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byStevePumaTheTeslaRoadsterisastate‐of‐theartelectriccarthatistakingtheautomotiveworldbystorm.InthisanalysisweevaluatethesustainabilityoftheTeslaRoadsterbasedontheprinciplesofEdwinDatchefski’sTotalBeautyframework.

TheTeslaRoadster:AnEvaluation

S u s t a i n a b l e P r o d u c t s a n d S e r v i c e s ( S U S 6 0 9 0 ) I n s t r u c t o r : N a t h a n S h e d r o f f P r e s i d i o S c h o o l o f M a n a g e m e n t

2 THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATION

TableofContents

Introduction.................................................................................................................3

DescriptionoftheTeslaRoadster.................................................................................3

ChoiceofFramework ...................................................................................................4

SustainabilityofTeslaRoadster,BasedonDatchefski's"TotalBeauty"Framework ......4Cyclic ............................................................................................................................................................................... 4Solar................................................................................................................................................................................. 6Efficient .......................................................................................................................................................................... 7Social ............................................................................................................................................................................... 9Safe................................................................................................................................................................................ 10HowCanWeMakeItBetter? .....................................................................................10

Conclusion .................................................................................................................12

WorksCited ...............................................................................................................13

THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATION 3

Introduction

Wehave chosen theTeslaRoadster becausewe arebothpassionate about speed,cars and transportation, and theTeslaRoadsterpresents a uniqueopportunity toevaluatea"green"‐marketedproductfromasustainabilitystandpoint.WefeelthattheTesla isagreatproduct forchanging thepublicperceptionofwhatanelectriccaris,fromthatofaslow,short‐rangeungainlynichevehicletoahigh‐performance,zero‐emissions eye‐catcher. This is an important shift, if sustainable automobiles(andotherproducts)areevertobecomemainstream,orevendesirable.

But, evenwith its low‐emissions nature, the Tesla is not a perfectly "sustainable"product.Therearestillmanythingsthatcouldbechangedtomakeitthatway,andwefeltthatthismakestheTeslaaveryinterestingcandidateforstudy.

DescriptionoftheTeslaRoadster

The Tesla Roadster is high‐efficiency and high‐performance electric sports car,which takesadvantageof someof theunique featuresofelectricpropulsion inanattempt to make environmentally friendly automobiles "sexy". The Wall StreetJournalOnlinedescribedtheTeslaas"a$98,000electricroadster...thatuses6,831lithium‐ionbatteriessimilartothoseusedinlaptopcomputers,apatentedelectric‐motor system, and a highly sophisticated package of controllers and software todeliveranexoticallyattractivecarthatzapsfromstandstillto60milesperhourinunderfoursecondsandcantravelupto245milesonasinglecharge."(White) Byredefiningwhatanelectriccarcanbe,theTeslaRoadsterisanimportanttoolintheefforttomakeenergyefficienttransportationseemappealingtotheaveragedriver.Therealquestiontobeanswered,"istheTeslaRoadstersustainable?"

TheTeslaRoadster is thebrainchildof"MartinEberhardandhisbusinesspartnerMarc Tarpenning [who] founded a company based on a portable eBook reader.Frustratedatthemainstreamautoindustry'sinabilitytocreateaneffectiveelectriccar that had mass appeal (he often refers to early electric cars as "punishmentcars"),Eberharddecided to createonehimself" (Grabianowski). TheRoadster isthe first inwhat the company hopeswill be a full line of cars, including a luxurysedan and an economy car. By beginning with the luxury market, Tesla Motorshopes to avoid the imageproblems thathaveplaguedprevious attempts atmass‐producinganelectriccar,suchasFord'sEV‐1. ItishopedthatthelessonslearnedfromtheRoadsterwilltrickledowntothelessexpensiveofferings.

