You would start with a full charge and would swap (instead of refuelling) likely only two more times.

The max number of swaps, battery sizes, min pack weight might be regulated.

Re the 567 whrs/mi — Quite a bit of that was expended in slow speed intervals to get various road/tire noises, or doing tight “skid-pad” like exercises that worked the tires hard, but were relatively slow speed and closer to autocross demand on the battery than full racing. So the time spent in those sessions likely brought the average whr/mi “down” a lot. Running laps on a road course (near-constant full accelleration interrupted by short periods of hard braking) would undoubtedly use quite a bit more than 567 whrs/mi. Also, to make the car useable for racing would require quite a bit more cooling capacity to solve the engine-overheat issue, which would also use energy. So my personal opinion is that we are still at least one battery-technology generation away from a race car (of anything close to the Roadster’s weight) that could run a typical 30-40 minute SCCA sprint race.

“I reset the “trip” meter before the day began and checked it again when we were done, with just enough charge remaining to get home — 567 whrs per mile! Yikes! But what a fun way to use up electrons. ”

567Wh / mile. This would be something you could possibly see in real-world racing event (adding more powerful regen-brakes etc.). That gives Roadster about 100 mile operating radius. Pretty impressive, but is only about half of what is needed for for example full-length F1 race.

Keep up the good work! I’m saving up for a Model S! Can’t wait!

Tesla with its 39 Kwh battery gives it s range of about 250 miles. Compare the efficiency and range to the Chevy Volt.

The problem with Cobalt chemistry is cycle life (around 200 to 300 cycles), overheats, $700/kwh and you can understand why Telsa has had to be bailed out. Once owners found out the battery pack needed to be replaced after a couple of short years at a reported cost of $25K sales crashed and there are more used ones up for sale than in showrooms.

“J” I believe you are mistaken by the amount of charges the battery pack can take by a factor of ten. The life cycle for the Tesla batteries is 2000 to 3000 charges. The only limiting factor to these figures is how many times the batteries are deep-discharged. If the battery pack is charged every night, and most everyone I’ve heard about does this, then the batteries aren’t deep-discharged constantly. Thus, the battery pack life is extended well beyond the 200 to 300 charges you claim. Given the 2000 to 3000 charges, the batteries should last at least 5 1/2 to 6 years before needing relacement or 100,000 miles. I also think that Tesla is advertising the replacement battery pack at around $12k; less than half the figure you’re quoting.

Also, almost all the roadsters delivered are being kept by their owners unless financial hardships are forcing them to sell, or as related in the blog, they find they can sell them for more than was paid for them. Who would want to sell such a fun car to drive unless forced to do so? The only other reason I could find would be to sell the original version to buy the roadster 2 model!

That being said, here you have a company that has shown what can be done and the other manufacturer’s still aren’t jumping on the bandwagon, so anything else is just a compromise to the oil companies and a feel-good reassurance to the public that they are going “green”. All electric is the way to go so doing anything else, read “hybrid vehicle”, ICE plus electric is just a waste of time and money.

Tesla hasn’t been “bailed out” either. They recieved a loan from the DOE for $465 million to develope the S sedan and to further the battery technology. The bailouts went to GM and Chrysler so they could move through bankruptcy and emerge smaller, with less debt (Other than what is owned by the government). Personally, I wouldn’t want an auto from a company owned by the government and can’t wait to purchase an S sedan.

I believe (but I could be wrong) that the battery in the Roadster is 52/53 KwHrs. Of course that doesn’t detract from it’s energy efficiency.

It would be nice if Telsa Motors added that information in the technical specs. Especially since they’re going to be offering three battery options for the Sedan. Of course, that info might already be added somewhere and I just haven’t found it yet.

I have wondered if a speculator’s grey market could develop, with people making down or full payments for reservations of Roadsters, Sportsters, and Mod-Ses and then selling them at a premium when delivery time was getting close (maybe even eBay auction, or SLT) to people who just CAN’T wait for delivery!

Tesla with its 39 Kwh battery gives it s range of about 250 miles. Compare the efficiency and range to the Chevy Volt.

The problem with Cobalt chemistry is cycle life (around 200 to 300 cycles), overheats, $700/kwh and you can understand why Telsa has had to be bailed out. Once owners found out the battery pack needed to be replaced after a couple of short years at a reported cost of $25K sales crashed and there are more used ones up for sale than in showrooms.

posted on this site: www.solarpowerforum.net/forumVB/showthread.php?t=961&page=4

Another reason for the high cost is that as a small company with limited production facilities, Tesla needs a substantial profit on each car sold to pay back the development costs and grow the company.

But take heart, the profit and technical knowhow derived from the $120,000 Roadster is enabling Tesla to design a less expensive $50,000 “Model S” sedan, and bigger facilities to produce the Model S more efficiently and in greater quantities. Profits and knowhow from that 2nd car will be used to develop and produce their 3rd model which Tesla hopes to sell at a price below $30,000. So be patient, in a few years there will be EVs affordable to most people.

# GM and Ford do not and will not come close to this.

And apparently, according to recent news, neither does/will Chrysler, despite their much-hyped EV program (and the pile of cash they got from Uncle Sam to develop it further).

While everyone else is “delivering” nothing but hot air and vapor — and asking the taxpayers to give them lots of money in exchange for their seemingly empty promises — Tesla has the real goods and is busy delivering THEM to happy customers such as Mr. Brechner.

