The car that changed the way most of us think about electric vehicles was the Tesla Roadster. The car has a nice driving range that made it usable in the real world for many drivers and had serious performance making the car appealing to enthusiasts. It also just so happens to be a quite attractive car.

However, production of the Roadster is finally coming to an end. The Roadster may be going away, but Tesla isn’t leaving the performance EV world. The Roadster is retiring so that the new and cheaper Model S can be the central focus of the company. The Model S is certainly not in the same league as the Roadster and it will be sad to see the Roadster go.

Tesla's Khobi Brooklyn said in an emailed statement to FastCompany, "The Roadster accomplished everything we asked of it--it served as a catalyst for the EV industry, and it has allowed us to refine electric technology for future, and more affordable EVs. The Roadster proved that EVs can outperform traditional combustion vehicles while producing zero emissions."

The Model S is a larger four-door car that is nowhere near as performance-oriented as the Roadster was. The Model S seats four comfortably and will come in three trim levels at roughly $50,000, $60,000, and $70,000 after rebates.

Tesla is expecting the more practical Model S to sell in much higher volumes than the narrowly-focused Roadster. There were only 1,650 of the Tesla Roadsters ever sold globally as of the end of April 2011.

But don’t shed any tears for the Roadster just yet, Tesla has a follow up car up in the works. Brooklyn said, "The Roadster will always be the cornerstone of Tesla, and we look forward to bringing back a version of the supercar that takes full advantage of our advanced electric powertrain in the next several years."