The Tesla Roadster's chassis is loosely based on the Lotus Elise, with the carssharingasimilar look. Thebasicdesignof thecar isverysimple:asingleelectricmotor,coupledwitha2‐speedtransmissionandpoweredbya lithium‐ionbatterypack, is situated on an extruded‐aluminum chassis and covered by a carbon‐fiberbody. According to he company'swebsite, "the Power ElectronicsModule (PEM)contains high‐voltage electronics that control themotor and allow for integratedbattery charging. Themotor andPEMhavebeendesigned as a tightly integratedsystem thatdeliversup to185kWofmotor output"(TeslaMotors).Wheels, tires,brakes and interior components are all industry standard fare. All systems aredesignedtomaximizepowerandrangeandtominimizeweight.

4 THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATIONWhiletheTeslaRoadsterisahugestepforwardintermsofelectriccardevelopmentand energy efficiency, there are many things about its design that would not beconsidered"sustainable",suchastheenergyittakestoproduceitsbatteriesortheinability to recycle its carbon‐fiber body. In addition, it merely shifts the powersourcefromfossilfuelsburnedbythevehicletofossilfuelsburnedbypowerplants.WehavefoundthattheTeslaRoadsterisamixedbag,andactuallyhasalongwaytogo,intermsofsustainability.

ChoiceofFramework

Beforeexplainingwhywechosetheframeworkforevaluationthatwedid,we'dliketo explain why we didn't chose the ones we didn't. Of course, all 6 frameworkspresented in class represent valid ways to evaluate a product for sustainability.Severalofthemweresimplytoounwieldytobeusefulintheshorttimeframewhichwehadtocompletetheassignment.Life­CycleAnalysis(LCA),NaturalCapitalismand the Sustainability Helix all fall into this category, with Life‐Cycle Analysisbeing the most cumbersome of the three. Both Natural Capitalism and theSustainabilityHelixaccount for factors thatseemtobe toobroad inscope forourneeds,includingthingslikeeconomicsandgovernment. Thenextthree,CradletoCradle,BiomimicryandNaturalStep,allhaveelementswhichseemappropriateforouruse,andthereissomeoverlapinconcepts,especiallytheconceptofcycling"technicalnutrients"throughaclosedsystemoncetheyaretakenoutoftheEarth'scrust. These three frameworks suffer from a lack of quantifyability; howwillweratetherelativeeffectivenessofparticularproductsintheseframeworks?

Datchefski's"TotalBeauty" frameworksolves theseproblemsbygivingussomesimplerulesthatwecanusetorateaproduct.TotalBeautyisaframeworkthatwasmadespecificallytoscoreindividualproducts,and,thus, isthemostuseful forthepurposesofthisexercise. Inaddition,TotalBeauty includesmanyoftheconceptsthat we find desirable, and which appear in other frameworks, including theconceptsofcyclicityandsocialequity.

SustainabilityofTeslaRoadster,BasedonDatchefski's"TotalBeauty"Framework

TheTeslaRoadsterexcelsinsomepartsoftheTotalBeautyevaluation,butdoesnotdosowellinothers.

Cyclic

“Theproductismadefromorganicmaterials,andisrecyclableorcompostable,orismadefrommineralsthatarecontinuouslycycledinaclosedloop.”

RATING:15.6

Using information compiled from an interview with Stephen Davies, a PresidiostudentandTeslaMotorsSupplyChainEngineer,plusvariousanecdotalsources,wewereabletocompilethefollowingchart:

THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATION 5

Component Weight%ofTotalWeight

%RecycledWeightRecycled

BatteryPack 992lbs 37% 30% 297.6lbs

Motor/Transmission 150lbs 6% 100% 150lbs

PEM 30lbs 1% 20% 6lbs

Chassis 150lbs 6% 100% 150lbs

Body 150lbs 6% 50% 75lbs

Wheels 60lbs 2.20% 100% 60lbs

Tires 100lbs 3.70% 50% 50lbs

Other 1024lbs 38.10% 0% 0lbs

Total 2690lbs 100% 31.20% 838.6lbs

Source:InterviewwithStephenDavies,TeslaMotorsEngineer

%ofrecycledmaterialusedinmanufacture=0%

%thatisrecycledatendoflife=31.2%

Ifweplug thesenumbers into the equation given tousbyDatchefski, (the%ofrecycledmaterialused+ the%that isrecycledatendof life)/2,weget thefollowing:

