While most of Detroit’s electric cars still spin on giant lazy susans at car shows as concepts, California’s Tesla Motors cranked up its assembly line yesterday for the company's ultra-sexy sports car in the U.K. Production should ramp up to 100 of the 2-seaters per month.

The all-electric, zero-emissions Tesla Roadster goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, all while getting the equivalent of 135 mph, or so says the EPA. You can charge up anywhere there’s an outlet, really, and go 220 miles between charges, too — perfect for visiting all those envious friends 110 miles from your house.

With the prototype spinning around Bay Area highways since July 2006, the firm quickly nailed 900 orders for the ’08 model, despite the $100k+ price tag. Next steps for the firm include two dealerships — one in Silicon Valley and one in L.A. — and opening the reservations book for the 2009 Roadster.

Jumping from zero production to 900 cars in two years, Tesla is the first significant new North American auto maker to launch in decades, and it also has a jump on electric-motor technology. Its plans to expand that tech include its next model in 2010: a five-passenger sports sedan that might end up competing with GM's sleek electric car, the Chevy Volt.

Via Tesla Motors