Planetary Gear

If produced, the Tesla Model S will be the first mass-produced highway-legal all electric car.

(Credit: Tesla Motors)

More than 520 reservations for the Tesla Model S have been made since the all-electric car's debut on March 26, Tesla Motors announced Wednesday.

Since the car isn't slated for production until 2011, and Tesla is still waiting to hear if it'll be getting a $350 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to build the car's California production plant, the company is not technically taking orders.

Instead, the carmaker says it is taking refundable $5,000 reservations to get in line for the anticipated $50,000 car (the price after receiving a $7,500 federal tax credit).

If it does go into production, the Model S will be the first mass-produced highway-capable car to run entirely on electricity.

The working prototype of the Model S was unveiled last week in Los Angeles. An East Coast premiere took place on Wednesday evening at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

The Model S, which can go 0 mph to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, has an electronically limited speed of 130 mph and can be recharged from any 120V, 208V, or 240V outlet. The car will be offered with a range of 160, 230, or 300 miles per charge, depending on which battery the buyer chooses, though Tesla has not yet said what the price difference will be for each package.

While the company has faced a mountain of start-up hardship, including a battle over trade secrets, a class action lawsuit, and a major leadership change, it has so far been able to deliver 320 of its Roadster models, its all-electric luxury sports car.

(Credit: Tesla Motors)

Tesla Motors has begun offering its Roadster electric vehicle for the Canadian highway, the company announced Wednesday.

Tesla said in a statement that driving a Tesla Roadster in Canada can be thought of as even more kind to the environment than in other places since the bulk of the country's electricity is generated from renewable resources.

"An EV recharged from the current Canadian grid, on average, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 85 percent compared to an equivalent gasoline-powered vehicle. In hydro-dominant British Columbia, Quebec, and Manitoba, the reduction would be an impressive 98 percent," said the Tesla statement.

Unfortunately for Canadians, they'll still have to travel to the U.S. if they want a showroom experience.

While Tesla plans to open in Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, as of now, delivery for Canadian Roadster orders will come out of its Seattle and New York offices.

The slight inconvenience will have no effect on compliance with Canadian safety regulations. The Tesla Roadster made for Canada will comply with all Canadian regulations for highway vehicles, according to the company.

Given how currencies have been fluctuating so drastically this last year, you may be wondering how it will be priced. Tesla is very conservative on this answer.

"The base price for Roadsters in Canada will be set closer to the start of deliveries, and pricing will reflect exchange rates at that time. In the United States, the base price is $109,000," said a company statement on the matter.

For a company who was written off by many as dead, Tesla has had positive news in recent weeks. In February, the company announced that the Department of Energy had been granted permission to issue Tesla loans in the millions to help it build a new plant in San Jose, Calif. The new Tesla Sedan is also set to be unveiled on March 26.

Time Magazine has named 23andMe, one of the first consumer genetic testing services, its 2008 Best Invention of the Year.

(Credit: 23andMe)

23andMe, named for the 23 chromosome pairs every human has, set itself apart from other DNA-testing services, because "it does the best job of making them accessible and affordable," according to Time.

The company offers a $399 DNA test that includes an ancestry analysis, and a health analysis. The health analysis tests for about 90 predispositions ranging from what eye color you'll probably pass on to whether you're likely to get arthritis someday.

Customers are sent a kit by mail that includes a test tube to spit in for the saliva sample and registration materials to log in online. Once the sample is registered and mailed to 23andMe, customers can expect results in about 4-6 weeks.

The company was co-founded by Linda Avey, a biopharmaceutical industry veteran with a background in biology; and Anne Wojcicki, an entrepreneur with experience in healthcare investing and a Yale University degree in biology.

Wojcicki's husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has an additional reason to be proud of Time Magazine's list. The Tesla Roadster, an all-electric sports car made by Tesla Motors, was named runner-up. Brin has given some financial backing to the struggling company.

Other inventions that made it into the top 10 include Hulu.com, the video-streaming site that legally offers free TV shows and movies online; NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter; and the Large Hadron Collider.

The full list of all 50 inventions Time Magazine has named noteworthy for 2008 will appear in the October 31 issue, but it's already been posted to Time's Web site.

A new all-electric GT sports car was revealed by automaker Lightning Car at the British International Motor Show on Tuesday.

The Electric Lightning GT is an all-electric car with no emissions that can accelerate to speeds "over 130 mph," according to company specs.

The guilt-free sports car is poised to be a competitor to Tesla Motors' 135 mph-riding Tesla Roadster, which began production in mid-July in the United States.

The Lightning GT at its unveiling Tuesday at the British International Motor Show.

(Credit: Lightning Car)

The Lightning GT can go from zero to 60 mph in 4 seconds, just like the Tesla Roadster, and has a range of 200 miles per charge, compared to Tesla's 220-mile range.

The Lightning GT has a technological advantage over the Roadster, or so it seems, depending on whether recharge time is an issue for owners. The company says the car takes 10 minutes to recharge, if charged from a three-phase power supply (those found in industrial buildings, compared to the residential single phase). The Tesla Roadster has an estimated 3.5-hour charge time from a residential outlet.

The Lightning GT's motors are in the wheels.

(Credit: Lightning Car)

The company claims that its 30 onboard 10-minute charge batteries, NanoSafe batteries supplied by the Phoenix-based AltairNano company, can last up to 12 years before needing to be replaced. The NanoSafe batteries will also still maintain a charge capacity of 85 percent after 15,000 charges, according to Lightning Car.

But that impatience tax is steep. The Lightning GT, available for preorder with a 15,000-pound ($30,000) deposit, is estimated to sell for between 120,000 pounds and 150,000 pounds (roughly between $240,000 and $300,000), according to reports. Lightning Car promises a 2009 delivery and offers customization service that includes a "made to measure" interior, as well as any minor body style requests.

U.S. drivers, however, will have to wait. The company said in a statement that it has applied for certification requirements to sell the car in the United States but has not yet gotten federal approval.

The car's drive train includes what the company calls "Hi-Pa Drive" technology (the British and their puns), a system of four 120-kilowatt power motors located inside each wheel of the car that can make 700 horsepower.

The Lighting GT also has all the accoutrement you'd expect with your sports car, including traction control, an entertainment system, tinted windows, and LED lights. Being electric, it also offers regenerative braking, a system in which your car is given a charge every time you brake. As is customary among British car manufacturers, air conditioning is optional, not standard. Built-in satellite navigation is also optional.

The British International Motor Show is open to the public July 23 to August 3 at the ExCel exhibition center in London.

While luxury favorites like the Hummer are on display, it's the green cars generating buzz as must-sees at this year's show.

(Credit: Lightning Car)