Tesla has released a new Model S electric car

“Model S doesn’t compromise on performance, efficiency or utility — it’s truly the only car you need,” said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “Tesla is relentlessly driving down the cost of electric vehicle technology, and this is just the first of many mainstream cars we’re developing.”

It is about half the price of the roadster, which makes it good value for money if you look exclusively at performance.  It is $50 000 and achieves the 0 - 100km/h in under 6s.  It might not make sense in comparison to the conventional petrol driven vehicles available at that price level.  It is however in the electric market.

With the focus being on developing the "perfect" electric vehicle to curb CO2 emissions it seems that the whole manufacturing process of getting an electric vehicle and maintaining it through the life-cycle we are not properly looking at all the rest of the pollution that are created.  Currently the mining and smelting for lead based batteries are arguably more dangerous to our existence than the CO2 emissions over the full cycle.  It can be argued that lead particles are contained in the area in which it is smelted / recycled.  There is however enough studies to show that these particles can travel over vast distances.  CO2 emissions on the other hand isn't contained in a specific area.  The damage of the lead particles are just greater.  Until there are more environmentally friendly bases for batteries, I don't think we will reap the proposed benefits of electric vehicles.  In the mean time everyone and his mate wants to impose taxes and levies on the emissions.  The technology to ascertain each individuals' emissions would be interesting in its own.