I’m only sorry that Tesla ever went, hat-in-hand to government for a loan. I suspect they might have been able to float bonds or other securities in the public markets, to raise as much or more money than they got from Uncle Sam, with a lot less red tape or strings attached. As much as I have wanted to own shares of Tesla stock for years, I think the last thing they want to do is become a publicly traded company, which would force them into a punishing accounting regimen and potentially turn the company over to outside interests who have little or no appreciation, either for fine cars or the EV dream. Stay independent as long as you can, Tesla. Recent investments by Daimler are probably as far as you dare go in the present climate. Good luck. I hope that, by the time you can produce a Model-S for me, I can afford it.

Can’t wait for the sedan. Keep up the good, customer-focused work, Tesla!

Thanks.

It would be great to know more about the solar energy installation that you did. Have you written about it on any other websites? In particular - the installation price, important issues you had to consider, whether it works all year round, how long it takes to charge to full.

I’ve ordered a Model S for delivery in about 18 months and would love to charge it with solar like you are doing.

Thanks for your story.

You can use technology related to this to power electric cars and devices without plugging them in, just park them within a few feet of these devices.

I know many would say this is crazy so why bother but Teslas last experiment was to broadcast electricity by magnetic fields before he died and the American government shut it down and dismanteled it.
So besides all the rest, A Plus is that teslas idea of broadcasting electricity has now been redone and works. (I saw a tv turning on and running that has a receptor plate at the back and was 10 feet away from the power source with no connections. It can be made small enough to fit on a cell phone)
So these technologies are available.

Plus, also interesting, is using magnetic fields you can elevate materials in a magnetic field. Levatating a piece of metal a few inches off the ground and it can sit in mid air all day. I do this science project to amuse children in my classes. No amount of oil can do that or has the energy to do that. So magnetic field technology has infinite energy potential and almost infinite life span while the energy of oil is very finite and very short lived.

So im afraid that THE TIME OF OIL IS OVER.

So those who insist on keeping to oil are pathetic and sadly small brained Cro-Magnons.

Oil has now no more that a few months of use left and will never be used as a major driver of industry again.

Jesus is the one who gives wisdom so everyone should go to church and say Jesus save me, help me to not have such a pathetic small brain. Help me to know what we should do now and in the future.

Carl, the Roadster was winter tested in Arvidsjaur, Sweden, where it gets cold enough to drive around on the lakes:
www.teslamotors.com/blog4/?p=55#more-55
If you can, watch the videos there, it shows just how well the anti-lock braking system works.

Also, Tesla did testing in an environmental chamber to make sure the heating and cooling and the rest of the car works properly in all climates, including very cold climates:
www.teslamotors.com/blog4/?p=43

For other two energy gain is negligible and cost is high and they increase complexity of the concept, so it is better to just put in bigger battery for that price.

I can now literally say that the Tesla is the car of my dreams. Why? Because last night, I dreamed that I was in a group of people, standing in a long line in a large, white room. From somewhere near the back of the room, someone called out, “What kind of car do you want?” One-by-one, the people in line called out their choice. When my turn came, I said, loudly and clearly, “A Tesla! — are you kidding?” Then I woke up.

Unfortunately, when I looked out the window, I saw the usual Ford Taurus in our spot. Oh well…

Eric

“Within the comment “Everybody stands on someones shoulders” it should be stated, that if Tesla engineered a superb electric automobile based on prior developments, then where have the big three been all these years?”

Slipping off the shoulders they had been standing on?

I think the whole reason why big three were in trouble was in sort-sightness of the leadership. I guess leadership of those companies consist of few dinosaurs and fossils that can’t see where world is going. They were there just to make quick buck.

I mean that *everyone* else was already planning on changing to electric future when big three were making huge gas-guzzlers to US market. Now there is GM Volt which is apparently designed by monkeys and researched by looking at what other people are doing. It wont help. Too ugly and too inefficient. I’d rather have new Prius. Or Type S (obviously, but it costs more).

Within the comment “Everybody stands on someones shoulders” it should be stated, that if Tesla engineered a superb electric automobile based on prior developments, then where have the big three been all these years? We/they didn’t learn their lesson in 1973 with the oil embargo, or the rescession of 1981, so will they learn from the oil price hikes of 2008? Probably can’t. If it takes a small startup like Tesla to show the way with what can be done, then everyone will benefit down the road. Personally, I think big oil is too deep into the big three’s pockets to let them stray too far away from the ICE auto’s. It was just a matter of time before someone put all the necessary engineering together to get the results we’re seeing now. I expect that in 20 years or so, we’ll be seeing nothing but electric vehicles as the price/volume comes down and around.

In short, Tesla Motors isn’t interested.

You could break through the next limit. You should balance applying THIS: www.perendev-power.com/autopack.htm

This is produced for vehicle manufacturers to implement in their cars. I am not a member of Perendev or partners.

This T-Zero was just “proof of concept”, idea behind it is much older. At least I have figured that out way before T-Zero was made, it isn’t rocket science to make up that idea. I bet there are thousands of people around world that have figured that same out individually.

Roadster is based on that idea, just like everything is based on some idea that is older than thing that realizes it. And Elon Musk made that realization possible. Not Mark Tarpenning or Martin Eberhard.

Ted Rauenbuehler: AltairNano batteries have high power, a long service life and good heat resistance, but are much more expensive and have much lower energy density, compared to the batteries Tesla Motors chose. If the Roadster had used AltairNano batteries, the price would be nearly doubled and the driving range reduced from 244 miles to 162 miles. Tesla Motors does not plan to use AltairNano batteries, unless the price drops and the energy density improves considerably.

Mark Miller; Adding the extra weight of a motor to the wheels would reduce responsiveness in handling, not a good idea in a sports car. The rough and dirty environment at the hub of a wheel makes it much more difficult and more expensive to achieve good reliability. Also, having 4 separate wheel motors would cost more than one motor and differential. There are some applications where wheel motors makes sense, a sports car isn’t one of them.