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From: ilovetopgearandcars
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  • 55 miles?!! You should read the TSLA messageboard on Yahoo Finance. The fools in their keep saying it can go 200 miles. I keep pointing out this video and they remain in denial.

  • Porshe made an electric car early in his career, and gave it up for a petrol engine which is much more reliable (and he made and designed great cars from that.) Is Tesla like a repeat of history? Why go back to an old idea that was scrapped?

  • TESLA SUCKS.

    GLORY TO ALL PETROLHEADS, 4EVA. !

  • @GentlemanDriverWorld  BEST COMMENT EVER!!! You have summed up all that the automobile stands for. Amen brother..... AMEN

  • @GentlemanDriverWorld

    It doesn't suck. It's just not for petrolheads like you and me. I highly doubt your mum needs a porsche to do her shopping, nor a 4-door family car taking kids to school and spend driving less than 100 miles a week.

  • @GentlemanDriverWorld well done, you have made petrolheads look like twelve year olds who are skipping school to play with themselves to episodes of Dukes of Hazzard... Maybe try something like "Nothing beats the real steel, glory the V12 madness!" I love the emotion behind your comment, it just kinda makes us all look like dribbling idiots.

  • i <3 him. Size of a watermelon

  • These cars make a whirring turbine-esque noise, not the Indy racing f1 noise that the Top Gear editors decided to throw in there. Thats irritating.

  • The battery powered car is has still got a chance in the near future, as new batterytechnologies emerge such as rechargeable zink-air batteries and nuclear batteries, hell even in the far future perhaps we will see quantum batteries. zink-air stores 3 times the amount that lithium-ion batteries does. The biggest problem today however is batteries loosing capacity over time, and the recharge time is too long. Those problems will hopefully be solved.

  • @brutsi Charging batteries is very inefficient. Most of the charging energy is lost as heat. That's the 2nd law of thermodynamics.

  • @zzap999 in my opinon that energy loss hardly matters becuase electricity is so cheap, most of the energy in traditional fuel ends up as heat in the engine anyways.

  • @brutsi True, only 15% of the gasoline in your car propels the engine. The rest is heat loss. Yet it makes up for that by having a high power to weight ratio than batteries.  A gallon of gasoline is about 6.3lbs. Adding 1000lbs of batteries in the Tesla is counterproductive since only 150lbs of those batteries really propel the car and rest is heat loss and 850lbs of dead weight you need to drag along.

  • @zzap999 That is exactly why new battery technologies are needed for the battery powered car to not suck, i agree that present day batterycars blows blue donkeyballs. new rechargeable zink-air batteries for example has 3 times the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. although its still not enough to beat gas, its a start.

  • All this electric thing seems to be rubbish even with top of the line technology...Besides, your never gonna get backfires , flames and sound of a gasoline powered monster..Its just boring.

  • @Brainiac83

    0 to 60 in 3 seconds is never boring.... :D

  • Awesome car! It's 3 TIMES the cost of a Lotus. I can drive the Lotus around for 60 years before the cost equals that of the Tesla.

  • Which episode is this?

  • @trybal007 Season 12 Episode 7

  • @ilovetopgearandcars

    Thanks brother!

    Cheers!

  • quality sucks

  • i'll guess the electric cars are not ready yet.

  • Electric already exceeds nitro in the RC world, hopefully it won't be long for it to reach the 1:1 scale cars.

  • From what I understand if you have 220V 30/40/50A you can charge it in only a few hours. Most homes in the USA have 220 (Electric dryer plug, oven range plug), so its not a big deal to run a 220V line from the panel to the garage.

  • I hope they improve this car, I really like what they've done with the electric car

  • Tesla Model S is the future! Charges up in only 45 minutes, goes 300 miles, 0-60 in 5.6s, 7 seats, super high tech and hot looking. Price...only 49,000 USD. Please google/YouTube search it, I promise you'll love it!

  • I like it how it says in the description: "If its to good to be true it probably is". Why only probably? You've just said that it is! Also, it's 'too', not 'to'.

  • @mrminimuzza I didn't realize this video was uploaded in the "Education" category. Just kidding. Thanks for the heads up. I'll get that changed

  • @ilovetopgearandcars Haha. Turns out, New Zealanders can be obsessive compulsive sometimes. 

  • Was it just me, or was he really trying hard NOT to be fair? Looks like the Stig drop it hard and didn't try any funny business.

  • I love Jeremy Clarkson, but clearly he's the absolute *worst* person to review this car.

  • Did I hear him say that Tesla Motors said the car can go 200 miles on one charge Yet for the test drive they only got 55 mile on one charge ?

  • @SaraAngelina007 exactly, he'll exagerate it, than make fun of it as fact.

  • Wow, Clarkeson is really full of it. Glad he had to apologize for it on the Guardian later on. fullychargedshow here on youtube has a much more balanced view of the topic.

  • Interesting concept since the future of autos is most likely not petrol. Wherever the future is will arrive sooner though if the American government would stop pumping investment funds into antiquated methods--GM.

  • It's early days - Tesla are just showing it can be done. I think it will be the Germans or Japanese who will come up with something workable we all want to buy and are happy with though - or perhaps the Chinese. Either way the future is bright.

  • Linked this from an answer at yahoo!, glad I did, will settle some arguements I have here in the Detroit area regarding these stupid alternatives.

