Tesla Sues the BBC and Top Gear for Libel Against the Roadster

Tesla Motors announced yesterday that it has sued BBC's Top Gear TV show for “libel and malicious falsehood.” The American automaker’s action refers to a Top Gear episode aired on December 14 2008, when Jeremy Clarkson tested the Tesla Roadster.

According to Tesla, the show “contained lies and misinformation about the Roadster's performance, behavior and reliability.” Tesla Motors considers the breakdowns of the Roadster that allegedly occurred during the Top Gear episode were “staged” and that the statements made during the show are untrue.

More specifically, Tesla claims Top Gear misrepresented that:

1. The Roadster ran out of charge and had to be pushed into the Top Gear hangar by 4 men.
2. The Roadster’s true range is only 55 miles per charge (not 211).
3. One Roadster’s motor overheated and was completely immobilized as a result.
4. The other Roadster’s brakes were broken, rendering the car undriveable.
5. That neither of the two Roadsters provided to Top Gear was available for test driving due to these problems.

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Tesla Model S Road Testing Underway [with Video]

It has been a long journey, but it looks like the Tesla Model S all-electric sport sedan is one step closer to series production as the California-based automaker announced it is moving on to the final road tests. The first phase called Alpha, which began in 2010, includes both computer simulations and test-drives of prototype vehicles. There will be a Beta phase as well.

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VIDEO: Home Made VW Beetle EV "Black Current" Shocks Tesla Roadster

Here's a short clip of a home-made, electric-powered VW Beetle nicknamed "Black Current" (which jets off the line like a penny racer) taking on Tesla's Roadster at the Santa Pod drag strip. According to the info, it was an "Alternative Energy Racing" event, something that will likely be getting more and more common in the future.

The "Black Current" bug is powered by a pair of forklift truck motors with 60 12 volt batteries and a Gearvendor over/under drive unit. This set-up is said to produce around 1200lb/ft of torque offering the Beetle EV a 0-60mph time of around 3 seconds.

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