit! The neighborhood became a fantastic showcase for experimental design: pedestrians mingled amongst outdoor sculptures, sifted through air-conditioned galleries, and lingered at late-night invite-only parties with collectors and curators from all over the world.
We’re happy to say the Roadster’s gorgeous design held it’s own among the vast array of creative expression, including such heavyweights as the melting chair, the grass-walled maze, and mobile equine pornography. (I’ll refrain from describing it and let the reader’s imagination run wild.)
Because the Miami event is modeled after the original Art Basel, on the banks of the Rhine River near the border of Switzerland, France and Germany, the crowd was even more diverse than Miami’s usual multicultural array. In fact, we connected many prospective European customers to members of our growing sales team on the continent. (We will begin delivering Roadsters to EU customers in May.)
Following Art Basel, we invited customers and their guests to drive Roadsters on a closed course in the parking lot of the Gulfstream Park Race Track in Hallandale Beach. After hosting Roadshows in Seattle, Los Angeles and New York earlier this fall, we’ve learned what customers want: an even, relatively clean surface of blacktop, with a coned-off straightaway for 0-60 mph acceleration, as well as a tight chicane of four turns to return to the starting line. The race track parking lot proved to be an ideal course.
Each driver took five laps around the course, testing the responsiveness of the Roadster’s instant torque and regenerative braking, as well as the quick weight transfer through the performance-tuned suspension in the chicane. Someone must have circulated a memo about the “Tesla grin”: although we never mentioned the phenomenon in our initial instructions, 100 percent of drivers exited the vehicle with ear-to-ear smiles.
Customers were eager to see how the Roadster would perform in a typical “Florida car wash” — otherwise known as a rainstorm. Many drivers spent time not only behind the wheel but above the roof, installing and removing the soft top to see how quickly they could take cover. After only one or two attempts, most customers could put it on or take it off within 30 seconds. Soft top installation skills are all-important in Miami where tropical downpours are a bit more commonplace than in arid California.
After two days and nearly 100 customers and their guests in the Roadsters, we loaded Radiant Red VP21 and Arctic White VP24 on a truck for transport to Atlanta, Ga., where the next Roadshow was slated to begin Dec. 12. Atlanta is the last Roadshow of the year, but we’re planning 2009 trips to Chicago, Washington DC, Las Vegas, Arizona and Dallas – anywhere we have a concentration of customers. We also hope to make a splash at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month, starting with the media preview beginning Jan. 11.
We hope to see many of you along the way!
Posted in the categories: Uncategorized, First Post, On the road
Video from the event:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c4EaxkbT_k
A big splash at the auto show, eh? As long as it not the local CEOs throwing you in the Detroit River!
I wish I knew you guys were in NY. I’m in NJ and I would have loved to at least see the Roadster (of course driving it would be awesome). You guys need to put up on your website the next time you are going to be in NY (or at least when the store is going to open up in NY). Glad to see the event went over great though. Hope for more good success in the future.
Higher res video on the Roadster Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/pages/Tesla-Roadster/18790602800#/video/video.php?v=566648310083&oid=18790602800
Those events look like a lot of fun.
Could you guys write a blog post about the what was involved providing VP23 for the recent Road&Track review, similar to the blog you guys did awhile back for the Motor Trend review (www.teslamotors.com/blog3/?p=70)?
Road&Track review here: www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=10&article_id=7297
In the same vein, could you blog about what it was like to do Top Gear? Despite the silliness of the second half of Clarkson’s review that eventually aired, it must have been a pretty cool experience. What was it like to hand the keys over to The Stig? Did you get to meet Jezza, the Hamster, and Captain Slow?
Anyhow, just some blog ideas about things I’d be interested in hearing more about.
Thanks!
I drove the VP 21 Radiant Red Roadster in Atlanta last Saturday. The course, set up at the Lakewood Amphitheater
parking lot, was pretty much as described for the Miami event except reversed - the first sweeping turn was right-hand instead of left.
A nice bonus was that the first 10 yards or so was downhill - so believe me when I say reaching 60 mph took no time at all.
Ted, Krystin and Megan were great representatives from Tesla and the whole experience was tremendous. Several customers drove
hundreds of miles to see what they are waiting for, and they all seemed pretty happy after their five laps.
One driver rolled up in his Lotus Elise, and it was interesting to see that next to a Roadster. The Elise is a great car, but to me
the aggressive styling notes are a bit too much compared to the elegance of the Roadster.
Now waiting for public info on the S Model… !
Would like to see you guys get to Denver some time. With some notice to bring out the crowd.
Here’s a set of photos from the Atlanta drive event: flickr.com/photos/peterwald/sets/72157611111062045/
So is the Tesla Roadster Smile just a re-branded EV Grin, or are there patents pending on modifications and improvements of that prior art?
Hello, I have an idea that will promote the use of electric cars.
Promote use of electric public transportation that is charged by induction buried in the pavement. The power to charge the batteries would be picked up by the induction coil under the road. (The same way my electric razor is recharged with no physical connection to the razor.) A users car could be charged by the same process and the cost would be paid by the driver to the Public Transportation Agency. Eventually the coils would be placed under the pavement on toll roads and major highways. There would be an automatic billing to the user and the limited distance and long charging times would be eliminated. I believe there are patents on this system.
Anyone see any reason why this would not work?
Russ
Russell Daley: Your idea is good but needs a bit of work. I don’t think having a chronically underfunded tax subsidized transit district provide free power to EVs is going to go over with the average non-EV driving taxpayer. Also, if those magnetic induction coils were on all the time, it would waste a lot of energy, erase any magnetic media that got too close, and collect loose bits of steel and iron. What is needed is a system that would only switch on the coils when an authorized vehicle was above it, with a provision to identify and bill any EV owner that used it.
