Tesla Roadster - Autoblog Green

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

ABG First Drive: Hitting the road in the Tesla Roadster!
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/01/28/abg-first-drive-hitting-the-road-in-the-tesla-roadster/

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It has the original XTrac two speed gear-box with first gear locked out allowing it to simulate the behavior that can be expected from the single-speed units that will be used for early production cars starting March 17. .....................................Moving the accelerator toward the floor induced an instant rush of acceleration that just never seemed to let up. In any electrically-driven vehicle, one sure way to appreciate this acceleration capability is to floor it going up hill..........................In the course of doing development on the drivetrain for the WhiteStar sedan project, a more powerful motor was needed for the larger and heavier car. In order to achieve this, the team developed a larger diameter motor with a liquid-cooled rotor................This liquid-cooled unit forms the basis of what's being done for Roadster DriveTrain 1.5. The current air-cooled motor will be replaced by a unit the same size with liquid cooling. This will allow it to run at higher sustained power levels without overheating.

Not the same production transmission and not the same production engine.......................stay tuned?

The part about going up a hill in an electric car is true, I drove a EV-1 once up a hill and it was awesome!

onewhippedpuppy · 01-30-2008, 06:47 AM

C&D has a piece on the Tesla this month, they stated that the tranny was locked into high because of development problems with the low gear. Still hit 0-60 in 4.4, that's my kind of electric car!

lendaddy · 01-30-2008, 07:00 AM

Why would you need a tranny in a DC electric car?

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

Is the WhiteStar sedan project on or off?

I'm reading different things all over the place.

Any pictures?

http://jalopnik.com/cars/news/new-mexico-gets-tesla-whitestar-facility-++-to-produce-an-electric-fusion-237982.php

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Oh wait, we've also heard a rumor from a couple of different sources that Tesla may be using the Ford CD3...

...platform -- otherwise known as the Ford Fusion.

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by lendaddy

Why would you need a tranny in a DC electric car?

Would it draw too many amps to get it going and drain the batteries too quickly?

lendaddy · 01-30-2008, 07:04 AM

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Originally Posted by kach22i

Would it draw too many amps to get it going and drain the batteries too quickly?

No, I mean with modern DC drives full torque is available at very low revs, I can't image the need.

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by lendaddy

No, I mean with modern DC drives full torque is available at very low revs, I can't image the need.

Brushless type with a "controller"?

Maybe the controller is not programable or versatile enough to cover use in a car?

I'm just guessing, sorry I don't have an answer.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

I've been watching the development of this for a while. VERY cool idea. I actually ran into "Click and Clack" (the CarTalk guys from NPR) up in Sacramento a few months ago while on a business trip. Turns out they were up there meeting with the developers of the Tesla to test drive it, get the tour/sales pitch and use their media connections to comment on the car. It was interesting hearing their perspectives on it, which were overwhelmingly positive.

Very expensive yes, but it's money I could seriously see myself spending as long as longevity issues are addressed adequately. If I have to go replacing a bunch of batteries in five years (with a big $$$ price tag and environmental price tag associated therewith) I wouldn't do it, but if they can convince me that it'll hold up for at least 12-15 years driven "occasionally", I'd think it'd be right up there with similarly priced gasoline-powered vehicles.

Very cool concept. I'm just hoping the execution and reality lives up to the idea/marketing when it finally rolls out.

Chuck Moreland · 01-30-2008, 08:25 AM

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Originally Posted by lendaddy

No, I mean with modern DC drives full torque is available at very low revs, I can't image the need.

Because the tranny acts as a torque multiplier (through reduction gearing). The car will accelerate even faster with the 2 speed trans.

It's just like in your 911. Which gear accelerates harder, 1st or 2nd?

stealthn · 01-30-2008, 10:59 AM

Save your money and buy a Cayenne Hybrid

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Ugh.

The day I buy an SUV - even a "hybrid" one - even a PORSCHE "hybrid" one - is the day I'm going to eat a gun barrel.

I'd sooner ride the bus.

john70t · 01:25 PM

http://teslafounders.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/stealth-bloodbath/#comment-317
I quickly read through this site a week ago, but the entries may have changed since then. It is created by one of the co-founders(not with the company now), and it seems there was a disagreement with the new CEO's about having a complicated/expensive 2-speed transmission or just using a single speed transmission with lower overall performance. There were probably other issues as well.

There was a managment shakeup of the company with many sudden layoffs of some of the original personel, and now it seems the final product release will (suprise) probably be delayed.

Let's hope it not more than a decade or so.

This car is a political milestone in the US being energy/politically independant, though some people would not like to see that happen.

onewhippedpuppy · 01-31-2008, 06:39 AM

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Originally Posted by john70t

[url]Let's hope it not more than a decade or so.

This car is a political milestone in the US being energy/politically independant, though some people would not like to see that happen.

Nothing like that would EVER happen in America.

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by john70t

http://teslafounders.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/stealth-bloodbath/#comment-317
I quickly read through this site a week ago, but the entries may have changed since then. It is created by one of the co-founders(not with the company now), and it seems there was a disagreement with the new CEO's

Quote:

This blog entry has been taken down.

The comments are still up.

I've seen this sort of thing happen before with small makers of stereo equipment.

For example the Teres turntable and Redpoint Audio thing.
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/24/249947.html

I can think of few things more exciting than a spin-off of the Tesla.