Tesla Model S Electric Sedan Starting at $49,900*

Tesla Motors showed the world that there was no good reason why an electric car could not also be a stylish hot rod with the Tesla Roadster.  Now, with the announcement of the Model S sedan pricing as low as $49,900 for the base 40kWh model (including federal tax credits),  Tesla is showing the world that you can have a stylish electric luxury sport sedan for about the same price as a any gasoline-powered sport sedan on the market today.

Tesla says the Model S will be available in four packages with three different battery options: 40, 60, and 85kWh.  The Model S Performance and Model S Signature Performance will be available with only the 85kWh battery package and boast 0-60mph times of 4.4 seconds.  Nineteen inch wheels are standard across the board, as is a 17 inch touchscreen display.  Rounding out the list of cool options is an all-glass panoramic roof, face-away folding third row seats, and Active Air Suspension.  Ladies and gentlemen, this ain’t no Nissan Leaf.

For decades now the electric car has been hindered by an unenthusiastic establishment joined at the hip to the fossil fuel industries.  Putting out half-hearted attempts that look more like space ships than automobiles, the industry resistance to adopting electric over gas, from the board room to the magazine editors, is still obvious today.  The few electric cars in production are the kind of cars that a buyer would purchase primarily because they are electric, but Tesla is two for two in showing that you can make a car that people will want that just also happens to be electric.