Tesla’s new S Sedan already has 500+ orders but won’t be available for delivery until early 2011. This sedan follows Tesla’s Roadster which is just about double the price. The S Sedan sells for $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500.

The S Sedan does 0 - 60 in 5.6 seconds,  and get’s 300 miles per charge. People looking for a performance sedan in this price range, can reserve the car here. So why aren’t other manufacturers designing beautiful electric or hybrid cars like this?

Progress in fuel economy doesn’t have to rely solely on hybrids and all-electric cars. We’re not going to solve this problem by flipping a switch, which is why many auto makers are investing in new turbocharging technologies to increase fuel economy.

Turbocharging is usually associated with increasing horsepower in smaller engines. Auto makers such as Ford are looking to turbo as a way to reduce engine size in some of their most popular models in order to increase fuel economy while maintaining the same performance levels.

The two biggest hurdles automakers must overcome in order for this to have a realistic impact are lowering the octane standards required by turbo engines,  and managing how the fuel is delivered to the engine (so lead-footed drivers don’t burn too much gas from large boosts by flooring the pedal).

Currently, most turbocharged engines require high octane gas in order to maintain parts in the turbine (bearings and other fast moving parts). Auto-makers will have to figure out how to make turbos work and last with lower octane fuels if they want to sell them on a large scale.

The problem of drivers calling on the turbo for large spurts of  power may be the most expensive to solve, as it would require a redesigned engine management system.

The video below shows a quick demonstration of how turbo works.

BYD, a battery manufacturer turned electric car producer debuted its electric car, the F3DM, at Detroit’s auto show today. The big news is that BYD seems to have come out of nowhere with the first fully electric car to be sold in America on a large scale - expected to be available in early 2010.

The F3DM is run by a fully electric motor and has a range of 60 miles per charge. That might not seem too impressive but along with the electric motor comes a small gas powered engine used to recharge the battery while in transit. This feature distinguishes the F3DM from other all electric prototypes like the Chevy Volt or Tesla Roadster. Ironically, the F3DM’s range will still end up depending on a tank of gas.

The other big difference between the F3DM and the Chevy Volt is the price. The F3DM is expected to start at around $22,000, where the Chevy Volt is expected to come in around $40,000.

Being a pioneer in lithium-ion battery innovation, BYD has an edge over its competitors when it comes to safe battery life. One of the concerning hazards of fully electric cars is the volatility of their batteries, specifically the possibility that they catch fire and explode. BYD claims their new batteries are the safest and most efficient produced to date, as they have spent more than 10 years perfecting the technology for cell phones and other small electronics.

*Thanks to easyCGI for finally figuring out how to work with Wordpress like other hosting companies.

Tesla may have some competition in the electric performance car market early next year, as German Porsche tunning company RUF has plans to produce an all electric version of the Porsche Cayman.

The electric Cayman will dish out about 200 bhp with an expected 0 - 60 time under 4 seconds, making it faster that the Tesla Roadster. The Porsche will have less horsepower, but the better acceleration is expected to come from its high torque output (324 ft-pounds).

What we’re really interested in, is the sound this electric Porsche will produce.

Spike.com came out with the top 7 ugliest cars ever built, and our number 1 rated ugly car made the list - the Pontiac Aztek. No hybrids made their list. The AMC Pacer came in as their ugliest care ever built, but we think the Prius is worse. Hmm?

And then..