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The 200 MPG Tesla Roadster Electric Car

by Liv | Published on October 14th, 2007, 9:33 am | Science


I've mentioned it before. Before you write this off as some usual "Green" automobile with sluggish performance, and some tree hugger pouring vegetable oil in his gas tank, thing again. This is the Tesla.

The Tesla Roadster is my dream car. As fast as some of the most elite combustion vehicle with looks to match, I can honestly say the day I win the lotto, I'm putting my order in for about 10 of these. Come on drool with me.

The most important part of the Tesla Roadster? The message it sends. That electric vehicles are the future, that they can be usable, and enjoyable to drive.
 
 
I decided to check this out and this car is very impressive indeed. 130mph and no sound?

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/07/20/tesla-roadster-unveiled-in-santa-monica/
Tesla Roadster unveiled in Santa Monica
Posted Jul 20th 2006 4:26AM by Sebastian Blanco
Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

Tesla Motors unveiled their uber-chic Roadster, a powerful electric vehicle that looks, feels and drives like many other high-end sports cars Wednesday night. The main difference is the noise. Powered by a 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction motor, the Roadster can go 130 mph and does 0-60 in about 4 seconds, all completely silent.

Tonight was the grand unveiling of the Roadster in a decorated airport hangar in Santa Monica, CA. I don't ride in many sports cars, and I certainly have never been in one that zips across an airport's tarmac without so much as a whisper. But tonight I got a quick ride in the Roadster and all I could hear from the passenger's seat (not even Gov. Schwarzenegger, who flew in for a brief look at the car, was allowed to drive it) was wind noise. And myself saying "Wow" under my breath.

The car is low to the ground, and smooth in all possible ways. But this vehicle isn't just a sports car. It's also a green car. There are zero tailpipe emissions. There isn't even a tailpipe. Tesla Motors is working to provide purchasers with a photovoltaic panel that will turn the driving experience into an actual net producer of energy, according to Tesla Motors chairman Elon Musk. (cont'd after jump)

Tonight's unveiling was also an invitation to purchase the Roadster when it is released in mid-2007 (for about $80,000-$120,000). The company is offering the first 100 Tesla Roadsters as Signature models. Musk said that the people who buy the Signature cars will not only be getting an incredible sports car, but will be helping to pay the R&D costs for future Tesla Motor vehicles. And that's what tonight was really about: the future. Gadget, an L.A.-based mechanic who converts ICE cars to EV and was seen in the movie "Who Killed The Electric Car?", and that film's director Chris Paine, were right behind me in line for the test ride. Paine filmed the promo video for the Roadster that was projected onto the walls. Earlier in the evening, Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard said that, "An electric sports car was the way to fundamentally change the way we drive in the USA." Gadget and Paine agreed – although Gadget is convinced his conversion process is going to be more effective than $100,000 sports cars in getting EVs onto the streets – and after seeing what is possible with an EV, I have to admit there is pretty much endless possibility out there in electric motor land.

Lastly, there have been a lot of rumors floating around about the Roadster's specs, and tonight Tesla Motors finally let us know exactly what the deal is. Some of the rumors are true: the car can go 250 miles or so on a single charge (thanks in part to regenerative breaking that charges the AC motor) and will have all of the crash test ratings and safety features (airbags, GPS) when it is released. You can read the entire spec sheet and press release after the jump and at the Tesla Motor's website.



Press release:

TESLA MOTORS HOSTS WORLD DEBUT OF TESLA ROADSTER
OFFERING PERFORMANCE, STYLE & EFFICIENCY- WITH A CONSCIENCE
Silicon Valley Manufacturer Unveils Sleek, Clean and Fast
Performance Electric Vehicle Before Crowd of Well-Wishers

SAN CARLOS, Calif. – (July 19, 2006) – The first performance electric car manufactured by Tesla Motors, the high-performance, zero-emissions Tesla Roadster, was unveiled before a throng of well-wishers, car buffs, and potential customers Wednesday evening during Tesla's "Signature One Hundred" event at Barker Hangar.

More than 350 invited guests spent the evening learning about the new sports car, speaking with Tesla Motors executives, and going for rides along the tarmac at the Santa Monica Airport, adjacent to the event. Many signed up to be among the first to take delivery of the Tesla Roadster, becoming Signature One Hundred Members.

Celebrities in attendance included actor Ed Begley Jr., producer Richard Donner, businessman Michael Eisner, PayPal founder (and Tesla Motors Chairman) Elon Musk, Participant Productions' Founder and CEO Jeff Skoll, also of eBay fame, and actor Bradley Whitford, who starred in "The West Wing."

