In today’s environment, a gathering of the automotive industry anywhere in the world focuses on reducing emissions, increasing fuel economy, and finding renewable energy sources. It was the same story at the SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) annual convention held in September this year. Those objectives are noble and all very well – it definitely needs to be done, but does it spell the end of the performance car?

Who better to ask than Simon Wood, engineering director at one of the worlds most prolific sports car manufacturers – Lotus. It just so happened that he was a speaker at the SIAM convention. While assuring me that the internal combustion engine is in no imminent danger, he also suggested that I take a look at an electric sports car developed, with the help of Lotus, by a company called Tesla Motors in California.

Tesla is a young company started in the summer of 2003 – this is a Silicon Valley startup with a difference. Their first model, the Tesla Roadster, is due to hit the streets in early 2008 – and like the company, this is a sports car with a difference.

The car runs on an a battery powered electric motor that has a range of about 400 kilometers – but the important thing is that it can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a reported 4 seconds, and has a top speed of 200 km/h. The chassis is based on the Lotus Elise, which is one of the best handling cars on the planet. And it looks good too – like the more environmentally friendly brother of the Elise in fact.

The Tesla has a state-of-the-art lithium ion energy storage system (with almost 7000 lithium ion cells) for an engine, or eco-friendly means of propulsion I should say. It also features regenerative braking to charge the motor. The car comes with a home-based charging system that takes about three and a half hours for a full charge. Tesla will even provide roof mounted solar panels to ensure owners stay completely energy positive.

The Roadster has a manual transmission with two forward gears, so it’ll be interesting to see how it actually drives. The one point of concern is that it’s completely silent, and therefore doesn’t provide any aural stimulation. I, for one, would really miss the noise of a nicely tuned internal combustion engine – the induction noise from the intake as it sucks in air, and the growl from the exhaust as it spits it out. It better have a great sound system.

If initial indications are anything to go by, then Tesla Motors have achieved their goal of building a car that people would enjoy driving without burning fuel and causing harmful emissions. With the Tesla Roadster, it appears you may finally have the kind of electric car that you actually want powering into the future.