Lotus agrees to build all-electric Tesla Roadster

Remember the Tesla Roadster we heard about a couple weeks back, and how it could do the 0-60mph run in just four seconds? Well, the exotic-looking all-electric vehicle is going to be very much a reality, because the good people at Lotus have agreed to build the Tesla Roadster, and they’re basing the car on the Elise platform. Makes sense, because, after all, the Tesla bears a striking resemblance to the Elise in the first place.

Tesla, the small-ish Silicon Valley-based startup, has signed an agreement with the British automaker, according to the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, Lotus’ hometown newspaper. Funding for the car’s design came from such folks as Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as PayPal founder Elon Musk.

The expectation is that the production Tesla Roadster will retail for between $85,000 and $120,000 when it hits American showrooms next summer. The volume goal has been set at 1,000.