We've seen electric cars race against "gassers" before, but although we've seen some fast electrics hanging out together, we hadn't seen them square off. Until now. A few days ago the Tango belonging to a guy named Jorg (which we've seen driven previously) and the Tesla Roadster Signature 100 series #9 met on the drag strip portion of Infineon Raceway for a little one-on-one action. Now, this particular track has seen a Roadster scoot down the measured quarter mile before in 12.757 seconds hitting 104.74 mph but that car had the newer 1.5 drivetrain and, presumably, freshly charged batteries. This Tesla lacked those advantages.

Spoiler alert! So, how did they stack up? Well, the Tango was quicker, crossing the line in 14.480 seconds at 92.15 mph. However, because of the nature of bracket racing, it also lost. The Tesla, just a smidge slower, covered the distance in 14.666 seconds and was cruising at 101.23 mph when it crossed the finish line. Hopefully we'll be seeing some more of this sort of gas-free competition in the near future. Hit the jump for some electric drag racing video action.

UPDATE: Whoops. Gotta fix a few errors in this post. These corrections come directly from Jorg:

Actually the Tango was owned by Nat Simons in Berkeley, not me, which was only 35 miles away from the drag strip; Iive 70 miles away and so the 45-mile range of the Tango makes getting there problematic.

The Tesla is the one I own, and in this video, drive, and that's why it does so slow; the guy in the other car weighs about 80 pounds less than I do. When we leveled the playing field and let him drive the Tesla on a later run, it got 14.498, which is only 18 thousands of a second slower than the Tango.

Also, please note, the reason we were there that day was to set a NEDRA record for fastest production electric car on a drag strip; indeed, we got it. See http://nedra.com/record_holders.html

Thanks, Jorg!

[Source: YouTube]

Our favorite British electric-car vlogger, Danny Fleet, came to America recently whilst on holiday and had the opportunity to not only see the Tango from Commuter Cars up close but also go for a ride. As is his wont, he took his video camera along and now we can all have a small taste of how it feels to ride in the very narrow, very fast electric two seater. The star of this video was last seen by us parked outside of Buck's Restaurant with a Founders' Series Tesla Roadster and the Wrightspeed X1 and is owned by a guy named Jorg.

As Danny films from the back seat he peppers Jorg with questions, "Does it feel completely stable all the time...? How fast, how far?" Jorg patiently answers every question and provides insights only an owner might be privy to. Riding along we discovered this car is not always silent, as electric cars are often described as being. When accelerating from a dead stop the sound of the motor reminds us of a World War II air-raid siren though when traveling on the highway and the driver puts his foot into it, the sound is more like a jet engine. So what does Danny think about the odd-looking speedster? While whipping through the traffic, he exclaims, "I love this thing! It's brilliant!" Check out the brilliance of the Tango for yourself (in two parts) after the break.

[Source: Danny's Contentment]

The rich folk of Hollywood, it's probably fair to say, switch out their bling mobiles on a pretty regular basis because, well, because they can. There are, however, a few who have embraced green transportation alternatives like Ed Begley Jr. (bicycle) and Darryl Hannah (former biodiesel El Camino owner). While George Clooney doesn't see himself as an environmental spokesperson per se, (he did, after all, make use of a private jet recently to get himself to the Venice film festival) he is pretty big on electric cars and believes they are the way of the future.

He's been driving his Tango by Commuter Cars since sometime back in 2005. That's like a decade in Hollywood years. Despite the strange looks and limited space it provides, Clooney hangs tough with his Tango while he waits somewhat impatiently for his ordered Tesla Roadster. He tells the Times Online that it can be a bit embarrassing sometimes driving it though, "...There's nowhere to hide, because it's just me behind the wheel and there isn't enough space for anyone else." Luckily the Tango is about as fast as the more traditional looking Tesla so when he feels the desire to make an exit, he can do so quickly. He should feel more relaxed in his Roadster, as well as less lonely, with its side-by-side seating, when it arrives later this year.

UPDATE: Typo fixed thanks to John M.

[Source: Times Online]

Why would Google co-founder Sergey Brin order three electric Tango vehicles from a Spokane, Washington company? Because of star power. Actor George Clooney put the maker of the Tango, Commuter Cars Corp., on the map last year when he bought the first of the single-seat electric vehicles. Following Clooney's public lead, Brin and others have been heavy into electric cars recently. Brin is invested in Tesla as well as a lithium-ion battery pack being developed by Commuter Cars. Exactly how much money Brin is putting into the project is not public information, but he did order three Tangos (all the luxury T6000 model, which cost $148,000 each).

Commuter Cars currently has orders for over 100 Tangos, and hopes to start delivering them in the next few months. Hand making cars is slow going, though. Once the initial round of limited production cars are out the door, and technological and safety issues are taken care of, a production base model that costs less than $20,000 should be available.

[Source: Spokane Journal via Ecorazzi]

Sometimes it seems like we write about another EV startup company every day here on AutoblogGreen. And yet we apparently can't keep up with all of them. Just yesterday, the day we featured the Evette, AutoblogGreen reader Chris Nelson reminded us about Commuter Cars, the maker of the Tango. We've mentioned the Tango once here, noting that George Clooney owns one. But the tiny Tango deserves another look. In some aspects, it's got what the Tesla Roadster's got (zero tailpipe emissions, zero to 60 in 4 seconds), but in a lot of ways it's a vastly different car (take a look at the size for the most obvious difference). The Tango looks like an enclosed motorcycle, and Commuter Cars is more than willing to promote that association. The company suggests lane splitting in the Tango as a way to get through traffic jams, and the company website links to a California government FAQ that says lane splitting is indeed legal (when you're on a motorcycle). Any other small EV companies out there we've missed?

[Source: Commuter Cars, hat tip to Chris Nelson]