New 100% Electric Car - will solve global warming

[Rusher]

Cool stuff. There's also a clip in the link showcasing this baby. Now I'm gonna check out "Who Killed Electric Car" (movie).

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/07...-santa-monica/

Fellow bloggers from our greasemonkey brother site Jalopnik got a first peek tonight at the much-anticipated Tesla Roadster, an electric-powered road rocket that can travel from 0-60 in four seconds with a top speed of 130mph. Singing the body electric is a 182-kilowatt AC-induction motor, a rear-mounted power plant drawing its energy from 6800 lithium ion batteries. Even though that engine's barely audible, it's capable of rotating at an astonishing 13,500rpm before it even gets close to the redline.

It's packed with lots of humble off-the-shelf components, yet we're hearing the vehicle might cost in the neighborhood of $100K. It takes 3.5 hours to charge up those thousands of batteries, and on a full charge it can keep on going and going, quick like a bunny, for 250 miles. Looks like lots of fun to drive, where its two forward gears let you enjoy that flat torque curve you can only get with an electric motor. Now if you'll just lend us $99,995, we'll be on our way. – Charlie White

[Skysooner]

And electricity comes from.......coal, natural gas, and sometimes diesel being burned.

[mrowl]

And electricity comes from.......coal, natural gas, and sometimes diesel being burned.

If I remember the facts from the movie, if everyone in california drove an electric car, and the power was produced in california, than greenhouse gases would drop 35%

And over time would drop even more due to renewable energy sources being installed in Cali.

[GottaHavePride]

Unless you're near a dam or a nookyular plant.

[IronSooner]

And electricity comes from.......coal, natural gas, and sometimes diesel being burned.

Yup. Which makes me curious about that guy's statement that you could get a solar panel option to make it "energy positive". I wasn't aware that you could generate that much energy from solar panels. However, if you could find a way to charge it either overnight, or better yet on the road, that would go a long way in marketing.

[mrowl]

(again from the movie)

The cost of operating an ev1 today, would have been $.03 cents a mile.

[Vaevictis]

And electricity comes from.......coal, natural gas, and sometimes diesel being burned.

It ain't 100%, but the main thing about electric cars is that, compared to internal combustion engines, steam turbines are usually 2 (common) to 3 (uncommon) times more efficient in converting the heat from combustion into electricity, and because of their centralized nature, you can potentially install more effective emissions controls (if you wanted to).

I don't know about this whole "will solve global warming" claim, but it would certainly help.

[jeremy885]

I don't know about this whole "will solve global warming" claim, but it would certainly help.

So would new nuclear power plants.

[OUinFLA]

Yup. Which makes me curious about that guy's statement that you could get a solar panel option to make it "energy positive". I wasn't aware that you could generate that much energy from solar panels. However, if you could find a way to charge it either overnight, or better yet on the road, that would go a long way in marketing.

Paging Ike.
Ike? Ike?
we need the solar panel lecture again, as Im to lazy to search for it.

[OUinFLA]

Tesla Motors unveiled their uber-chic Roadster, a supercharged electric vehicle that looks, feels and drives like many other high-end sports cars Wednesday night. The main difference is the noise. Powered by a 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction motor, the Roadster can go 130 mph and does 0-60 in about 4 seconds, all completely silent

I'd bet that would snap some necks.

[SCOUT]

Make that car in a 4-door and at a relatively reasonable price and I would buy one tomorrow.

[etouffee]

Make that car in a 4-door and at a relatively reasonable price and I would buy one tomorrow.

I think I'd want to know how often those thousands of batteries have to be replaced, and what that would cost, before I committed to buying.

[TedUjam]

I think I'd want to know how often those thousands of batteries have to be replaced, and what that would cost, before I committed to buying.

From the Tesla website:

Tesla Roadster Specifications*
Style 2-seat, open-top, rear-drive roadster
Drivetrain Electric motor with 2-speed electric-shift manual transmission with integral differential
Motor 3-phase, 4-pole electric motor, 248hp peak (185kW), redline 13,500 rpm, regenerative "engine braking"
Chassis Bonded extruded aluminum with 4-wheel wishbone suspension
Brakes 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS
Acceleration 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds
Top Speed Over 130 mph
Range 250 miles EPA highway
Battery Life Useful battery life in excess of 100,000 miles
Energy Storage System Custom microprocessor-controlled lithium-ion battery pack
Full Charge As short as 3.5 hours

[sooner_born_1960]

I don't see towing capacity listed anywhere.

[Norm In Norman]

I kinda like this technology in the meantime:

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/technology/r...velopments.htm

[Vaevictis]

So would new nuclear power plants.

Heh, nuclear power plants might help less than you would think. Water vapor is a greenhouse gas too. :/ (seriously) On the plus side, water vapor doesn't stay in the atmosphere nearly as long as methane, carbon dioxide, etc.

[OUinFLA]

I kinda like this technology in the meantime:

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/technology/r...velopments.htm

Wow, I would go for one of those as my company's delivery vehicle.
Seems by the links that they have been developing that for a few years.
Wonder why the holdup getting them into SUVs and Vans?

Ive been looking at a Dodge Sprinter, but this sounds even better !

[IronSooner]

I wonder how long it'll take before they convert post office jeeps, UPS/DHL/etc trucks and buses to hybrids. As much as they stop and go you'd think that'd make a dent.

It seems like Tulsa played up their using CNG in buses years ago but I don't remember whatever happened to that.

[Norm In Norman]

Wow, I would go for one of those as my company's delivery vehicle.
Seems by the links that they have been developing that for a few years.
Wonder why the holdup getting them into SUVs and Vans?

Ive been looking at a Dodge Sprinter, but this sounds even better !

Well, in one of those pdfs they show it in an explorer or something. It's really cool technology and can be plugged into any truck replacing the transmission. Well, or so they seem to think.

[hurricane'bone]

I wonder how long it'll take before they convert post office jeeps, UPS/DHL/etc trucks and buses to hybrids. As much as they stop and go you'd think that'd make a dent.

It seems like Tulsa played up their using CNG in buses years ago but I don't remember whatever happened to that.

They still use them..along with some diesel/electric hybrids