Following on from my last post I think I have finally realised what being ‘green’ really means. It has taken a while but, like a bolt from the blue, it has hit me.

I need to start thinking about getting rid of my dirty diesel chelsea tractor in a couple of years time – and yesterday I happened upon a car dealer who may well have the answer. Read that as ‘does definitely have the answer’.

This is a car with ‘zero’ emissions – from the exhaust.

Tesla Motors now have a four door salon which is being pitched at the BMW / Mercedes / Audi mainstream market.

The Tesla S can be bought in the UK now…

It looks superb and I managed to get to sit in one at their San Jose dealership. Inside is like sitting at a computer screen – this car redefines high-tech! It is a true boys toy…

But the real story is the performance – the top of the range car hits 62mph in just 3 seconds. This is supercar territory.

They have also managed to eek 285 miles from the battery. Some time ago I was told that it costs around £3.00 to recharge the car (as opposed to c.£80 for a similar fill up of my current wheels!)

Of course there are some naysayers who are going to complain about the ‘green’ credentials of the car. Notably that it uses aluminium as it’s main component for the body – and aluminium is horrid to the planet. You can read the ‘downside’ here.

I have been offered a test drive when I get back in the UK – and I think that it will be rude not to?

What has been interesting in the USA on this visit is that the electric car market hasn’t really taken off – I have seen a few Teslas – particularly around the Google/ Apple part of the word! Of course a real issue here is the cost of petrol – I paid 46p per litre in Sausalito last night – around one third of the UK price…