MOUNTAIN VILLAGE – It will be a technology homecoming of sorts on Aug. 14 as Tesla Motors will be bringing its pure-electric powered high-performance Roadster to Mountain Village from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with test drives available by appointment.

Tesla Motors planned to bring its Roadster to Mountain Village on Saturday, July 17 but because of a scheduling conflict, the event has been postponed to Aug. 14.

Named after one of Telluride’s most prominent historic figures, Nikola Tesla, who, along with L.L. Nunn and George Westinghouse built the world’s first commercial-grade alternating-current power plant in Ames, California-based Tesla Motors is currently holding an Electric Summer Roadster Tour, bringing its zero-emission Roadster, which can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds without a single drop of gasoline, to cities across the country.

“With this tour we hope to show that electric cars are here today, and better than traditional cars in so many ways.” said Ricardo Reyes, vice president of communications at Tesla Motors. “Driving a Roadster from Los Angeles to Detroit proved to us that there is pent-up demand for the Roadster all over the country.”

The hand-built carbon fiber Roadster takes no gas and produces no fumes and is faster than many sports cars, yet it is more efficient than a hybrid vehicle. On a full charge, Tesla’s Roadster can go 244 miles, delivers 295 pounds-per-foot torque and has an electronically governed top speed of 125 mph.

The Roadster is powered by a liquid-cooled battery pack made up of 6,831 lithium ion cells that are similar to those found on laptop computers. Charging the Roadster is no more complicated than plugging in and charging a cell phone, and because the charger is built in the vehicle, it plugs into conventional 110 and 220-volt electrical outlets, giving owners the ease of re-charging anywhere, in as little as four hours.

According to Tesla Motors, Tesla owners have driven four million electric miles, which has saved more than 20,000 gallons of gas and almost 5,000 barrels of oil.

The first Tesla Roadsters were delivered and put onto the road in 2008. At the time they were the only highway-capable electric car for sale. (Mitsubishi sells one, but only in Japan.) Tesla now has over 1,000 Roadsters on the road in 25 countries.

Founded in 2003 with the purpose to show the world that electric cars don’t have to compromise on design, performance, or engineering, Tesla’s goal is to create more and more affordable, mainstream EVs for mass-market consumers. The company started with the Roadster to appeal to early adopters and technology pioneers, who by purchasing the Roadster have essentially made it possible for Tesla to continue developing its technology and cars.

Unlike traditional auto companies, Tesla owns its entire retail and service network – 13 stores worldwide – and by owning its stores, it is able to provide unparalleled customer service with its sales team working closely with its service, production and engineering teams to keep the communication loop very tight. This has allowed for the company to upgrade its Roadster four times in just two years.

The price-tag for the Roadster starts at $101,500 after a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Tesla will be hosting test drives by appointment in Mountain Village on Saturday. Anyone interested should contact Erin Callan at 303/440-3758 orecallan@teslamotors.com.