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While it could be argued that Lotus already builds the greenest sportscars on the planet, the British automaker seems keenly aware that the world's gas-burning ways are quickly being swept under the carpet. What started with the dual-fuel capable Lotus Exige 265E - which got a bit more power out of ethanol - moved on to the tri-fuel capable Exige 270E. The 270E rumbled with a bit more power from either ethanol or methanol. Now, the classically-British automaker is dabbling in solar power, among other green trickery on its upcoming Eco Elise. Specifically, a few roof-mounted solar cells will help efficiency by keeping the electrics charged up while some innovative and lightweight components have been added to the already lightweight chassis structure.

Interesting tidbits include a new hand-painted water-based finish which "saves energy and reduces emissions of solvents from the paint shop." The hardtop and rear spoiler have been made from a hemp composite, as have various interior pieces like the seats and some fabrics. The fabric used on the seats themselves is a certified eco-friendly wool and the carpets are sewn from sisal. Overall weight has been reduced by over seventy pounds. If you happen to be in London later this month, the car will be debuted at the Motor Show. There are plenty more eco-facts floating in the press release, which we've pasted after the break. Enjoy!


[Source: Lotus]

Here at AutoblogGreen, we like to give certain companies the benefit of the doubt; companies who aspire to go green in the automotive sector. This is a big reason why we love Tesla Motors and what they are attempting. They are taking on the establishment, and doing so with a beautiful roadster at that. Who wouldn't love to see them succeed? But, let's not overlook the monumental task that we are considering. Start-up companies have tried many times to break into the automotive sector; do I really need to name names? All right... De Lorean and Tucker come right to mind. John DeLorean was already a member of the established industry when he failed. Preston Tucker had lots of great ideas when he failed. Good ideas and good connections do not guarantee success, obviously. Now... don't worry, I'm not gonna go all TTAC on you or anything. The following views presented are not necessarily my or AutoblogGreen's opinions. We are just going to consider a few points that could make or break Tesla Motors. We will continue on with other companies with similar aspirations in due time. Here we go!

Here are the points that I will be touching on in this article: Batteries, Lotus and business models.

Read on, green car lovers, green car haters and green car conspiracy theorists, after the break.

Rahul Nair is a researcher at the Yahoo! Research Berkeley Lab and he drives one of my all time favorite cars, the Lotus Elise. I love the Elise because it's about as pure a sports car as you buy today. Besides being gorgeous, it is almost totally focused on it's mission. It's small and remarkably light weight, with the US spec version coming in at barely 1,900lbs. With so little mass it doesn't need a huge powerful engine to get mighty performance. All those attributes are big part of why Tesla chose the Elise as the basis for their first electric car. Rahul recently got the opportunity to visit Tesla's San Carlos, CA headquarters and learn more about the Roadster.

He took lots of photos and seemed to come away mighty impressed by everything about the Elise's battery-powered brother except the range and top speed. The top speed of the Tesla is only 130 mph compared to the 150 of the Elise. This one definitely seems like a quibble considering the limited opportunities for exploring those speeds on the roads of this country. The other main complaint is the "low range". I'll assume he forgot the quoted figure of 250 miles when he wrote this part, unless Tesla told him something they haven't mentioned to the rest of us yet about the true range of the car. For the record, the 10.6 gallon gas tank of an Elise will take it about 250 miles, depending on your driving habits. Thanks to Rahul for sharing with us and don't forget to check out his Flickr photoset of the visit.

[Source: Rahul Nair]