Tesla Roadster

[hyunelan2]

I got this linked in an email, so a few of you may already have seen this, but I think it's pretty-cool. Too bad they're not telling what the price-tag is. AT 0-60 in 4 seconds, and the equivalent of 135mpg, I'd rock it (if it were affordable - which I'm sure it won't be). A quick google search puts the price at $80-$100K

http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=1

[j0hnh0lmes]

WOW....that's tight, I love the look of it, and if it's that quick, I'd say also about 80-100k.

[ba_feitl]

Check it .. half way down the page

http://www.hybridcars.com/blogs/hyview

Brad

[CTele02]

well still gotta think of the amount of energy that you would need to use to charge the battery... electricity isnt magically free... its made in power plants... many of those plants run on fossil fuels... the plus side is that this vehicle does not pollute your neighborhood as another car of the same power would... and the fossil fuel combustion efficiency at a power plant is better than in any motor.

[SuperGLS]

My brother said he'd buy one if it was less than $75K. Ha. Good luck.

[eLantrabumb]

Maybe if i sell my soul to the devil, Then I could trick him into allowing me to buy the car to "pimp" the ladies you know ;-) ;-), but because I would actually be buying the car tohelp save the world from the dramatic effects of global warming, God would allow me to slap the devil in the face, get my soul back, and float up to heaven!!!!

OOOOOOH YEEEEAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hmmm... maybe I should consult a local priest before I begin this risky task

[CTele02]

Maybe if i sell my soul to the devil, Then I could trick him into allowing me to buy the car to "pimp" the ladies you know ;-) ;-), but because I would actually be buying the car tohelp save the world from the dramatic effects of global warming, God would allow me to slap the devil in the face, get my soul back, and float up to heaven!!!!

OOOOOOH YEEEEAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hmmm... maybe I should consult a local priest before I begin this risky task

or psychologist....

[getfuzzd]

I like it, and if I had the money I'd get one as a general car although I'd still need something for my longer trips or cargo. Still, most people wont be happy until you can drive the same distance as you can a typical car today and charge it just as quickly as you can fill a gas tank.

Its just a matter of, a long, time before they have the technology to put a small nuclear reactor in road going vehicles.

[eLantrabumb]

or psychologist....

You know i've been spending alot of time with your mom, and, well she sounds like she is full of knowledge and stuff (when she is screaming that is), so maybe I will ask her

[CTele02]

You know i've been spending alot of time with your mom, and, well she sounds like she is full of knowledge and stuff (when she is screaming that is), so maybe I will ask her
weirded out....

[PSUsouthpaw]

Maybe if i sell my soul to the devil, Then I could trick him into allowing me to buy the car to "pimp" the ladies you know ;-) ;-), but because I would actually be buying the car tohelp save the world from the dramatic effects of global warming, God would allow me to slap the devil in the face, get my soul back, and float up to heaven!!!!

OOOOOOH YEEEEAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hmmm... maybe I should consult a local priest before I begin this risky task

Assuming the Devil exists, he's likely been around for many, many thousands of years more than you and somehow I don't think he'd be that easy to trick. If you get a chance read up on cases of exorcisms where the possessed person tried to sell their soul to the devil. It ain't pretty.

as for nuclear reactors in the car...its a good idea but I'd never trust it, not with as many stupid people driving on the roads as there are...you get hit the wrong way, and either KABOOM or geiger counters will start dancing for you afterwards.

just my $.02

[SuperGLS]

Let's attempt to stay on topic. Thanks.

[PSUsouthpaw]

Sorry Super.

I got this linked in an email, so a few of you may already have seen this, but I think it's pretty-cool. Too bad they're not telling what the price-tag is. AT 0-60 in 4 seconds, and the equivalent of 135mpg, I'd rock it (if it were affordable - which I'm sure it won't be). A quick google search puts the price at $80-$100K

http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=1

The Pricetag is extremely high, but if its given enough time, and enough people can be attracted to it, prices will drop. I like the idea of 135 mpg equivalent, and that alone would be a good selling point to many.

My biggest concern would be it being Battery powered during the winter.

