First Tesla Roadster Delivered Down Under

American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla likes to keep us informed every time one of its cherished Roadster models comes in a country or another. 2010 has proved to be, so far, quite a good year, given the high number of new countries joining the Tesla market portfolio. And they keep on joining.

Tesla said yesterday it has delivered the first EV to Australia, to a Simon Hackett, a local technology entrepreneur. Does the name ring any bells?

Hackett is the same guy who back in October last year managed to set the record for a record distance on a single charge in a Tesla Roadster: 313 miles (501 km). For the record, the previous such endeavor only managed to take the Roadster 241 miles (388 km) on a single charge on at the Rallye Monte Carlo d'Energies Alternatives.

Hackett's endeavor took him from Alice Springs, in the Australian Northern Territory, to a point located 183 km north of Coober Pedy, in South Australia.

“The Roadster delivers an addictive driving experience. Once I felt the fluid, on-demand power curve of the car, I couldn’t go back,” Hackett said when receiving his Roadster. “In a Tesla Roadster, you know you're driving the future.”

Driving the future is now legal in Australia, as the country's government approved the EV for use on Australian roads. The Roadster also benefits from incentives in Australia.

The Roadster can be recharged from any conventional socket and has a normal range of 380 km (236 miles). Oh, yes, and it accelerates from naught to sixty in under four seconds.