But the biggest problem would be figuring out how to do all that reliably, at an affordable cost.
If we could build a inter-city freeway lane that way, we could have unlimited EV driving range!
Tesla Motors received no newspaper or radio publicity on its Miami showing. I suggest that you email your product displays to the mailing list before the showing takes place.
Hi, I love this car. I also like the fact you are going to produce a sedan in the near future. What is the cost of the sedan versus the roadster? As a Driver Education teacher, I love the idea students can see how well an all electric car can operate and how inexpensive to run one is. Joe, I hope you are using both hands on the steering wheel as I taught you! Maybe Tesla could bring a sedan/roadster to our national driver education conference some time. Summer 2009 will be held in Charlotte,NC, may be too close for you to do this year. Take good care and yours in safety, Jim Calder
Everything I read about this roadster is great. I wonder how it would be in our frozen north int he winter with temps reaching -40.
What do they use for heat?
Hey,
I just got Tesla’s “happy new year” publicity newsletter, and was surprised that they didn’t mention (and haven’t mentioned in the blog, that I’ve noticed) that a Tesla was featured in the new TV series “Leverage”. It’s sort of a modern Robin Hood — the main character is an ex insurance investigator, who puts together a band of thieves to steal from wealthy people who abuse their power, giving most of the take to those who’ve been abused. At the end of the second episode, the lead character buys himself a Tesla — there’s a great exchange where the other characters are ribbing him about not keeping much for himself, something along the lines of:
Gang member A: “Oh, come on, Nate, did you do _anything_ for yourself.”
Nate: “Well, I bought a car.”
Gang member B: “Probably a junky used car.”
Nate: “Naaah, it’s an electric.”
A: “Oh, how virtuous. Do you have to wind it up?”
Nate: (hopping into Tesla) “Come on, just because we’re the good guys, doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun.” (zooms off)
B: “Midlife crisis?”
A: “Yeah, definitely midlife crisis.”
It was cute. And they very prominently showed off the logo. I’m guessing you guys paid for that placement?
Cheers,
Auros
Hello These guys know what they are doing. I am working on build my own electric car here in western New York ( to bad IT WILL LOOK AS GREAT AS THERES DOES). Do to we have the highest gas prices nationaly. TAXES, Gov calls it revinue. To bad i can not afford one or they do not have a dealership here. I would love to work for this group. They have there act together, more than i can say for GM,Ford or anyone else. Good Luck Guys, keep doing what you do. Brian
Do you want to be in media and sell cars in Europe? Go to Nurburing Nordschleife and beat the 911’s time.
(I hope have a Tesla one day)
I am tired of the Green revolution being all bean sprouts and bicycles. Hell yeah Tesla is Green with a bite.
I am a composer I have written some “new” new age meditation mantra’s based around my philosophy you don’t have to wear Birkenstocks and eat nuts and berries and sit cross legged for hours and meditate. I have composed a heavy rock meditation track to go with the B’Roll but I am having trouble getting the OK to put it up on YouTube.
A cleaner greener world doesn’t mean we need to devolve back to the middle ages.
Regards
Mike
I uploaded one of my vids to YouTube (not the rock version yet) let me know if you want me to take it down. I used some stills and the B Roll. I will be selling the music not but not the vid.
Regards
Mike
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXusKOCNFpM
Hey, Mike, in case you missed my (much) earlier postings, the ultimate contribution to Green will be Focus Fusion. Hop over to the focusfusion.org site and enjoy. Power available world-wide at ¼¢ / kwh. Disruptive technology with BIG bells on. 5-8 years from wide availability.
I think this car is AMAZING!
Awsome
LOL I bet the cart sold better in Miami… Use the heater here in Montana at 14 below zero and see how far it goes down the road after it warms up.
Wait a second, I have been to the motorcars site and read all the specs, does it even have a heater?
Coolguy, it does. The main cabin heater is a 3000 watt unit, which the fully charged battery pack could run continuously for over 16 hours - but of course the 2 person cabin heats up quickly so it doesn’t have to run for very long. As a rough estimate, even in a very cold clime, the heater would consume at most 5 miles worth of electric energy for each hour of operation, which is a trivial percentage of the 244 mile average range. If the driver was pushing the limits, they could use the electric seat heaters instead, as they only draw 65 watts.
I read this afternoon about your plan to build a plan in San Jose, CA. Why not look a little east to Rockwall, TX. The Texas Tesla has a good sound to it. We have a growing Technology Park, a high standard of living and perfect location for a high-tech company such as yours. Rockwall citizens will appreciate your presence here. Personally, Tesla was one of the most important and un-sung heroes of invention and industry. If interested, let me know and I will connect you with the people who can help with financing, tax benefits and city government.;
Russell Daley: Your idea is good but needs a bit of work. I don’t think having a chronically underfunded tax subsidized transit district provide free power to EVs is going to go over with the average non-EV driving taxpayer. Also, if those magnetic induction coils were on all the time, it would waste a lot of energy, erase any magnetic media that got too close, and collect loose bits of steel and iron. What is needed is a system that would only switch on the coils when an authorized vehicle was above it, with a provision to identify and bill any EV owner that used it.
But the biggest problem would be figuring out how to do all that reliably, at an affordable cost.
If we could build a inter-city freeway lane that way, we could have unlimited EV driving range!
When are you guys coming to New York? Or do you have dates for any of these potential trips to Las Vegas or Chicago?