[CTele02]

Who the hell drives a sports car in the winter...

[Alucardabyss]

ummm I already posted that guy driving the MC12 in the snow =P and we all saw how that turned out.

[PSUsouthpaw]

The idea is that they would expand the marque to include a nice, cheap commuter car for the masses that retains such excellent fuel mileage ratings. I neglected to mentio n that in my first post...my bad.

[Cypher]

or psychologist....
since when do you of all people on this site have the right to tell another person to consult a psychologist?

back to the topic at hand... wow thats pretty cool. now get the price down alot and it'll sell fast!

[subvibe99]

I've been researching information on solar technology lately and with a solar system on your home (around 13K to start) you can use power to charge your vehicle as well as provide your own energy for your home. You can also sign up for government incentive programs which will leave you with around 3K in tax returns over the course of 5 years. Hybrids would be more feasible this way.

[ba_feitl]

^^ Plug-in hybrids are just around the corner so expect them soon.

Solar power is fairly easy to do ... the only drawback is longer term power storage for areas with shortened or limited daylight like during winter months or rainy climates (think Seattle). How would you feel if you had a snow storm for a couple days and lost all power until the sun came out again. :confused:

Brad

[CTele02]

ummm I already posted that guy driving the MC12 in the snow =P and we all saw how that turned out.
I meant what person IN THEIR RIGHT MIND.... would drive a sports car in the snow (we saw what happened to him getting owned on a snowy turn)

since when do you of all people on this site have the right to tell another person to consult a psychologist?

Go (the letter between "D" and "G")Yourself!

I've been researching information on solar technology lately and with a solar system on your home (around 13K to start) you can use power to charge your vehicle as well as provide your own energy for your home. You can also sign up for government incentive programs which will leave you with around 3K in tax returns over the course of 5 years. Hybrids would be more feasible this way.

Yep Solar panels are a high initial investment but over time they can pay themselves off since when you are not home using the power... the energy company buys back the energy you produce at the same price.

[Alucardabyss]

touche but in my thread people were tryin to justify what he was doing O_O

[CTele02]

touche but in my thread people were tryin to justify what he was doing O_O
http://www.freewebs.com/matt3454/rabbit_pancake.jpg

[robs02elantra]

Go (the letter between "D" and "G")Yourself!

you mean either: the two letters between "D" and "G" (being EF), or the letter between "E" and "G" (being F). There is no single letter between "D" and "G"

[hyunelan2]

^^Look down at the keyboard. See D. see G. one letter inbetween.

Now, let's keep it back on topic, or don't post.

[soullesselantra]

Who the hell drives a sports car in the winter...


i do pumpkin...LOL...thats the most fun time to drive em...and with this...like PSU said...what would the battery do in the winter time...cold battteries hate life...

[Kenshin]

Still, most people wont be happy until you can drive the same distance as you can a typical car today and charge it just as quickly as you can fill a gas tank.


Range is getting VERY close, but the recharge time is still an issue. There are a couple of companies doing R & D on ultra high power capacitors made with nanotubes that would theoretically give similar power densities to Lithium-ion batteries, but be able to recharge in 2-3 minutes rather than 2-3 hours. The companies that are developing them are focusing on powering handheld devices like cell phones and pda's, but that's where lithium ion batteries got their start, and now there are companies out there building large packs like what Tesla Motors is using. Electrics will be a very viable reality in the next decade or two, it'll just take some time to perfect the technologies and get the manufacturing costs down on the power storage devices (Batteries, Capacitors, whatever...)

[soullesselantra]

why not have some kind of centrifugal generator attached to each wheel...the car would provide its own power and only need to be charged when its parked for the night...

[TwistedAvante]

The idea of a centrifugal generater wouldn't work so well because if you look at the physics of a hybrid such as this, the wheels are powered mostly by stored energy in the battery and really no gas 135mpg the restrictions on the wheel would defeat the purpose of haveing the battery power in the first place the range would drop and the fuel consumption would increase because of the load on the engine, essetially requireing more hp to overcome the resistance of the generaters,

its like driving with your brakes on...

