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Tesla Model S: 0-60 In 4.5 Seconds
thecarchik writes "We already know a lot about the all-electric 2012 Tesla Model S sedan — but at a press event ahead of tonight's exclusive VIP event at the former Toyota NUMMI facility in Fremont, California, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced Tesla was making a faster Model S for those with a sporty side. Cutting the brisk 0-60 time of the standard Model S from 5.6 second to under 4.5 seconds, the sportier version features the same 85 kilowatt-hour, 300 miles-per-charge battery pack found in the 2012 Model S Signature series. 'That's quicker than a [Porsche] 911 [Carrera],' joked Musk. 'Not bad for an electric luxury sedan.' But if you thought 300 miles was the maximum range a Tesla Model S could do, you'd be wrong."
Well you have a choice: pay for all those standards upfront or pay for them later as horrible pollution and mangled corpses at the side of the road. If you want safe, clean cars it's going to cost you.
And you can't really just leave it to people to decide for themselves either: pollution affects everyone, not just the asshole driving around in a smog-mobile, and even if you accept that people have a right to put their own lives at risk driving around in a deathtrap what about their children, or anyone they happen to give a lift to? And what about the sort of safety features which are designed to prevent accidents happening in the first place? Does someone have the right to put everyone else at risk by driving a car that makes getting into an accident more likely?
You can bitch and moan about how expensive this makes everything but I'd choose expensive cars and a cleaner safer world over cheaper cars any day of the week.