Now to get the thinking caps on

[V8Dom]

i drove the latest Tesla the other day.... sadly not the mega new 4 wheel drive saloon, but the two... my god was it fast!!!!!! pick up from zero upwards mind blowing even by our standards.

now its really got me thinking, with the new 1020hp Ultima

the Tesla weighs nearly 2 tonnes... and the rolling chassis is heavy on its own.

what if those batteries and 2 small electric motors were in an Ultima?

we are talking very low centre of gravity, 691 HP, 300 m range before charge... ok sadly no noise.. but imagine track days with no noise restrictions, being able to go into towns(about to ban cars out of cities) could it happen... is this the Evo 2?

u

[UltimaCH]

Could be, but I guess a hybrid would be the Evo 2 before an all electric as Evo 3. Big problem is the weight of the battery packs. If a lighter battery can be manufactured, that would be the clincher I guess.

[The Italian]

Quick off the line, no doubt with all that traction & weight, but after 60 or 70 it has nothing. It can be taken by any hot 4 banger in the 1/4 mile

[F.C.]

MotorTrend reported 0-60 times of 5.0 s for S85 and 4.0 s for P85, and 1/4 mile times of 13.2 s for S85 and 12.4 s for P85. In all versions, Model S is substantially quicker than what Tesla claims.

http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/1301_2013_...


416 hp and 443 lb-ft for the "performance" version.

quite impressive if you like that sort of thing.

[356Speedster]

The elecy technology is impressive for a few seconds of acceleration, but I couldn't live with the range anxiety and generally restricted range. How far will a Tesla go if you actually use / enjoy the low speed grunt?? Not long I'd wager, making it no better than the other 100mile limited cars, practically.

There's a Tesla owner nr to me and a few others (Twizzy, Leaf & numerous Priuses). They all pootle around at barely half the speed limit clearly trying to preserve electricity and generally get in the way.

Imagine taking as long to drive to the LM24 as the race lasts, because you have to keep stopping for electricity every 100-150 miles. I'm fairly sure the campsites don't have Supercharger stations either! Such technology needs to significantly advance to be viable..... and in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy V8 noise & general goodness for as long as I can!

[UltimaCH]

Hydrogen fuel cell would be great. Finding hydrogen may be a problem, even if certain countries are starting to install filling station. I believe Switzerland will have two built and available this year. Not much but it's a start

[Corsair613]

I looked at the Tesla Model S prior to buying my MB CLS550 in 2013 and decided that I couldn't live with the range or the ridiculous recharge times. Also, the interior fit, finish, and materials are simply not up to the quality of the car's price point competition.

I'm planning to stick with MB for my next daily driver and will probably order an S63 Coupe next spring.

Ken

[V8Dom]

The Italian said:

Quick off the line, no doubt with all that traction & weight, but after 60 or 70 it has nothing. It can be taken by any hot 4 banger in the 1/4 mile

oh no its not.... it keeps going


oh and 300 mile range now and upwards,,,, a driver near me gets 300 out of a charge... and when he gets to his destination... it charges while he is at a meeting or us guys, be while we are walking arround a show!!

85 kWh battery with high performance
300 miles range (NEDC)
3.1 seconds 0-60 mph
691 hp motor power
221 hp front, 470 hp rear
155 mph top speed

2wd is

85 kWh battery with rear wheel drive
310 miles range (NEDC)
5.4 seconds 0-60 mph
362 hp
380 hp motor power
140 mph top speed

Edited by V8Dom on Tuesday 12th May 01:17

[BogBeast]

I would buy one if they did a P85D estate

Range is not an issue, carrying stuff is for me.

My solar panels export quite a lot, it tickles me to think that I can charge a car using 'free' electricity