(0+31.2)/2=15.6

Therefore, we would rate the Tesla at a 15.6 out of 100 on this scale. This lownumber shows just how difficult it is to achieve sustainability in this area. Teslawouldmostlikelyrankverywellwhencomparedtootherautomanufacturers.But,in overall terms, they still have a long way to go; most notably in using morerecycledrawmaterials.

ThefollowingarebriefdescriptionsofthereclamationeffortsthatarecurrentlyunderwayatTesla:

Batteries:Thebatterypackmakesupoverathirdof thetotalweightof theTeslaRoadster,and thecompanymakessomeeffort torecyclewhat iscan fromitsuse.The problem lies in its construction. The 6000‐plus lithium‐ion cells are heldtogetherinaresinsubstrate,whichissurroundedbyanaluminumbox.Attheendoflife,thealuminumcontaineriscompletelyrecycled.Therestofthebatterypackisprocessed by freezing and then shredding. This shredding process produces twotypesof"fluff"(shreddedmaterial),lithiumfluffandcobaltfluff.Cobaltisrecoveredfromthecobaltfluffandthelithiumfluffisland‐filled.Theonlygoodnewsabouttheunrecoverablematerial is that lithiumisnotconsideredtoxic,althoughthis isstilllessthanideal.(Davies)

6 THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATIONMotor/Transmission:Theelectricmotorismadefromacombinationofaluminumandcopper. Thetransmissionismadefromaluminum.Accordingtothecompany,thesecomponentsare100%recyclable.

Chassis andWheels: The chassis andwheels are alsomade fromaluminum, andarethereforealso100%recyclable.

Power Electronics Module (PEM): This electronics control component is madefromaluminumwithsiliconandotherelectroniccomponents.Teslaestimatesthatmeans that this part is only 20% recyclable, with the remainder needing to behandledaselectronicswaste.(Davies)

Body: To save weight, the Tesla Roadster's body is made from a carbon‐fibercompositematerial.Unfortunately,thetechnologydoesnotcurrentlyexisttoreformcarbon fiber,so that theonly thingtodowith itatend‐of‐life is to“downcycle” it.Thematerialmaybereusedinotherapplicationsaftertheoriginalpartisshredded.The reuse applications are ones that donot require fibers as long as those in theoriginalmaterial:

"Carbonfiberreinforcedplasticshaveanalmostinfiniteservicelifetime.Butwhenitistimetorecyclethem,theycannotsimplybemelteddownlikemetals.Thebestthatcanbedoneistomillorshredthemtoreclaimthecarbonfiber,whichshortensthefibersdramatically.Justaswithrecycledpaper,theshortenedfibersensurethattherecycledmaterial is less strong than thematerial startedwith.But therearemany industrialapplications that don't need the full strength of full­length fiber reinforcement. Forexample, chopped reclaimed carbon fiber is used in consumer electronics, such aslaptops,whereitprovidesexcellentreinforcementoftheplasticsused,evenif it lacksthestrength­to­weightratioofanaerospacecomponent."(Wikipedia)

Tires: Although Tesla Motors advertises that it has a recycling program for theYokohama tires itemployson theRoadster, theprogram isof thesamekindas isusedinthecarbonfiberrecoveryprocess.Tiresarecurrentlygroundupforuseinotherprocesses,suchasfillerinconcretemanufacture.(Davies)

Other:Therestofthevehiclefeaturesstandardcomponentsfoundonmanyothervehicles, such as plastic dashboards, leather seats, and various other metal andelectronic components. As far aswe know, there is no specific recycling thatwilloccurfortheseparts.However,intheautomotiveindustryitisverycommontoseemanyof thesepartsutilizedas spareswhen thewholeof thevehicle isno longerserviceable.Onlytimecantellifthiswillorwillnotbethecase.Attheveryend,theremainingcomponentsmaybeland‐filled.

