Going green, in style.

Tesla Motors is calling on Boulder residents to trade in their gas guzzlers for the Roadster Sport, the world's first and only highway capable electric car.

Tesla Motors is a six-year-old company changing the face of automobile transportation around the world. "The mission of the company is to create alternative transportation that's not dependent on the masses. The technology has taken a lot of money, effort and bright people to deliver this," said Tony Longhurst, Tesla's regional sales manager.

Tesla has four other galleries in the United States and decided to open their fifth gallery here in Boulder on the corner of 9th and Pearl. "I'm very aware of the consciousness here. It's great because it aligns well with the values we have at Tesla as far as energy efficiency and zero emissions so this is a wonderful location," said Longhurst.

The Roadster Sport, Tesla's first model, consumes no fossil fuels, spews no tailpipe emissions and leaves a relatively minor carbon footprint. The car is completely electric and runs on a dense pack of lithium-ion cell batteries, the same kind of battery you can find in your laptop. The vehicle gets 214 miles of range to a single charge and typically has to be charged once or twice a week. The charge plugs into an outlet and into the side of the car where initially gas would go. The charge takes only 3 hours to recharge from empty to full.

Not only is the Roadster eco-friendly but it is sporty and just about as fast as a Ferrari. The Roadster is a single speed direct drive, delivers at least 90 percent of its torque at least 90 percent of the time and goes from zero to sixty in just 3.7 seconds.

If the Roadster Sport sounds too good to be true, well it just might be for some buyers. The vehicle is quite the jaw-dropper, not to mention it is extremely technologically advanced so it comes with a hefty price tag. The basic Roadster runs a Tesla buyer about $109,000.

Luckily for Colorado buyers there is an impressive tax return available until December 31, 2009 for those who buy this electric vehicle. Two years ago the Colorado State Department created a tax credit aimed at alternative fuel vehicles. Longhurst explained how the state decides this rebate, "essentially the calculation that they do is on the base price of a gas vehicle versus the electric or hybrid vehicle. Whatever that differential is in price, times that amount by 85 percent and that is the tax credit available." Depending on the buyer and the features of the vehicle, Tesla buyers can receive $42,000 in tax credit.

Ultimately there will be a Tesla sedan a few years from now and also a commuter car which will be around thirty to thirty five thousand dollars. The Tesla corporation hopes that their models will inspire more manufacturers to turn to alternative fuel vehicles in the future. But for now, Tesla is focusing on reaching green consumers while turning heads here in Boulder.