L.A.-Detroit in a Tesla

So much for California soft. The Tesla Roadster was driven on a 2,700-mile trek from L.A. to Detroit as a way of illustrating that all-electric cars can go long distances - in the middle of winter - without any special hookups. "We charged it up at people's homes, restaurants, RV parks, wherever we could," said Elon Musk, Tesla's chairman and CEO. A bunch of company employees took turns driving the Roadster, which is priced at just over $100,000 and gets its power from a 240-volt house plug that powers a battery pack in the trunk. From the Detroit News:

Musk said the company is still pushing ahead with development of the Model S sedan. He noted it is still about 2.5 years away from dealer showrooms, but is on track with the company's original development schedule. The Model S is a four-door sedan designed to seat five adults and two children while doing 0 to 60 in less than six seconds - all with a range of 300 miles. The car will cost less than $50,000 when a federal tax credit for electric vehicles is figured into the price. Musk said in order to make the vehicle more accessible, it will be available for lease and the lease price will be comparable to that of a $35,000 vehicle.

By the way, Musk said they're close to a decision on whether to have the company's new plant in Downey or Long Beach. The plant would be making the Model S.