THE concept might seem a contradiction in terms but an American business is out to prove it has legs.
Q: Golf carts aren't us? A: Nor sedate milk floats.
Tesla Motors, a Californian company founded by Martin Eberhard, a multimillionaire, hopes its prototype can start burning up the highways in a year.
Q: Spec? A: It looks like a sportscar and drives like one, too, apparently. It can accelerate from zero to 60mph in four seconds, making it faster than a Ferrari, and has a top speed of 130mph.
Q: Using a battery? A: The Tesla Roadster is powered by more than 6800 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, the same cells that run a laptop computer. Most electric vehicles offer only a 60-mile drive between charges. The roadster's range is 250 miles. The car will cost around GBP60,000 to buy but less than a penny a mile to run. With the price of petrol rising across the industrialised world, motorists are increasingly factoring in fuel efficiency to their cost-of-driving equations.
Q: Including Eberhard? A: This self-confessed "closet gearhead" who sold his hand-held electronic book reader for more than GBP100m, loves fast cars but says his concerns about the impact on natural resources and the environment of gas-guzzlers led him to go electric.
Q: Any backers? A: Elon Musk, founder of PayPal, and Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who co-founded Google. Some GBP40m has been invested in the vehicle. It should be available to buy next summer.
Q: Any teething troubles? A: Petrolheads who've test-driven the roadster complain about missing the roar of a high-octane engine. The car's software is being programmed to offer a choice of vroomy noises.
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