12:02pm UK, Friday May 16, 2008

The world's first zero-emissions sports car - powered by the equivalent of almost 7,000 mobile phone batteries - is going on sale in Europe after taking the US by storm.

The Tesla: A real breakthrough?

The £78,000, 125mph, Tesla Roadster is already hugely popular in America - movie stars George Clooney and Matt Damon were among the first to order one.

In fact, demand is so huge there that there is a waiting list stretching well into next year but 250 are being made available for the European market.

The whisper-quiet car, said to do 0 to 60mph in just under four seconds, is based on the Lotus Elise and is being assembled at the Lotus factory in Norfolk.

Its Californian backers and designers claim a range of up to 220 miles and a recharging time of under four hours.

That, say motoring experts, makes it far more user-friendly and practical than most other all-electric cars.

Sky Motoring tested one earlier this year and called it "imaginative, significant, and well-executed."

The Tesla, named after the electrical pioneer and inventor Nikola Tesla, was first unveiled in July 2006.

Money for its development came from a number of major US entrepeneurs, including PayPal founder Elon Musk and the men behind Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

Its secret is Japanese-made lithium-ion batteries - 6831 of them in all - which give it its high performance and efficiency.

They are claimed to have a lifespan of 100,000 miles and can be recycled or reconditioned, giving it major green credentials.

Sky Motoring's testers said: "...if the Roadster's electrical systems prove durable, the world will probably beat a path to Tesla's door. And why shouldn't they?"