will.i.am: A Shock to the System

Electric cars have long been anticipated as the next step in the evolution of the automobile, but attempts to market them haven’t yielded much, and their future has swung uneasily between fantasy and reality. In sci-fi literature and film, it was largely expected that in the 21st Century, we’d all be zooming around in electric—if not flying—cars, and since it’s 2007, you’re probably wondering what it would be like to get behind the wheel of one. Well, wonder no longer, the wry smile on will.i.am’s face says it all. "It’s like driving a Lambo without gas," he said. "It’s fast, homie. Funny that last time we were on Hummer. Now, I’m on an electric car."

The car that has will.i.am beaming is the fully electric Tesla Roadster (produced by Tesla Motors), which, the company claims, can accelerate from 0-60 mph in about 4 seconds and reach a top speed of more than 130 mph—all the while running as quiet as a gentle breeze. What about range? Few Californians remember the ill-fated EV1 by General Motors, which initially got 55-75 miles per charge and eventually could run 75-150 miles per charge. The Tesla Roadster can travel just over 200 miles on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery system, which is equivalent to 135 mpg. "You can go to San Diego and back," will.i.am chortled.

Unlike the EV1 program, which was literally crushed by politics and a lot of red tape, the Tesla Roadster has a promising future, and, unlike the EV1, with its tapered shape and rear fender skirts, the Tesla Roadster looks hot. The Roadster was developed with help from Lotus Cars, and was styled at Lotus’ design studio, with input from Tesla. "If you’re going to line up cars from exotic to normal, it would go like this… McLaren, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lotus, Tesla, Maserati, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz and BMW,"will.i.am said. "As far as high-performance cars go, Tesla isright there, in between all of them."

Speaking of Bentleys… Until will.i.am gets his hands on his very own Tesla Roadster, he’s still ripping around on his 2007 Bentley Continental GT Limited Edition, a stout, noble beast of a car that is a staple in the stable of exotic collectors and enthusiasts. The GT looks even more elegant thanks to Yokohama Advan S.T. 275/30R22 tires wrapped around color-matched 22-inch Forgiato Otto wheels set up to give the impression of a staggered fitment. "I’ve been in a Lotus, which is like a race car," will.i.am said. "The thing is that the Bentley GT is like a race car, but it’s luxury." When next to each other, the difference between the Bentley GT and the Tesla Roadster was startling. While the muscular GT exudes power, the slimmer Tesla Roadster looks like it’s ready to soar on the wind. This particular model was equipped with Tesla wheels and Yokohama Advan Neova 175/55R16 front and 225/45R17 rear tires.

Although the EV1 is long gone, it laid the groundwork for the Tesla, which uses AC motor and drivetrain technology more advanced than versions used in the EV1 and the AC Propulsion tzero, another unsuccessful electric car. In order to reduce mass, complexity and cost, Tesla Motors licensed AC Propulsion’s Reductive Charging patent, which improves the integration of the charging electronics with the inverter. Moreover, Tesla designed and built its own power electronics, motor and other drivetrain components. The Roadster also shares some components with the Lotus Elise, such as the windshield, air bags, tires, and some dashboard parts and suspension components. After undergoing heavy testing in late 2006 and early 2007, several changes were made.

At press time, in preparation for a production run planned for Fall 2007, Tesla Roadster prototypes were currently undergoing endurance and crash testing. When the Tesla Roadster was officially unveiled on July 19, 2006 in Santa Monica, California at a 350-person, invitation-only event held at Santa Monica Airport, there were several celebrities in attendance. Among these were actor Ed Begley Jr., producer Richard Donner, businessman Michael Eisner, PayPal founder (and Tesla Motors Chairman) Elon Musk, actor Bradley Whitford and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The vehicle created such a stir that Tesla Motors’ "Signature One Hundred" initial set of fully equipped cars sold out by late August 2006, while the second hundred had been reserved by October. As of press time, close to 600 Tesla Roadsters—priced between $98,000-$100,000—have been reserved out of a planned 800 for model year 2008.  While the majority of the Tesla Roadsters will be delivered in good time, the first batch is already under delivery, which has will.i.am brimming with anticipation. "I got No. 59," he said with a big smile. "That shit is dope!"

However, a unique individual like will.i.am isn’t simply satisfied with owning a piece of history. "I was born in East L.A., and you just don’t buy a car there," he said. "I’m going to make the interior dope. I don’t want to have the same car as everyone else. It’s got to have custom seats and big wheels. But, when I customize it, I’ll be working directly with Tesla… I won’t be taking it to my homey Lalo’s on Mission. I’m going to work with them since they don’t really give options."

This is doubly important to will.i.am because he insists on driving himself wherever he goes. "I like to go fast," he admitted. "Also, how many people do you know in EastLos that get driven around? I was riding in a bus my whole life! I want to drive now! When we went to the Grammy’s, they wanted to set us up with a car. I’m like, ‘Hell no!’ I’ll drive myself." Not to be forgotten in the excitement of the Tesla Roadster is the release of will.i.am’s third solo album, Songs About Girls (will.i.am music group/Interscope, 2007), which spawned the late-summer club hit "I Got It From My Mama."

With this latest album, the title says it all. "It’s about chicks," will.i.am. admitted. "It’s about relationships, cuties, booties, boobies, beauties and getting hurt. We’ve all gotten hurt. Now, I’m just talking about that…and how I hurt someone, too." As if his new album wasn’t enough, will.i.am is keeping busy as he works with pop legend Michael Jackson on Jackson’s comeback album. "I’m just working on his stuff," said will.i.am. "He’s a really dope dude. I’ve been inspired by him. It’s intimidating…a blessing, a dream come true… It’s not real. It’s real. There are a lot of emotions."

And if working with the King of Pop wasn’t enough,will.i.am is also working on projects with Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Amerie, Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Hilary Duff, Cassidy, Lil Wayne, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, Keithian, Common, Fabolous, Chamillionaire, Chilli, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and Macy Gray. He also worked on "More and More," "Ring It," "Baby Love" and "On the Move" for Nicole Scherzinger’s first solo album Her Name Is Nicole (A&M/Interscope, 2007).

A busy, busy man, will.i.am still makes time to have fun, and although primarily the Tesla Roadster is all about environmental consciousness and accountability, seeing will.i.am zooming around the locale of the photo shoot, you could feel the excitement radiating from him. So what’s next? Roadtrains? Flying cars? For now, will.i.am is happy with the Tesla Roadster, but he can’t wait for tomorrow to come. "Yeah, dude," he said with a huge smile
. "All that shit that you see in futuristic movies, that shit is right now. The future is some shit we don’t know about yet."