Solar

Theproductusessolarenergyorotherformsofrenewableenergythatarecyclicandsafe,bothduringuseandmanufacture.

RATING:50

In the best‐case scenario, the Tesla Roadster can actually be used in a zero‐emissions,zero‐consumptionmode.Thiscanbeachievedbychargingthecarwithrenewable energy sources. The company is planning on implementing a program

THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATION 7

wherebytheywillsellcustomerssolarpanelsfortheirhouses,whichwillchargethecar. However,even intheworst‐casescenario, theroadster isstillhighlyefficientcompared to gasoline‐powers cars, and is also highly efficient when powered bynon‐renewable sources of electricity generation. According to Tesla's 2006publication, "The 21st Century Electric Car", "the Tesla Roadster only consumesabout110watt‐hours (0.40mega‐joules)of electricity from thebattery todriveakilometer,or2.53km/MJ.....Takingintoaccountthewell‐to‐electric‐outletefficiencyof electricity production and the electrical‐outlet‐to‐wheel efficiency of the TeslaRoadster,thewell‐to‐wheelenergyefficiencyoftheTeslaRoadsteris2.18km/MJx52.5%=1.14 km/MJ, or double the efficiency of theToyotaPrius."(Eberhard andTarpenning)

Ithasbeendifficult todeterminewhetherornot renewableenergy isused in themanufactureor assemblyof theTeslaRoadster.Wehavebeenunable to find anydatafromthecompanyitselfonwhetherornottheyuserenewableenergyduringany part of the process. Since the components are manufactured by variouscompaniesoutsidetheU.S.,andfinalassemblyiscompletedintheU.K.,wecanonlyassume that the percentage is very small. In addition, transportation via sea andlandwouldaddalargeamountofnon‐cyclicorsafeenergyusagetotheequation.

Efficient

Theproductinmanufactureanduserequires90%lessmaterials,energyandwaterthanproductsprovidingequivalentutilitydidin1990.

RATING:50

When considering how to compare the Tesla Roadster in terms of materialsefficiency,wemust thinkaboutwhatwemeanby"equivalentutility". In thiscase,the utility is notmerely transportation, or even gasmileage; otherwisewe couldcomparetheTeslatotheEV‐1orotherearlyelectriccars,orperhapsotherenergy‐efficientvehicles, suchas the1993HondaCivicVX.Given its$98,00price tag, theTeslaRoadsterclearlyispositionedasahigh‐performancesportscar,andcompetesin the market with cars such as the Porsche 911 and the Lotus Elise (unlike itsearlier cousins). Therefore, we calculated that a comparable car would costapproximately$60,000in1990dollars,andcameupwiththe1990Porsche911asourbasisforcomparison.Aswecanseefromthechartbelow,the1990Porsche911isverycloseinsizetothe2008Tesla:

2008TeslaRoadster 1990Porsche911GrossVehicleWeight 2690Lbs 3234lbLength 155.4in 167.3inWidth 73.7in 69.0inMaterials,Body CarbonFiber SteelMaterials,Chassis ExtrudedAluminum SteelEngine AC Induction electric motor

(Aluminum,Copper)4‐CylinderGasoline,lightalloyblockandhead

Source:teslamotors.comandcarfolio.com

8 THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATIONEventhoughthemotoroftheTeslaismuchsmallerandlighterthantheengineofthePorscheandthebodyandframearemadeoflightermaterials,theweightofthebattery pack almost completely negates the reduction inmaterial usage from thelighter materials used in other components. This means that an analysis ofmaterialsefficiencyisnotthatsimple.ItwouldseemthatifyouweretoremovetheweightofthebatterypackfromthemixandyouremovetheweightoftheanalogousgastankfromthePorsche,thepicturewouldbemuchdifferent:

WeightoftheTeslaBatteryPackSystem=approx.992lbs/450kg

Weightofa15gallongastank(full)=approx.50lbs

2008TeslaRoadster 1990Porsche911

ModifiedVehicleWeight 1698lbs 3184lbs

Based only on the combined weight of the chassis, body, engine and drive train,minustheweightofthefuelstoragesystem,theTeslarepresentsa47%reductioninmaterialsoverthePorsche.