Instead they should and probably do have a kind of modified alternater that is a single unit in the engine compartment that would run the vehicle as it does today while extending range by rechargeing the battery, of course the alternater has its own level of resistance but thats essentially why the car still retains gas power because at 135mpg the car isnt being driven by gas, instead the gas is probably simply used on an alternater having absolutely no connection to the drivetrain...and through all that the wheels are powered by pure energy from the battery which is recharged by the gas engine making the range so high with so little gas consumption

[hyunelan2]

The Tesla Roadster, like gas-electric hybrids, uses regenerative braking. That means generators are engaged at the wheels during braking to recapture some energy. That's why most hybrid and electric cars get better 'milage' in city driving. They use the braking opportunities to regenerate some electricity.

[CTele02]

I wonder how much these "generator" systems weigh around the wheels and if they hurt gas mileage if they are part of the "rotational" mass in the wheels. I know "of" them but have no idea how the mechanics work on one..

[hyunelan2]

I'm not an expert, but I beleive it is all one unit that generates power and recaptures it. In the same way that if you 'spin an electric motor' it's a generator, but if you apply power to it, it's a motor.

http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid433.php

Edit:

This would mean that there doesn't need to be a generator on the wheels, but whatever 'driveshaft thingie' turns backwards when the brakes are hit could power the generator. Bad explanation, but do you understand what I mean?

[CTele02]

I'm not an expert, but I beleive it is all one unit that generates power and recaptures it. In the same way that if you 'spin an electric motor' it's a generator, but if you apply power to it, it's a motor.

http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid433.php

Edit:

This would mean that there doesn't need to be a generator on the wheels, but whatever 'driveshaft thingie' turns backwards when the brakes are hit could power the generator. Bad explanation, but do you understand what I mean?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fb/Towelie.jpg/170px-Towelie.jpg

Edit: (after trying to figure out what is going on)

Lol back on topic: After reading what you linked it says something along the lines of: Hybrid cars don't have drum/disc friction brakes. They turn their electric motors the opposite way to transform torque back into electric energy. (in acceleration Electric energy is transformed into the torque used to move the wheels)

[GrGaKC]

A bit off topic... Here's (http://www.conceptclimax.com/climax.htm) another study car, but not powered by electricity, this one uses bio-ethanol.

As for the Tesla, the car looks great, but I'd still prefer Honda FCX Concept (http://world.honda.com/Tokyo2005/fcx/) . I don't know why, it just gets to me... I like it!

[Kenshin]

Personally, the Wrightspeed X1 really impresses me. Here's a video of it cleaning up the 1/4 mile against a Ferrari 360 Modena and a Porshe Carerra GT.

http://www.pluginamerica.com/media/Wrightspeed.wmv

I think I'm in love.

[TwistedAvante]

Did you guys know the camry was going hybrid..

I heard it the other day and i was amazed, we are actually getting somewhere

[hyunelan2]

I passed a Camry Hybrid on the way to the Cubs game yesterday. Looks just like a normal Camry (obviously), except for the "Hybrid" badging on the upper-front fenders.

I like the idea Hybrids have = make gas go further. However, I also have a huge interest in things like the Tesla car, which uses no gas. Yes, it still requires energy, but if we were to get into an oil crisis, we can make electricity without oil (Petroleum makes up only 1.6% of electric generation: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html). Of course, if everyone were charging their cars instead of burning oil, we're going to need more power plants to supply that power.

[CTele02]

http://www.toyota.com/camry/index.html?s_van=GM_TN_HYBRID_CAMRY

The hybrid camry uses its base 2.4L engine (147hp/138tq) with the electric assistance (187hp/199tq).

The Hybrid camry also has a drag coefficient of .27 while the regular ones are .28 it also weighs the most of the other camry models (at 3700lbs compared to 3300-3500lbs)

Its EPA Rating is 40 city/ 38highway Compared to its base with the 5sp/4cylinder of 24 city and 34 highway.

The hybrid also costs the most of its models.

Also the brakes are Power assisted ventiliated front/rear discs with ABS and the regenerative braking is integrated.