[gerd1022]

http://www.teslamotors.com/models/index.php

Anyone seen this yet??

the claims are absurd... 300 mile range, that means about 90 kwh of batteries at 300 wh/mile (big heavy car), even at 100% efficient charging, that would pull 140 amps out of 480V wall power if you wanted to fully charge in 45 minutes...

gimme a break(er)...

[Wirecutter]

I showed this to a wiseass coworker who's a bit into EVs also.

Just because you don't have a 67kW outlet at your house doesn't mean the car can't draw the juice.

So all you have to do is wire a couple of houses in series and you should just about be able to completely charge the Tesla S in 45 minutes. Just make sure the houses aren't powered from the same "pole pig" transformer from the electric utility. (you'd get a dead short)

-Mark

[JRP3]

To be fair I don't think they said anything about a quick charge at your home, and the 300 mile range may be at a reduced speed, so it could average less than 300wh/mi, which means the battery pack wouldn't need to be as large.

[gerd1022]

you're right but still misleading to the average consumer looking at the website.


"The standard battery will be made up of 5,500 lithium-ion cells, each a little larger than a standard AA battery, all linked together and fused and cooled for heat protection and to isolate any cells that might act up.



The 220-mile pack will have 8,000 cells (the Tesla Roadster pack has 6,800) and the 300-mile pack will also have 8,000 but they will be of an advanced lithium chemistry that enables them to store and release more energy than the smaller packs."


from: http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradv...it-begins.html

the roadster battery is 53 kWh, @375V. it seems that the 220-mile pack is the same chem at the roadster meaning about 62kWh, so that means about 281Wh/mile... i was pretty close in my guess.

Your right though, driven conservatively, you could most likely do better. At least the range specification seems reasonable then...

[Wirecutter]

Actually, this is all typical Tesla hype. I watched the progress of the Tesla Roadster for 3 years before they ever shipped a car to an actual customer. (As opposed to a major investor or the company CEO) IMHO, Tesla has a well established history of over-promising and under-delivering. Don't misunderstand me - if Tesla actually delivers what they claim - well that's really something. There are plenty of hundred-thousand-dollar cars, and I see them all the time on the road. But aside from videos and auto shows, how many here have actually seen a Tesla on the road?

Fast charging and long range are tough problems to crack. Charging an electric vehicle is in some ways analogous to an ICE vehicle having to wait for the fuel to be refined before putting it in the tank. I don't think it's likely that EVs are going to be able to "refuel" as fast as ICE vehicles until EV refueling involves pack-swapping. You already see this in the hobby RC world. You don't have an RC car and just one battery pack - you have at least one spare.

There's been talk of a distant future where a whole "pack-swapping" infrastructure (i.e. the EV "gas station") exists, but that's a ways off just yet. I hope I live long enough to see it...

-M

[JRP3]

Let's see, Tesla has built a ground breaking EV the like of which has never been seen. It's brought more positive publicity to EV's as viable transportation than any other vehicle. At this time they've delivered about 200 or so cars to the public and their entire production run is already sold out. Were there problems along the way, sure, and will there be more, most likely, but the bottom line is they are doing what they set out to do.
Battery swapping and even fast charging become less and less necessary as pack range increases, especially since the logistics of both, especially swapping, are unreasonable. A 300 mile pack is already possible with today's technology, in a few years 400 miles should be possible for a reasonable cost, so who really needs to drive more than that in one day without stopping? That tiny number of people can keep driving ICE's, or PHEV's.

[San_Carlos_Jeff]

Originally Posted by Wirecutter

But aside from videos and auto shows, how many here have actually seen a Tesla on the road?

I drive by Tesla's headquarters every evening on the way home from work so over the last year plus have seen a number of test vehicles (big wire harnesses coming from the back of the car into the cockpit) and cars on what look like test drives for customers. So far I've seen about five out driving in the wild. They may be behind on their shipments, but slowly they're getting out there.