RE: Driven: Tesla Roadster

[dpeilow]

Having driven it I know that to empty it in 90 miles you *really* have to be hooning it. Quite an achievement in London traffic.

Have to disagree with the conclusion though. I know someone that is doing a 120 mile round-trip commute in one on a very fast road. He's put 14,000 miles on it since May with no problems and is still loving it.

[cptsideways]

I blagged a ride in one in Milan last week


Wow they are quick!

[A Scotsman]

There will inevitably be some electric cars but any massive increase in numbers means generating a lot more electricity.... It's got to come from somewhere so do you want nuclear, gas, coal or renewables such as offshore wind, tidal or wave?

The answer in case you're struggling is coal...... Burn coal and you create lots of CO2 which when you pass it through reactors containing certain algae the algae consumes the CO2 and converts it to an oil and a protein. Dependent on the algae and how u process it you can produce a choice of biofuels including a diesel, an ethanol, butanol and even hydrogen.

The protein can be added to fish or animal feed..

[hairykrishna]

Why do they hang the battery over the rear axle? I'd think than a big, flat, battery pack spread over the bottom of the car would make more sense. It'd move the COG way down. Could be a packaging thing due to using the elise chassis I suppose.

[odyssey2200]

Beefmeister said:

Ah, I may have forgotten to mention in the article that the Tesla costs a cool £92,000!!!!!

Hmmm, Tesla or Elise R and £60,000 of fuel...

Exactly!!!

[kambites]

Beefmeister said:

205 said:

I just double checked the Top Gear Power Laps chart...

Porsche 911 GT3 - 1.27.2
Tesla Roadster - 1.27.2 !!!!!

That's incredible. Maybe it doesn't handle so bad after all.

I seem to remember that the GT3 time was a wet lap, so 4 secs faster in the dry...

Probably true, but even at four seconds slower it's still pretty impressive.

[kambites]

hairykrishna said:

Why do they hang the battery over the rear axle? I'd think than a big, flat, battery pack spread over the bottom of the car would make more sense. It'd move the COG way down. Could be a packaging thing due to using the elise chassis I suppose.

At a rough guess it has certain design limitations because it's based on a chassis designed for an internal combustion engine. Anyway, putting them under the floor would raise the driver quite a lot, which is hardly desirable in a sports car; at least they wouldn't have had to bother with a cabin heater though.

[Dagnut]

hairykrishna said:

Why do they hang the battery over the rear axle? I'd think than a big, flat, battery pack spread over the bottom of the car would make more sense. It'd move the COG way down. Could be a packaging thing due to using the elise chassis I suppose.

Nice and handy considering they are using the Lotus base..just stick the battery where the engine was

[hairykrishna]

kambites said:

Anyway, putting them under the floor would raise the driver quite a lot, which is hardly desirable in a sports car; at least they wouldn't have had to bother with a cabin heater though.

You could make it quite thin; the individual cells are only roughly AA sized although there are 18 thousand odd of them.

[PJR]

I like these a lot I really need to blag a ride in one some time!
But yes, silly expensive Something is really wrong there.. Aren't they something like $109k in America? Thats like, £65k here! Even allowing for import costs and our extortionate taxes, that shouldn't make it nearly £30k more expensive.

[sprinter1050]

Must buy shares in horn manufacturers or artifical engine noise systems. I predict a huge outcry once a "few" people have been mown down by (near)silent-running all-electric vehicles (don't forget the TTX motorbikes too as they WILL surprise people more!) looming up on them on the streets of old Londinium.

[PhillipM]

kambites said:

Beefmeister said:

205 said:

I just double checked the Top Gear Power Laps chart...

Porsche 911 GT3 - 1.27.2
Tesla Roadster - 1.27.2 !!!!!

That's incredible. Maybe it doesn't handle so bad after all.

I seem to remember that the GT3 time was a wet lap, so 4 secs faster in the dry...

Probably true, but even at four seconds slower it's still pretty impressive.

Until you realise the 911 will do that with enough fuel onboard for another 30 laps and get home, whilst the Tesla owner is loading his onto a trailer 3 laps later to tow home with a V8 Disco...

Edited by PhillipM on Friday 20th November 15:59

[eldar]

bencollins said:

1880s journalist
"That benz contraption is rubbish and will never catch on, it does not gallop as fast as a horse and you cant use the exhaust on your begonias, Plus there is no clip clop sound, in fact it makes a different noise completely."

And no one bought cars in any significant numbers for 40 years. Is that your prediction for electric cars?

[Mr Gear]

eldar said:

bencollins said:

1880s journalist
"That benz contraption is rubbish and will never catch on, it does not gallop as fast as a horse and you cant use the exhaust on your begonias, Plus there is no clip clop sound, in fact it makes a different noise completely."

