We’ve yet to see a Tesla Roadster being wheeled by someone other than a celebrity or a journalist, but it appears that plans are afoot for a one-make race series for the Lotus-based electric supercar.
Two Middle-Eastern groups - one in Dubai and the other from Qatar - are reportedly in talks with Tesla Motors to discuss setting up what would become the world’s first all-electric circuit racing championship. However, given the limited supply of Tesla Roadsters and the fact that there is currently no Middle Eastern distributor for the cars, it could be a while before we see such a series get off the ground.
There are also further issues to sort out before the Tesla can hit the track. Considering the hours-long recharge time for the Roadster’s on-board batteries, pitstops could be an - ahem - lengthy affair. Not only that, but Tesla Motors’ precarious financial position may also throw any plans for a spec-racer Roadster in jeopardy. The US-based company is currently struggling to keep its head above water, let alone meet demand for its single product.
Other Middle Eastern plans for Tesla involve a Dubai developer giving away Roadsters to buyers of energy-efficient homes, while another group is investigating setting up a rental fleet of Roadsters and a taxi fleet of Tesla’s upcoming Model S sedan. An official Tesla distributor for the region is apparently still over a year away.
Does anyone else see the irony in all this electric-car mania emanating from the epicentre of global oil production?
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Interesting, but I certainly wouldn’t think it to be “exciting”. It would be like watching the Lotus Cup with the sound turned off - something visceral about motorsport would be missing, namely the noise.
And the pitstops!!!!!!!!!!! Wow that was a lightning stop by the Red Bull team, Fully recharged in only 4 hours………………
I guess the pitstop issue could be fixed by using replacable batteries. Or use industrial wiring so you can use higher voltages/currents for shorter charge times.
Nah I got a better idea… put little metal lines all the way round the track, 2 brushes under the cars and let em go.
Actually I had a working experimentla model when I was a kid… pure electric race cars, unbelievable fast speeds (especially when working to scale) I think I called it AFX ……