Tesla Roadster electric supercar.

[zilo]

Was in sydney for the motor show on the weekend.

Surprised the mates with a test drive I tee'ed up a few weeks ago.

I have to say it was fast...real damn fast.

Now my last fun car was an LS3 Corvette earlier in the year.

Thought that was fast......LOL

This red rocket blows everything I have ever driven away.

0-100 easily repeatable in 3.7 seconds.


No violence on take off....no wheel spin...just perfect.

Five of us went for test drives, at times briefly over the speed limit (s).

It had also been out all morning, charge still showed 280'ks left.


I could not fault this fantastic automobile.










Of course I took videos !

It was difficult, but in a couple of the take offs look at the acceleration, it pulled the skin on your face.

http://youtu.be/4zBNIy3O3Gs
http://youtu.be/G5Hkrjh7wus
http://youtu.be/8ZBFFhw9tvE
http://youtu.be/oyT4b-IAdSE
http://youtu.be/Xnx83RJ2muE
http://youtu.be/vBZP20zrBCc
http://youtu.be/a5eX4jbyKqo

[Joshmcmillan]

That's surprising after the last one. How did it sound?

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Joshmcmillan

That's surprising after the last one. How did it sound?

Not sure what you mean?

[Joshmcmillan]

Originally Posted by Ugg

Not sure what you mean?

How did you engine sound? Could you hear it much at all? Reckon they'd ever be able to get one to sound good?

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Joshmcmillan

How did you engine sound? Could you hear it much at all? Reckon they'd ever be able to get one to sound good?

LOL...yeah...a bit too quiet....

but you can hear a very subtle whine from the transmission behind the seat...

We can always get an MP3 sound byte from a high cam V8 at idle through the stereo I s'pose?

[Joshmcmillan]

Originally Posted by Ugg

We can always get an MP3 sound byte from a high cam V8 at idle through the stereo I s'pose?

Haha true, it'd be as genuine as in the new M5's

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Ugg

LOL...yeah...a bit too quiet....

but you can hear a very subtle whine from the transmission behind the seat...

We can always get an MP3 sound byte from a high cam V8 at idle through the stereo I s'pose?

Just get yourself a 'Soundracer'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9XAC-BvUyo

[DJR-351]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5i1cJIwE7M

[zilo]

This is probably the best video of acceleration, was too busy having a good time to worry about the camera...LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBZP2...ature=youtu.be

[Sparksy]

Love these cars!
hopefully the price goes down, and down and down till i can afford one.
maybe in 20 years?

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Sparksy

Love these cars!
hopefully the price goes down, and down and down till i can afford one.
maybe in 20 years?

model "S" next year will come in three performance variants.

$75k, $105k and $130k...(different ranges and performance)

That's a big price drop compared to a few years agao ($220k)

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Ugg

model "S" next year will come in three performance variants.

$75k, $105k and $130k...(different ranges and performance)

That's a big price drop compared to a few years agao ($220k)

Well basically these are plasma TVs with wheels.

They will eventually be the same price if not cheaper than petrol cars and the current ones will be like a "std definition 40" with analogue tuner and no HDMI".

With all technology early adopters wear the development costs.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by flappist

Well basically these are plasma TVs with wheels.

They will eventually be the same price if not cheaper than petrol cars and the current ones will be like a "std definition 40" with analogue tuner and no HDMI".

With all technology early adopters wear the development costs.

True...but on balance I don't think I would wait till China starts mass producing them either.....

[davenl5l]

whats the point of having a sports car if they cant hear you coming

[mik]

i`m still a bit skeptical of of these things until we get some real world tests, still a lot of unanswered questions with claimed range,charging,reliability, it certainly looks good though.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by mik

i`m still a bit skeptical of of these things until we get some real world tests, still a lot of unanswered questions with claimed range,charging,reliability, it certainly looks good though.

Tell them you want a test drive like I did....

See for yourself just how awesome this thing performs.

Remember this comment...

"I told you so"

[mik]

yes it`s certainly quick off the mark , but the unanswered questions still stand until a decent test is carried out.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by mik

yes it`s certainly quick off the mark , but the unanswered questions still stand until a decent test is carried out.

Actually watching the video reminded me of slot cars......

[blue sleeper]

Originally Posted by flappist

Actually watching the video reminded me of slot cars......

I hear slot cars handle like they are rails, does this transfer to the Tesla?