"We're thrilled to have the support of top people from so many different industries," said Martin Eberhard, CEO of Tesla Motors. "High-tech, CleanTech, entertainment, automotive, you name it. It's gratifying to have others realize the significance or what Tesla Motors is doing."

The electric-powered Tesla Roadster boasts a top speed of more than 130 mph and a range of 250 miles on a single charge, a combination heretofore unseen in a mass-produced electric vehicle. Its extended range is due to its state-of-the-art lithium-ion Energy Storage System. The Tesla Roadster is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in about four seconds.

"The Tesla Roadster delivers sports car performance without using any gasoline," said Eberhard. "This is what we hoped to achieve when we started the company three years ago, to build a car with zero emissions that people would love to drive."

Using a unique two-speed manual transmission, the Tesla Roadster's power comes from a 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction motor coupled with the Power Electronics Module (PEM) which provides multiple functionality of inverting direct current to 3-phase alternating current, the charging system, and the regenerative braking system.



The Roadster's Energy Storage System (ESS) provides power to the entire vehicle, including the motor. Its durable, tamper-resistant enclosure includes: 6,831 lithium-ion cells; a network of microprocessors for maintaining charge balance and temperature among the batteries; a cooling system; and an independent safety system designed to disconnect power outside the enclosure under a variety of detectable safety situations.

The Tesla Roadster comes complete with its Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSE), a home-based charging system. An optional mobile charging kit, for re-charging while away from the EVSE, also features this automatic disconnect system. Charging the Tesla Roadster takes approximately 3.5 hours.

The Tesla Roadster is capable of driving up to 250 miles (EPA Highway) on a single charge, a range roughly triple that of previous mass-produced electric vehicles, like General Motors' EV1.

"It didn't make sense to sell a car that couldn't go 90 miles on a charge. You'd spend more time charging the old EVs than driving them," said Eberhard. "Lithium-ion technology, which has been proven in many different applications, has allowed us to achieve exactly what we thought it would in terms of power, range and efficiency."

The body design of the Tesla Roadster, which included a collaborative effort by the company's employees, has been headed by Barney Hatt, Principal Designer at the Lotus Design Studio in England. The result is a sleek, stylish sports car that will appeal to enthusiasts and environmentalists the world over.

Tesla designers and engineers have gone to great lengths to ensure that not only is the Tesla Roadster safe to drive, but also when charging the performance electric car, at home or on the road. Their goal is to not only meet, but to surpass the rigorous standards of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, or FMVSS, as implemented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Tesla co-founders Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who serves as Vice President, Engineering, have brought together a team of automotive industry veterans plus Silicon Valley electronics and Internet engineers to bring the Tesla Roadster to life.

Research and Development for Tesla Motors is based at the Corporate Headquarters in San Carlos, Calif. Engines are manufactured at Tesla's facility in Taiwan, and assembly takes place at Tesla's plant in England.

Eberhard and Tarpenning provided the early funding for the company, and were joined in 2003 by Musk, CEO of SpaceX, who is the major investor in the company and serves as Chairman of Tesla Motors.

Musk worked with Eberhard and Tarpenning to attract more investors and approach Venture Capital firms, and in June 2006, Tesla Motors announced that the company had secured and additional $40 million in financing led by Musk and VantagePoint Venture Partners, one of the largest CleanTech investors in the Silicon Valley.

Deliveries of the Tesla Roadster are expected to begin next summer.

About Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors was founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning to create efficient electric cars for people who love to drive. The Chairman of Tesla Motors, a privately held company, is Elon Musk, who has lead or co-led all three rounds of investment resulting in $60 million in funding. Mr. Musk has been instrumental in both corporate and product development at Tesla Motors.

The company currently employs 70 people, including teams in California, the U.K. and Taiwan. The background and experience of Tesla's employees mirrors the vehicle itself, drawing from diverse expertise in the electronics, automotive and Internet industries.

Tesla Motors creates vehicles that conform to all U.S. safety, environmental and durability standards. Tesla's cars include modern safety equipment such as airbags, front crumple zones, side impact protection, and 2½ mph bumpers. Tesla will sell cars in the U.S. only when they pass the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS).

