This, ladies and gentlemen, truly is the future.

If you’re like me, you’ve kept a close eye on alternative-energy cars over the years, chuckling at the advent of “hybrid” SUVs and watching, stunned but pleasantly surprised, as the Prius’ sales and profile spiked through the roof.

Then again, you’ve also been wondering when this sort of car would find itself some sort of mainstream appeal - as much as I love the Prius (you know it’s cute) and what its success has meant for the alternative engineering industry, let’s face it - it looks a little bit like a bug.

That’s the only problem I see with the Prius: what’s cute and funky to me is not everyone’s idea of a cool car. In fact, it seems like the public perception of green cars, whether this is a fair representation or not, is of a funny little car that must have been plucked right off the Autobahn or out of a Mr. Bean skit.

The Prius has certainly carved out a niche for itself, but if we’re serious about making green cars a fixture of American family life (and I think that’s an essential step for any realistic environmental planner) we need to make it a car that people want to drive - I always swore we wouldn’t really be entering the future until we had electric pick-up trucks and roaring muscle-cars.

I’m beginning to think we’re halfway there:

[digg=http://digg.com/environment/The_Car_That_Could_Change_The_World]

Courtesy of AutoBlogGreen

 

According to an article on Yahoo, production begins today on the Tesla Roadster, the future of high-end automobiles. Produced by the cleverly-named Tesla Motors (after electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla, humorously played by David Bowie in The Prestige) the Tesla Roadster is the first of a new breed of commercial car: not only is it entirely electric, but it sneers past your Prius at an astounding top speed of 125 miles per hour.

 

That might not set any land-speed records, but unless your name is Andretti, there’s no reason left to say you can’t see yourself behind the wheel of an eco-friendly automobile.

 

Courtesy of AutoBlogGreen

 

Exciting news indeed, especially for the cultural potential - with a price tag of $100,000 dollars and a manufacturer that produces “maybe” 2 cars a week, this won’t be fake-rare like the ubiquitous iPhone. However, the real value of the Tesla Roadster is just how much it can do to change people’s perceptions about what it means to drive a clean-energy car. I don’t think anyone can take a look at a car like this:

 

Courtesy of AutoBlogGreen

 

and still dismissively suggest that it’s “quirky” or a “conscience item” - there’s plenty to lust after outside the engine compartment, and I don’t think the average American would even know the difference at first-sight. The Tesla Roadster is the definition of a luxury item, and that’s why this is the car that could change the world. Green may finally be the “new black.”