In the case of both cars, interior components, such as seats, dashboards andelectronics instruments andwheels and tires are essentially the same, sowewillexcludethemfromouranalysis(assuming1,000lbsofequivalentmaterialineachcar),andonlyconsiderthemainrawmaterials.Thus,wegetthefollowingcharts:

SimplifiedMaterialsUsagefor2008TeslaRoadster(Excludingwheels,tiresandinteriorcomponents,suchasseats)

300lbsAluminum

150lbsCarbon­Fiber

992lbsLithiumBatteries

EnergyConsumption 68,161.5 MJ 47,554.65 MJ 498,632.73 MJ

SolidWaste 2,090.28 lb 146.32 lb 665.62 lb

WaterEmissions 63.61 lb 0 lb 0.0042 lb

GreenhouseGasses 3635.28 lb 1829.025 lb 0.0025 lb

Hydrocarbon 2.27205 lb 1.46322 lb 0.0001 lb

SulfurOxides 31.8087 lb 14.6322 lb 0.0045 lb

SimplifiedMaterialsUsagefor1990Porsche911(Excludingwheels,tiresandinteriorcomponents,suchasseats)

1000lbsSteel

1000lbsAluminum

EnergyConsumption 25,025.00 Mj 227,205.00 Mj

SolidWaste 2,502.50 lb 6,967.62 lb

WaterEmissions 80.08 lb 212.06 lb

GreenhouseGasses 13,013.00 lb 12,117.60 lb

Hydrocarbon 4.00 lb 7.57 lb

SulfurOxides 140.14 lb 106.03 Lb

Source:Gibson,Thomas,“LifeCycleAssessmentofAdvancedMaterialsforAutomotiveApplications”.2000.SAEInternational

THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATION 9

TotalsComparison

2008TeslaRoadster 1990Porsche911 TeslaImprovement

EnergyConsumption

614,348.88 Mj 252,230 Mj ­41.06%

SolidWaste 2,902.22 lb 9,470.12 lb +30.65%

WaterEmissions 63.61 lb 292.14 lb +21.77%

GreenhouseGasses 5,464.30 lb 25,130.6 lb +21.74%

Hydrocarbon 3.73 lb 11.57 lb +32.24%

SulfurOxides 46.44 lb 246.17 lb +18.87

Thedatashowsthatthe2008TeslaRoadsterhasachievedan18%to32%gaininefficiencyoverthe1990Porsche,exceptforenergyusage.Itseemsthat,contrarytoourintuition,theTeslarequiredalmost50%moreenergytoproduce,andmostofthisenergyisusedtomanufacturethebatterypack.

So,wehaveaconundrum;howdoweratetheoverallefficiency?Itisnotclear.TheTesla has a significant edge in almost every area, except for energy usage, in itsmanufacture.TheTeslaalsohassignificantlyreducedmaterialsconsumptioninitsusephase,duetomuchhigherefficiencyandgreatlyreducedmechanicalcomplexityandmaintenance.Theanswerisnotclear,andouroverallratingisbasedmoreonour own interpretation of the facts, and on our opinions, not on purely empiricaldata.

Wefeel that theTeslacanonlybegivenamiddlegrade,duetothehighmaterialsand energy costs to produce the batteries. If a battery technologywere to comealong which were much less resource‐intensive, the Roadster might be able toachieveaperfectscore

Social

Theproduct'smanufactureandusesupportsbasichumanrightsandnaturaljustice.

