Tesla at the London motor show 2008

Tesla have "saintly eco credentials... it's not all perfect, however..." You mean the "zero emissions" which they claim ignores the coal fired power stations making the electricity which blows a whopping big hole in that faliscous claim? Does this 'Saint' run on nickel (NiMH) batteries? For the extra £40,000 over a standard Elise is being poorer a big part of the eco-dream? The new Liebermann-Warner eco-bill (Climate Security Act) before the US Senate will cost $Trillions in new tax hikes on people over 10 years. The Energy Information Administration says the bill would result in a 9.5% drop in manufacturing output and higher energy costs on electricity and fuel (50c to $1 per gallon). A bigger attack on the poor, who pay a disproportionate amount of the CO2 taxes, since US ethanol subsidies raised food stuff prices. I digress. Not really. I'll have 2 Elises please and bin the Tesla sales pitch.

here's the link to article, written by Peter Huber, a former mechanical engineering instructor at MIT and Mark Mills, a physicist.. http://www.memagazine.org/contents/current/features/endofme/endofme.html

I agree with most of you post and definitely the sentiment JB, however (and sorry to get technical on you) electricity doesn't move at the speed of light! The electrons move through the wires at a much more leisurely pace (as I recall somewhere around a fast walking pace, it's been awhile since I did A level physics!), the illusion of their speed comes from the fact that the electrons at the end of the wire will start moving immediately (hence fast reaction time as you state), but the eletrons at the start of the circuit will take awhile to get to their destination. Fascinating, I know..... LOL!