Tesla to Iceland - FTO Takes a Test Drive

Well, it's official: Iceland now has its first ever Tesla Roadster.

Well, its official: Iceland now has its first ever Tesla Roadster. Above is a snapshot from my iPhone taken this afternoon, when I met with Gisli Gislason, the proud owner fresh from the harbour outside the insurance company. Yes, one should better make sure this 100,000 USD car is insured before you take it out for a spin ;-)

Gisli and his company 2012 are planning to play a big part in the electrification of transport in Iceland and it will be interesting to see how their plans work out in the next few years. People say the same about them as about Better Place. It will either be a magnificent success or a great failure. I dare say it could also be somewhere in between.

The Tesla has a planned visit to the Icelandic Quartermile Saturday where it will face the gasoline machines there as summer in Iceland nears its end. As for Driving Sustainability ´09, Gisli has promised to have the Tesla Brabus there on show, and he sounds willing to give a selected few the chance to test drive it themselves.

I must admit, that from my experience this afternoon, it is quite something. I was a little afraid at first to hit the pedal to the metal, but after I had “acclimatized” to the car on the streets of Reykjavik I tried the acceleration of the electric drive. A silent hum of a whoooooommmm and a little rolling of tires is the only thing you hear. The feeling is all in your stomach and it reminds you of strange experiences from crazy roller coaster rides.

It actually felt a little bit like skydiving, the moment when you jump out of the plane and start falling towards the earth starting at 200km per hour.