[zilo]

Originally Posted by mik

yes it`s certainly quick off the mark , but the unanswered questions still stand until a decent test is carried out.

That's a bit harsh...cause they are selling more than they can possibly manufacture....in fact orders in hand to make other car makers blush.

(I for one know why first hand, the product is spectacular and does exactly what it says it does)

Mercedes and Toyota have each bought a 25% share in Tesla now.

(Sounds like someone has done some serious due diligence to me)

[mik]

Originally Posted by Ugg

That's a bit harsh...cause they are selling more than they can possibly manufacture....in fact orders in hand to make other car makers blush.

(I for one know why first hand, the product is spectacular and does exactly what it says it does)

Mercedes and Toyota have each bought a 25% share in Tesla now.

(Sounds like someone has done some serious due diligence to me)

i was under the impression you only went for a short squirt Ugg?

no doubt benz and toyota can see a quid in it(or in some of the technology), and there probably is, but to me they are still basically a speedy short range commuter, and i`m sure there where some that invested in betamax too .

as mentioned there are other questions also to be answered that few have mentioned , and few electric car sellers have not volunteered answers !
as the batteries go down in charge does performance drop off?
as the batteries get down in lower state of charge does the vehicle start limiting/cutting out electrical accessories?

in a hotter or colder climate with the air con/ heater running with wipers and head lights on, stereo/ipod connected, what is the range? one would imagine parts of the electrical s will have fans to cool them down, again questions,

if you should find yourself getting low on charge and pull into your local servo to borrow a power point, how long would it take to let`s say put 30`k`s worth of charge in to get you home?
according to the tesla page using a 70 amp dedicated outlet it will charge fully 3.5 hours, so using a 15/20 amp plug does that mean 10 hours?
if you give it a caneing on a track using full power, battery life/range please?

i think these are fair questions, there are more , but that`s what comes to mind at the moment.

[blue sleeper]

Originally Posted by mik

i was under the impression you only went for a short squirt Ugg?

no doubt benz and toyota can see a quid in it(or in some of the technology), and there probably is, but to me they are still basically a speedy short range commuter, and i`m sure there where some that invested in betamax too .

as mentioned there are other questions also to be answered that few have mentioned , and few electric car sellers have not volunteered answers !
as the batteries go down in charge does performance drop off?
as the batteries get down in lower state of charge does the vehicle start limiting/cutting out electrical accessories?

in a hotter or colder climate with the air con/ heater running with wipers and head lights on, stereo/ipod connected, what is the range? one would imagine parts of the electrical s will have fans to cool them down, again questions,

if you should find yourself getting low on charge and pull into your local servo to borrow a power point, how long would it take to let`s say put 30`k`s worth of charge in to get you home?
according to the tesla page using a 70 amp dedicated outlet it will charge fully 3.5 hours, so using a 15/20 amp plug does that mean 10 hours?
if you give it a caneing on a track using full power, battery life/range please?

i think these are fair questions, there are more , but that`s what comes to mind at the moment.

Another question is, what is the diminishing returns for each recharge....

[zilo]

Originally Posted by mik

i was under the impression you only went for a short squirt Ugg? .

10k's it was, with only a short motorway hop, mostly in traffic...i would have loved all day...

Originally Posted by mik

no doubt benz and toyota can see a quid in it(or in some of the technology), and there probably is, but to me they are still basically a speedy short range commuter, and i`m sure there where some that invested in betamax too ..

Agree...but why not Ford is my point over and over again....

Originally Posted by mik

as mentioned there are other questions also to be answered that few have mentioned , and few electric car sellers have not volunteered answers !
as the batteries go down in charge does performance drop off?.

I was told that it does not as it has electronics that increase the current as voltage drops off...much the same as laptops...they just pull the pin if you go past a point where batteries can get damaged.

It has plenty of suggestions on the screen to advise you of the most economical speed to get the most range in real time though...

Originally Posted by mik

as the batteries get down in lower state of charge does the vehicle start limiting/cutting out electrical accessories?.

If you select the appropriate mode you can have that, but same as a petrol car it will just stop if you run out of energy.

as with a petrol car if you switch off the aircon and subwoofer you can squeeze more out of it i guess.

Originally Posted by mik

in a hotter or colder climate with the air con/ heater running with wipers and head lights on, stereo/ipod connected, what is the range? one would imagine parts of the electrical s will have fans to cool them down, again questions,.

