All-electric sports car visits campus MondayJuly 17, 2009 KALAMAZOO--One of the first Tesla Roadsters--a high-performance, all-electric car--will be on display on the campus of Western Michigan University between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday, July 20, at the Campus Flagpoles next to the Lee Honors College. The sports car is the centerpiece of the Renew America Roadtrip, a coast-to-coast fundraiser for green charities and promotion for alternative transportation. The trip from New York to San Francisco includes Michigan stops in Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, before moving on to Chicago. One of the purposes of the cross-country trip is to debunk some of the myths about electric cars. The Tesla Roadster is an unmodified, production sports car capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. It is powered by a bank of Lithium-ion batteries and has a nominal range of 244 miles on a single charge. The sticker price for the Roadster is $101,000, but California-based Tesla Motors has just introduced a sedan starting at $50,000, with a nominal range of 300 miles. For information about the Renew America Roadtrip stop at WMU, contact Dr. Paul Pancella at paul.pancella@wmich.edu or (269) 387-4936. Media contact: Thom Myers, (269) 387-8400, thom.myers@wmich.edu WMU News |