RATING:30

TeslaMotors ismanufacturingasustainably‐operatedproduct. It isnotcompany’spolicycurrently tochoseonlysustainablymanufacturedanddistributedmaterialsand parts. According to Stephen Davis, when possible, company is working withsocially responsible andenvironmentally conscientious suppliers.Agoodexampleofsuchasupplierwouldbetheirtiresupplier,Yokohama,thathasbeenrecognizedinJapanasoneofthetenmostenvironmentallyconsciouscompaniesinthecountry.All of Yokohama’s factories are ISO 14001 certified, and those in Japan haveachieved zero emissions one year ahead of the Kyoto Protocol. Yokohama is

10 THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATIONcontinuously developing its manufacturing and technology to produce tires thatminimizeenvironmentalimpact.

Overall,inouropinion,theTeslaRoadsterisnotscoringveryhighonsocialperformance.Theirmaingoalistocreateagood‐looking,fast,electriccar.Thepriceoftheproductistargetedforhigh‐incomeclients.However,thecompanydoesplantoaddresstheseissuesinthefuture,oncetheirconceptisproven.Forexample,amoremodest$50,000luxurysedananda$30,000economycarareplannedforthenearfuture.

Safe

Theproductisnon­toxicinuseanddisposal,anditsmanufacturedoesnotinvolvetoxicreleasesorthedisruptionofecosystems.

Rating:30

BasedonfactorspreviouslydiscussedintheCyclicandEfficientsections,theTeslahas a longway to go in terms of environmental safety. Greenhouse gasses, sulfuroxides,solidwastes(includingtoxicmetals)andwateremissionsarestillproducedintheuseanddisposalphases.TheTeslawillcontinuetoproduceemissionstotheairvia itsenergyconsumption,as longas theelectricity it runson isproducedbyburningfossilfuels,althoughitdoesrepresentalargejumpinefficiencyoverotherautomotive technologies. TheRoadster alsowill continue to represent significantdisposal problems as long as its supporting technologies remain consistent withcurrentautomotivetechnologies,suchasthosefortires,brakes,interiorplasticsandupholsterymaterials.Aswithmostoftheotherratings,ourratingisbasedmoreonintuitionthanonhardnumbers.

HowCanWeMakeItBetter?

Sourcealuminumwith recycled content: Aluminum is a very goodmaterial touse,fromacyclicitystandpoint,becauseitcanbealmostentirelyrecycledintonewraw aluminum. Using aluminum with recycled content can save approximately20,787MJofenergyduringthemanufacturingprocess.Thiswouldrepresenta33%energy savings over using virgin aluminum, and would most likely result in asignificantcostsavingstothecompany.

Attempt to recover lithium from lithium fluff: Our understanding, from oursources at Tesla Motors, is that lithium cannot currently be recovered from theshreddedbatterywaste. Although lithium isnon‐toxic,westillwant to recover itandcycleitbackintothetechnospere.Althoughwearenotscientists,wehaveseena couple of abstracts for patented processed that claim to be able to recover thelithiumfromlithium‐ionbatteries.WewouldliketoseeTeslaMotorsresearchthistopicmorethoroughly.

Alternativematerialsforbody:StephenDaviesdirectedustoseveraltechnologiesthatcouldreducetheimpactoftheRoadster’scarbonfiberbodyandplasticparts.

THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATION 11

• Carrotfibers:ScottishcompanyCellucomp,launchedin2004,hasdevelopedanewbio‐compositewhichusescarrotfiberasthemainreinforcementmaterial.Thefirstproductthatwasproducedusingthesefiberswasahighperformancefishingrod.Curran,thematerialmadefromcarrotfibers,hasalowerdensitythancarbonfiber.Itcanalsobemoldedwhichmakesitvaluableformanyapplications.(PressAssociation)

• Chicken feather fibers: Nearly four billion tons of chicken feathers areproduced in theUnitedStateseachyear.Theyaregenerally incinerated,orfed to chickens and other barnyard animals. At the end of last century thetechnologywasdevelopedtoextractfibersfromchickenfeathers.Duetoitshighresistancetobothmechanicalandthermalstressandlight‐weight,thesefibershavemanyuses.(Wagner)

Some examples of the prototype product formulations include: stronglightweightconstructionmaterials,biodegradableagriculturalweedcontrolfilms, air filters, insulation mats, composites with natural and syntheticpolymers. Two pounds of feathers can produce about one pound of fibermaterial.