The more accessories you draw on the less mpg you get same as any other car.

there is far less heaqt in an electric car than a petrol car as a much larger portion of the energy actually gets to the wheels so less heat.

Originally Posted by mik

if you should find yourself getting low on charge and pull into your local servo to borrow a power point, how long would it take to let`s say put 30`k`s worth of charge in to get you home?
according to the tesla page using a 70 amp dedicated outlet it will charge fully 3.5 hours, so using a 15/20 amp plug does that mean 10 hours?.

those times are for a 110v grid supply, we have 240v here so if you kept it at the same amps it would be less than half the time to charge here I assume...

Originally Posted by mik

if you give it a caneing on a track using full power, battery life/range please?.

same as a petrol car, cane it hard enough and you run out of energy a lot quicker....how long is a piece of string?

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Ugg

those times are for a 110v grid supply, we have 240v here so if you kept it at the same amps it would be less than half the time to charge here I assume...

You know what assumption is the mother of......

No it does not work like that. You can't just shove more energy into a battery to make it charge faster. If you could then your phone would be recharged instantly, wouldn't it?

If electric was the solution it would be everywhere as we have had electric vehicles like submarines and various industrial machines for over 50 years.

Tesla is a rich man's toy like a personal jet or segway.

[zilo]

Here is the latest review including 1/4 mile times etc.

Mik....the charge time to 70% depends on which optional range battery pack you buy.


Watch this video...pretty impressive if you have a few minutes to spare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOdsT...ature=youtu.be

[mik]

thanks for taking the time to reply Ugg, it will be interesting to see a bit more testing, that was a nice clip on some very nice tarmac, but a bit more doing the suburbia and outer the burbs hop in the stop start stuff in our extremes of climate on our goat track roads would be interesting, while i`m still not big on battery cars , i have to admit that looks to be the best of the bunch so far.
cheers mik.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by mik

thanks for taking the time to reply Ugg, it will be interesting to see a bit more testing, that was a nice clip on some very nice tarmac, but a bit more doing the suburbia and outer the burbs hop in the stop start stuff in our extremes of climate on our goat track roads would be interesting, while i`m still not big on battery cars , i have to admit that looks to be the best of the bunch so far.
cheers mik.

No probs mik....I don't have shares in them btw...LOL


yeah the one i test drove was just to see what a sporty electric car felt like.

You feel wrecked after a while and feeling lucky to still be alive...not a daily driver

the model "s" as above, is the one to get...(it is also less than half the price.)

[zilo]

Another review of the model "s" showing the 7 seater option etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kCG-...eature=related

[flappist]

That is a 2KVA generator as in about 8 amps not 30 or 70.

You do not seem to understand scale. 1 car = 30 amps for 1 hour 100,000 cars = 3,000,000 amps for 1 hour and we just can't do that. Our power stations are coal not nuclear, they just cannot handle the load.

The thing you don't seem to get is that yes the car works well but the electricity infrastructure in Australia is not designed to work with it so while they are a boutique oddity they will be lots of fun but they cannot be main stream because we cannot support them.

It is similar to the ethanol loonies who rabbit on about renewable energy. If ALL of the cane, wheat and whatever else in Australia was turned into ethanol we only produce enough to power 0.4% of the yearly requirement.

We are decades if not centuries off electric cars being a primary transport medium.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by flappist

That is a 2KVA generator as in about 8 amps not 30 or 70.

You do not seem to understand scale. 1 car = 30 amps for 1 hour 100,000 cars = 3,000,000 amps for 1 hour and we just can't do that. Our power stations are coal not nuclear, they just cannot handle the load.

The thing you don't seem to get is that yes the car works well but the electricity infrastructure in Australia is not designed to work with it so while they are a boutique oddity they will be lots of fun but they cannot be main stream because we cannot support them.

It is similar to the ethanol loonies who rabbit on about renewable energy. If ALL of the cane, wheat and whatever else in Australia was turned into ethanol we only produce enough to power 0.4% of the yearly requirement.

We are decades if not centuries off electric cars being a primary transport medium.

Absolutely not worth engaging you...you are so way off the mark.

A 2kw generator is like carrying a 4L can of petrol....saves pushing the car.

That's the last bit of common sense I'll offer you.

I am sick of shaking my head.