For more information, visit http://www.teslamotors.com

Motor:
* 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction motor
* 13,500 rpm maximum
* Max Net Power: 185 kW
* Max Torque: 180 lb-ft
* Top speed: over 130 mph

Performance
* 0-60 mph: around four seconds
* 0-100 mph: under 11 seconds
* Range: 200-250 miles per charge (estimated)
* Home-based charging system (EVSE) with integral safety features

Transmission:
* 2 forward speeds + reverse (by reversing the motor)
* 1st gear: 4.20:1
* 2nd gear: 2.17:1
* Reverse by reversing the motor (speed electronically limited)
* Final drive: 3.41:1

Exterior:
* Body: Carbon fiber
* Unique headlamp assemblies using proprietary HID low-beam and halogen high-beam lamp units
* LED taillights, marker lights and direction indicator lights
* Length: 155.4 / 3946 (in/mm)


It's just a matter of waiting for the technology to catch up wiith the idea.
October 14th, 2007, 10:50 am
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RebelSnake
 
Location: Greensboro
It even has the right name :)
Liv Inizio
The Liv Inizio, an all-electric sports car with specs similar to the Tesla Roadster, is making its debut at the 2009 New York auto show. This new electric car is made by EV Innovations, formerly called Hybrid Technologies, which showed off the Liv Wise, a Toyota Yaris converted to an electric power train, at last year's New York auto show.
Image
EV Innovations claims a 200-mile range for the Liv Inizio and a 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of 5 seconds. Top speed: 150 mph. About 15 inches longer than the Tesla Roadster and 6 inches wider, the Liv Inizio still manages to come in 300 pounds lighter. It uses a lithium ion battery pack to power its midmounted motor, and it has a recharge time of about 8 hours. A touch-screen LCD in the cabin displays trip information such as remaining range.

All stupid ideas pass through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is ridiculed. Third, it is ridiculed
March 23rd, 2009, 6:00 pm
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A Person
 
Location: Slightly west of the Great White North
Lets just hope they want to run good ads on Greensboring!
March 23rd, 2009, 6:55 pm
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Liv
I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
 
Location: Greensboro, NC
binclintonusa wrote:The background and experience of Tesla's employees mirrors the vehicle itself, drawing from diverse expertise in the electronics, automotive and Internet industries. :evil:

Of course, with a price exceeding $100,000 you will have to use it for around 60 years to make back the money you save on gas.....
June 9th, 2009, 9:10 am
Questioner
 
Location: Colorado
It's a status symbol, just like anything.... but it's also a political message.... just like the Prius.
June 9th, 2009, 9:14 am
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Liv
I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
 
Location: Greensboro, NC
Questioner wrote:Of course, with a price exceeding $100,000 you will have to use it for around 60 years to make back the money you save on gas.....


Compared with...

It's based on the Lotus Elise. MSRP $47,250 USD, the Tesla MSRP is $101,500. The Tesla can outrun the Elise in the straights, but the heavy batteries mean the Elise can catch up in the corners.

Let's look at the math

$47,250.00 Elise
$101,500.00 Tesla
$54,250.00 $ Difference
$2.50 $pg
21,700.00 gallons
21.00 mpg Elise
455,700.00 Miles

The price difference of $54,250 buys 21,700 gallons at $2.50. So at current gas prices you'd break even in 455,700 miles.

However the price is not going to stay at $2.50. The price of WTI is back up around $70/bbl i.e. where it was in July 2007. That's with the economy in it's current sorry state. Given the recovery trend, we can reasonably expect it to reach $100, which will translate to a gas price of $3.50. At that price the payback is 325,500 miles. Or about 20 years.

However this misses the point. Every US gallon of gasoline produces 20lb of CO2 so in those 325,000 miles the gasoline Elise would have produced 155 tons of CO2. If the electricity is provided by nuclear, hydro or wind power that's a lot of CO2 saved.

These are just back of the envelope calculations, I haven't factored in the cost of the electricity or the CO2 generated in delivering the gasoline, or the cost of replacing the batteries which likely won't last 325,000 miles. But the primary cost of the Tesla is the batteries. When manufacturing costs come down then the economics start looking a lot more attractive. If only they could eliminate the recharge time problem. That's the reason I won't be buying an electric car any time soon.
June 9th, 2009, 9:44 am
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A Person
 
Location: Slightly west of the Great White North
A Person wrote:
Questioner wrote:Of course, with a price exceeding $100,000 you will have to use it for around 60 years to make back the money you save on gas.....


Compared with...

It's based on the Lotus Elise. MSRP $47,250 USD, the Tesla MSRP is $101,500. The Tesla can outrun the Elise in the straights, but the heavy batteries mean the Elise can catch up in the corners.

Let's look at the math

$47,250.00 Elise
$101,500.00 Tesla
$54,250.00 $ Difference
$2.50 $pg
21,700.00 gallons
21.00 mpg Elise
455,700.00 Miles

The price difference of $54,250 buys 21,700 gallons at $2.50. So at current gas prices you'd break even in 455,700 miles.

