GENEVA, Switzerland – When the Tesla S electric car goes on sale in Europe next year, you will be able to spot it easily because it will be the only super-car in the slow lane.
In order to drag the S’s range out to the maximum, speeds shouldn’t exceed the old U.S. speed limit of 55 mph. That would put you amongst the trucks on Europe’s main roads.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk told a press conference at the Geneva car show today that the car will be capable of 300 miles between charges, as long as you keep the speed down to about 55 mph. Musk said the range available meant that the Tesla electric car was more like a regular car.
Musk said a new charging system means it will only take about 30 minutes to put another 150 miles of range in the tank.
“All our data on range assumes a speed of 55 mph,” Musk said in reply to questions at the show.
Musk said sales of the S model will start in Europe in the first quarter of next year.
The average speed on Europe’s highways is about 80 mph. Some of Germany’s freeways have no speed limit at all.
Tesla may introduce a roadster in about four years time.
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