And no one bought cars in any significant numbers for 40 years. Is that your prediction for electric cars?

It's fair to say that the first few years will have very limited markets. Cars will be too expensive or too compromised. I am a massive supporter of electric vehicles, but as yet they do not meed my needs. Of the 200+ cars parked in my street, just two are electric, and they are both in households that appear to have secondary IC vehicles.

But prices will improve, as will battery energy density. We've yet to see how quickly this will take place.

[eldar]

Mr Gear said:

eldar said:

bencollins said:

1880s journalist
"That benz contraption is rubbish and will never catch on, it does not gallop as fast as a horse and you cant use the exhaust on your begonias, Plus there is no clip clop sound, in fact it makes a different noise completely."

And no one bought cars in any significant numbers for 40 years. Is that your prediction for electric cars?

It's fair to say that the first few years will have very limited markets. Cars will be too expensive or too compromised. I am a massive supporter of electric vehicles, but as yet they do not meed my needs. Of the 200+ cars parked in my street, just two are electric, and they are both in households that appear to have secondary IC vehicles.

But prices will improve, as will battery energy density. We've yet to see how quickly this will take place.

I suspect for most people they would be viable, possibly as a second car.

The big problem is where to get the energy to power them - by 2015 we aren't going to be able to produce enough to meet our existing electricity consumption, let alone the additional transport load.

Until we sort out that, electric cars are really a niche market, I fear.

[300bhp/ton]

205 said:

I just double checked the Top Gear Power Laps chart...

Porsche 911 GT3 - 1.27.2
Tesla Roadster - 1.27.2 !!!!!

That's incredible. Maybe it doesn't handle so bad after all.

What does a lap time have to do with handling?????

I mean evey F1 car from the past 20 years or more would wipe the floor with every production road car put round the TG test track. Doesn't mean all the F1 cars handled great though. Just means they are fast.

[A Scotsman]

[quote]The big problem is where to get the energy to power them - by 2015 we aren't going to be able to produce enough to meet our existing electricity consumption, let alone the additional transport load.

Until we sort out that, electric cars are really a niche market, I fear.
[/quote]

That apart the Chinese are the main producer of the rare earth material for the magnets in both the motors and the batteries. Their plan is to restrict the export of this stuff so that everyone who wants to manufacture motors and batteries has to do it in China.. This was heavily reported on Newsnight this week.

My view is that we should not allow the Chinese to bully us like this and we need to find other ways of doing it.

[205]

Beefmeister said:

205 said:

I just double checked the Top Gear Power Laps chart...

Porsche 911 GT3 - 1.27.2
Tesla Roadster - 1.27.2 !!!!!

That's incredible. Maybe it doesn't handle so bad after all.

I seem to remember that the GT3 time was a wet lap, so 4 secs faster in the dry...

.. I went to that filming of TG in December last year. Tesla's lap was on a Damp Track too. Another cheap shot at a company that from what I read (not on PH) is trying to push the auto industry forward in a big way.

For a balanced piece of professional journalism on the Tesla Roadster see;

http://www.autocar.co.uk/tesla/roadster/

Well done Matt Prior.

Worth noting. He mentions the Chassis is only similar to the Elise in Material and Construction ONLY.
LOWER SILL, LONGER WHEELBASE, WIDER BODY.

Lazy journalism Beefmeister. Must try harder.

[kambites]

PhillipM said:

kambites said:

Beefmeister said:

205 said:

I just double checked the Top Gear Power Laps chart...

Porsche 911 GT3 - 1.27.2
Tesla Roadster - 1.27.2 !!!!!

That's incredible. Maybe it doesn't handle so bad after all.

I seem to remember that the GT3 time was a wet lap, so 4 secs faster in the dry...

Probably true, but even at four seconds slower it's still pretty impressive.

Until you realise the 911 will do that with enough fuel onboard for another 30 laps and get home, whilst the Tesla owner is loading his onto a trailer 3 laps later to tow home with a V8 Disco...

Edited by PhillipM on Friday 20th November 15:59

What's that got to do with it? Yes it's a hopeless mode of transport, but so were the first few generations of cars. Given a choice between one of these and a 1900ish internal combustion powered car, I know which I'd rather be driving on a daily basis.

Edited by kambites on Friday 20th November 16:49

[Nickellarse]

Beefmeister said:

Ah, I may have forgotten to mention in the article that the Tesla costs a cool £92,000!!!!!

Hmmm, Tesla or Elise R and £60,000 of fuel...

Edited by Beefmeister on Friday 20th November 11:59

I think this is the most interesting point as an addendum to a most interesting write up.

The lack of comparative handling is a concern, but if straight line oomph is in the 997 turbo range then frankly who cares.

As battery technology improves these cars are going to get lighter and therefore much better.

Too expensive right now, but definitely worth keeping an eye on.