However the price is not going to stay at $2.50. The price of WTI is back up around $70/bbl i.e. where it was in July 2007. That's with the economy in it's current sorry state. Given the recovery trend, we can reasonably expect it to reach $100, which will translate to a gas price of $3.50. At that price the payback is 325,500 miles. Or about 20 years.

However this misses the point. Every US gallon of gasoline produces 20lb of CO2 so in those 325,000 miles the gasoline Elise would have produced 155 tons of CO2. If the electricity is provided by nuclear, hydro or wind power that's a lot of CO2 saved.

These are just back of the envelope calculations, I haven't factored in the cost of the electricity or the CO2 generated in delivering the gasoline, or the cost of replacing the batteries which likely won't last 325,000 miles. But the primary cost of the Tesla is the batteries. When manufacturing costs come down then the economics start looking a lot more attractive. If only they could eliminate the recharge time problem. That's the reason I won't be buying an electric car any time soon.


The key is getting the purchase price down. Great analysis by the way. How long does it take to recharge the Tesla?
June 10th, 2009, 9:58 am
Questioner
 
Location: Colorado
Questioner wrote:The key is getting the purchase price down


Not really, the Tesla is a 'supercar', designed to go fast and attract attention, not to appeal to the mass market. The exclusivity of the car is part of the attraction. It says "Hey I can afford to drop $110 grand on a sports car, and I'm a nice, planet friendly, guy too, mate with me!"

But that is certainly true of electric (and hybrid) cars, the high cost of batteries is the major barrier - and recharge time of course. Tesla claims a '3.5 hour' full recharge time on a custom high power circuit (70 amp, 240 volt) 30 hours on a 15 a, 110v standard outlet. Since no one has actually received one yet this is still unverified. Of course under normal use the car won't be completely discharged every time.
June 10th, 2009, 11:23 am
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A Person
 
Location: Slightly west of the Great White North
Clooney had one... don't know if he was just driving it for kicks and giggles for the company or not.... but he had one.
June 10th, 2009, 12:20 pm
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Liv
I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
 
Location: Greensboro, NC
Sorry, you're right, there was a batch of 100 '"Signature One Hundred" series made. And apparently they have shipped a couple of hundred production cars now. My source was a bit old.
June 10th, 2009, 12:32 pm
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A Person
 
Location: Slightly west of the Great White North
What I wouldn't give to have one, heck just to drive one... I bet it's intense with all that torque on demand....
June 10th, 2009, 12:35 pm
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Liv
I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
 
Location: Greensboro, NC


Yeah it does look fun.

0-60mph 3.9 seconds :shock:
June 10th, 2009, 12:49 pm
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A Person
 
Location: Slightly west of the Great White North
The shot at 9:45 sums it up for me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG3bMKR5eXk#t=9m45s

God I love his language....

"It's useless if it can't beat a fat jogger off the line"

I can just see a nuclear powered version of the Tesla.... or some other permanently powered car.... I've got to go hunt for the second half of that video now.
June 10th, 2009, 1:13 pm
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Liv
I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
 
Location: Greensboro, NC
May was referring to the Hydrogen fuel cell Honda Clarity

[youtubevideo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AUurBnLbJw[/youtubevideo]
June 10th, 2009, 2:39 pm
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A Person
 
Location: Slightly west of the Great White North
They sort of cut it off at the end but I find it odd they're praising Hydrogen so much when (to my understanding) the problem with hydrogen powered vehicle is you still need fossil fuels to product the hydrogen???

I know the possibility of cheap production methods are likely possible.... but at the risk of overlooking vehicles which don't require an entire new infrastructure to "hook" gasoline addicts.... I'm not sure I'm completely comfortable with saying that it's the "next big thing."
June 10th, 2009, 3:25 pm
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Liv
I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
 
Location: Greensboro, NC
Liv wrote:They sort of cut it off at the end but I find it odd they're praising Hydrogen so much when (to my understanding) the problem with hydrogen powered vehicle is you still need fossil fuels to product the hydrogen???


You are right in that hydrogen is currently commonly produced from carbon fossil fuels by reforming, however it can be produced from electrolysis of water or from a bioreactor.

The intent is to produce it mainly from electrolysis which makes the hydrogen an energy store or battery. The start and end products being water. If the electricity is produced from a carbon neutral source then the process is carbon free and the vehicle is electrically powered.
June 10th, 2009, 3:34 pm
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A Person
 
Location: Slightly west of the Great White North
I'm still hopeful:

mrfusion.jpg
June 10th, 2009, 8:12 pm
User avatar
Liv
I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
 
Location: Greensboro, NC
tesla.jpg
July 22nd, 2010, 11:08 am
User avatar
Liv
I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
 
Location: Greensboro, NC

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