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Until Tesla Motors exploded into the big-leagues of the world's performance car scene with their revolutionary Tesla Roadster in 2006, electric sports cars were for the most part not taken seriously, and as such, their potential never fully explored. The all-electric Roadster changed all that, and Tesla Motors (a private firm) is now valued by some industry insiders at nearly $1 billion. In May of 2009, Germany's Daimler AG bought close to 10 percent of Tesla Motors in efforts to expand cooperation wit the U.S. premium electric carmaker and the two companies are said to be working together on advanced battery and electric drive systems and future vehicle projects. Electric motors, whether part of a hybrid system or a standalone all-electric drivetrain as found in the Tesla Roadster crowd the automotive horizon and no automaker is as ahead in the game as Tesla. Their radical roadster today already packs liquid-cooled lithium ion batteries which can hold a charge to carry the car over 200 miles and only takes about 3.5 hours to fully recharge using a special high voltage charging unit that can be installed in the owner's home. All this in a car able to hit 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds flat while also delivering a perfectly adequate range and 100,000 mile battery life is no small feat.
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