• Biopolymers: Currently, several projects are developing biopolymers forautomotiveuse.Thesepolymerswillbebiodegradableandcouldbeusedtoreplace theplasticscurrentlyused in thebodyand interiorcomponents. Ifcombined with the biological fiber technologies mentioned above, thiscombinationcouldpotentiallyreplacecarbonfiber.

Different battery technologies: There are a lot of new battery technologiesemerging.Oneofthem,whichwasdevelopedin1996,isthenanotechnology‐basedlithium‐ionbattery.Designersofthisnewbatteryclaimthatithas“unprecedentedpower, safety, and life as compared to conventional Lithium technology.”(PressAssociation)(NanotechnologyNews)

Rightnowbatteriesaretargetedatapplicationsthatrequirehighpower,highlevelsofsafety,andlongerlife. ManufacturesclaimthatunlikeconventionalLithium‐ionbatteries, batteries based on the nano‐scale electrode technology, employ newthermally stable, non‐combustible active materials, enabling a safer cell andallowing cost reductions such as the elimination of unnecessary battery packcomponents. In addition, those batteries are made using an environmentallyfriendly chemical process. All of these qualities seem to be perfect for the TeslaRoadster.

12 THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATION

Conclusion

Evaluating theTeslaRoadster iscomplex task,dueto thecomplexities inherent inlife‐cycleanalysisandthecomplexityofanautomobile.Wefoundthatthiselectriccar, while not a sustainable aswewould have hoped, is a good step in the rightdirection.

Tesla Motors is attempting to do something that many auto experts feel isimpossible:launchanewautomobileonashoestringbudget. Tesla’sstrategyistostar with the luxury buyers, and have them fund the development of necessarytechnologiesandprovetheconcept.Wefeelthatthisisastrategythatcanwork.

Due to the startup nature of the company, their focus is tomake sure that theirproduct is viable, and then fix the sustainability issues. Given statements by thecompanyandbypeoplewhoweknowwhoworkthere,weareconfidentthatTeslaMotorswillcontinuetoimprovethesustainabilityofitscarsinthefuture.Wewishthemgreatsuccessinthisendeavor.

THETESLAROADSTER:ANEVALUATION 13

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Nanotechnology News. Revolutionary New Nanotechnology‐Based Lithium‐IonBattery. 03 November 2005. 15 February 2008<http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=1606>.

Davies,Stephen.InterviewwithStephenDaviesStevePuma.SanRamon,6February2008.

Eberhard,MartinandMarcTarpenning.The21stCenturyElectricCar.Whitepaper.TeslaMotors.SanCarlos,CA:TeslaMotors,2006.

Gibson, Thomas L. Life Cycle Assessment of Advanced Materials for AutomotiveApplications. Conference Report. General Motors. Detroit: Society of AutomotiveEngineersInternational,2000.

Grabianowski, Ed. How the Tesla Roadster Works. 10 February 2008<http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tesla‐roadster2.htm>.

Press Association. The future is orange for hi‐techmaterialmade from carrots. 9February 2007. 15 February 2008<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/feb/09/news.uknews>.

Tesla Motors. Under the Skin. 10 February 2008<http://www.teslamotors.com/design/under_the_skin.php>.

Wagner, Matt. Featherfiber maker undaunted by red tape. 2 November 2003. 15February 2008 <http://springfield.news‐leader.com/specialreports/innovationintheozarks/1102‐Featherfib‐205351.html>.

White, JosephB.ElectricCarMakerAimsFortheTopWithSportsCar.15October2007. 6 February 2008<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119220246200657368.html?mod=Eyes+on+the+Road>.

Wikipedia. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic. 30 January 2008. 10 February 2008<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphite‐reinforced_plastic>.