We like Lotuses (Loti?) and especially like reskinned Lotuses powered entirely by batteries. Fortunately Tesla Motors has done the hard work of building such a thing, although it’s not imminently about to be sold in the UK, sadly. The startup is bankrolled by Elon Musk, internet entrepreneur and car nut.

One of the nice things about Tesla is that it has a blog, offering an insight to where the firm might be headed.

One of the various pies containing a Musk finger is SolarCity, which specialises in installing solar power systems. So it’s natural for the Tesla blog to address the question of solar-powered cars.

You may have heard that solar panels use a lot of energy to make, and never recoup that energy debt before they fall to bits and have to be replaced. According to Musk, at least, this is fortunately not the case, and that covering your garage roof with solar panels could be enough to power your Tesla roadster.

Well, it might in the sunnier US states. In Britain it might work in July...