Tesla Roadster: The World's Only Cool Electric Car

[Windguy]

Originally Posted by kev67

I wonder how fuel efficient these electric cars actually are. The GWiz is reported to have a tiny fuel consumption, but that is probably largely due to it being small and very slow. The batteries have to recharged by electricity from the grid and much of that energy is produced by coal and gas power stations. There are efficiency losses during generation, transmission and charging up the battery. I suppose if they were recharged at night then more of that electricity would come from nuclear power stations, in this country anyway. I suppose the other thing is electric engines have fewer moving parts and no optimum RPM.

They are more efficient by CO2 output even when they are charged up by coal fired power stations. I can name various reasons but one is an electric motor has maximum torque at 0 rpm, obviously a petrol motor can't beat that.

[Jimmy123]

The tessla looks great I may allready be sold on it
go this page and scroll down to see the specs
Tesla Roadster Review | Electric Car

[Emmanuel70]

From the official site:

The Tesla Roadster's battery pack — the car's "fuel tank" — represents the biggest innovation in the Tesla Roadster and is one of the largest and most advanced battery packs in the world. We've combined basic proven lithium ion battery technology with our own unique battery pack design to provide multiple layers of safety. It's light, durable, recyclable, and it is capable of delivering enough power to accelerate the Tesla Roadster from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds. Meanwhile, the battery stores enough energy for the vehicle to travel about 220 miles without recharging, something no other production electric vehicle in history can claim.

Awesome! 220 miles for a 3.5 hours worth of charge, not bad at all.

[Besoeker]

Originally Posted by Jimmy123

The tessla looks great I may allready be sold on it
go this page and scroll down to see the specs
Tesla Roadster Review | Electric Car

I discussed this on another forum (petrolheads) in November 2006.
Some of the claims made are......well, sales speak.
From the performance tab:
"100% Torque, 100% of the Time "
Yet, just below that, the curves show the torque falling off at around half maximum rpm. Power starts to fall off too at just over 8,000 rpm.
"Delivers constant acceleration up to 6000 rpm."
Again, a wee bit of licence. It takes no account of the increasing drag as the car speeds up - and that's generally what eventually determines max speed.

Then there is the claimed range.
If you drive around at maximum rated output, the battery charge was last about 16 minutes. 220 miles in 16 minutes is 800 mph....
I do accept that you could possibly drive around using about 30% of the rated power of a 1937 Austin 10 and maybe get close to the claimed 250 miles.
But would anyone buy one to do just that?

I do think it is a great car - given the players involved, one might expect no less.
But the expectations set by the site are, at best, stretching reality a touch. And that's a real shame.

[LMagic007]

No its not a promo but looks cute for a city zip around car and you could always hire a petrol car for longer trips like holidays etc...

35 miles/charge, or 245 miles per gallon.

http://www.zenncars.com/

It should get a boost when it gets its ZENN EEstor EESU storage option I understand in 2009. High perfomance capacitors.

[LMagic007]

Energy Storage Systems Considerations for Grid-Charged Hybrid ...

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy05osti/38538.pdf

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006...ublishes_.html

[LMagic007]

Basic Research Needs for Electrical Energy Storage: Report of the ...

[Wobs]

Originally Posted by LMagic007

No its not a promo but looks cute for a city zip around car and you could always hire a petrol car for longer trips like holidays etc...

With increased fuel prices, and congestion charges that we have in the UK, Londoners (and soon Mancs), a niche market could develop, albiet in some bizarre way.

* London's congestion charge excludes electric cars.

[LMagic007]

Japanese Automaker, U.S. Firm Team Up To Convert Cars to Electric Power

The cars, like the Toyota Yaris, look like any other until you peek under the hood.

Cerven says lithium powered cars are just as powerful as vehicles fueled by gas. For example, with ten packs of these lithium batteries, a PT Cruiser can accelerate to 100 kilometers per hour in seven point two seconds, rivaling the performance of a six cylinder, gas-powered car. A six-hour electrical charge provides enough power to drive the car nearly 200 kilometers.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52681

If these cars were rolled out our on the fully automated production line, they should be able to get them cheaper, than having to do manual refits of the electric motor system.

[LMagic007]

Chevy Volt Electric Car, 2008 Malibu at Washington Auto Show ( video )

GM - Technology - News - Fuel Cells - Chevy Volt Electric Car, 2008 Malibu at Washington Auto Show

I think it might be a cool idea to have a speaker system rigged up to an electronic engine sound generator, inside to produce engine sounds. e.g if you are driving an electric sports car and you could select from a range of electronic background engine sounds at the flick of a switch. The sound generator would be liked in to your electronic RPM metre and speedometer to reproduce authentic engines at given speeds etc.... Thus if you wanted a v8 sound or a sound of a particular model car engine, you just select it. It could also help double as a road noise dampener and you might feel like you are driving a vehicle with a fuel driven engine. You could even have a sound for a starter motor, when the pseudo ignition key is turned or switched on. Perhaps this feature could help make the electric car more appealing to car fans who love traditional fossil fuel engine sounds.