  • Electric cars are like the Macs of the car world. Only pretentious assholes and idiots with a lot of money would choose one.

  • @PoloniumSmoker Yet secretly all of us p.c users want one

  • Who the hell would be stupid enough to charge it from a "normal" socket? Do you keep a petrol station in your home?

  • @johnwwnny235

    Whould you leave a car at recharging station for 2-8h for "fast" recharge?

    This means:

    1. You need a personal garage or parking that would prowide recharging

    2. Buy a recharger for "fast" refill (if a car doesn't already come bundled with it).

    A replaceble batteries also suck, as they can't be scattered inside car (like in Tesla), so balance and aerodinamics will suffer. And you'll never know if you get a new or exausted ones (those discharge much faster).

  • @SwineNahNah Fair enough, but the basic thing I still took away from this was "WHAT?¿?" - I mean so far the only fast electric car I ever saw was built by Tamiya. Imagine this technology truly mass-produced and you have to ask yourself wtf we're still driving around in petrol cars. I'm no hippy but I'd like my grandchildren to have a couple of trees around.

  • @johnwwnny235

    Oh, don't worry, CO2 doesn't hurt trees, they actually need it. 8D

    I'd like to see green cities. Riga where I live is pretty green already, never thought of it, but then I saw my yard on Google Earth... I can't actually see asphalt, it's almost completely hidden under trees, but could be even greener, with roofs cowered with plants, and small, CHEAP electric cars, perhaps with their own generators (hidrogen or other), not on batteries (if only betaelectric ones come true).

  • @johnwwnny235

    Oh, BTW, just a few days ago I saw on Discovery a program about green tech, one of the inventions was a cheaper technology for production of carbon fiber panels. So, hope for MASS produced greener cars is still there.

    The other way of course is conversion of old conventional cars into electic ones, but this is nor effective nor cheap (could reach over 20k USD for batts only, like it was on Toyota's electic SUV, and more for engine and instalation).

  • @SwineNahNah Type "better place taxi japan" for a look at a working battery swap for a fleet vehicle

  • TopGear are more than biased ! And they cannot even hide it properly. Tesla is the future anyway ... It's a matter of time BP and such stop polluting the world!

  • I looooove this car. Better, than a piece of a "Dobos"-cake, or a Nighmo, or the newest laptop. Adorable!

    And there is the family edition too...or will come in 2012, so they say.

    That 7-passenger (5+2) sugah is also ah-so-sweet!

  • does it really sound like : zzzzzzrrrooooooooooommmmmm ! ???? sound really nice from the outside i think :D or is it sound cliped ? anyone know ?

  • i like it

  • I love Top Gear, but I think both Jeremy and James missed the point completely on the Tesla. Elon Musk is just a wee bit ahead of Top Gear on the scientific validity behind this. As for the Honda Clarity, here's an angle: if it was also plug-in but the power plants were massive versions of its Hydrogen engine where would that leave its BIG IDEA???

  • @plebshadowofra Hydrogen....Still atleast 5 years away by most car producers admissions. They reckon that they can get a family sized hydrogen car near to $50,000 by 2015, this remains to be seen. Then there's the little problem of the millions of dollars it costs to build a hydrogen station, and the fact it costs near enough the same price as petrol/gasoline, oh and the wasted energy trying to manufacture it

  • geez, what a fuckin bad quality!!

  • how long does it take to charge it?

  • 20% full? Yeah right, they would say that wouldn't they. I mean, why the fuck would you give them a test car that's only 20% full? Are they retarded?

  • tesla are a step in the right direction. dont worry better is going to come from this gen

  • i want one

  • And also another point , who gives a shit if the electric comes from coal ... its still 100 times cheaper than petrol and if you charge it over night like you would do then it uses excess power so therefore is carbon nuetral.

    and it does take 16 hours atall it takes about 8 , you cencoring creeps at the BBC

    get a fucking life and go and cry over your stupid crappy like vauxhall corsas

    you freaks

  • @b191191 45 minutes actualy. New nanotitanate Li-Ion batteries take 10 mins off an industrial mains system

  • @b191191 Yes and we all know that wikipedia is 100% accurate 100% of the time

  • @ilovetopgearandcars zing! nice.

    I can imagine the meeting at Tesla. "Should we give them a fully charged car so they can extoll the virtues of our groundbreaking product? Naah...give them a 20% charged one so it fails, then the most watched television show on the planet can rip the shit out of our concept"

  • @ilovetopgearandcars Wikipedia articles are required to cite reliable sources. The links on the bottom of the screen so you can judge wether a specific claim is accurate. There you go genius.

  • @ilovetopgearandcars

    that source came from the guardian newpaper. google tesla top gear. 3rd link, just below the first 2 topgear links. the 5th link refers to the same article.

    You don't have to like electric cars but it is the future transport.

  • @b191191

    Yeah right... Why don't you just put your cheeseburger back into your mouth and accept the very obvious FACT that the Americans can't build a proper car... :D Conventional or electric, if it has wheels the American't will get confused. xD

  • @rock3tcat

    im not actually from america im from england you fat fuck

    i just admiire americans for there determination to produce amazing cars and not compleet poxy peices of shit like robin realients and poxy vauxhall junk

    british hate these tesla roadsters because they still cant get over the fact it doesnt have an 18th century primitive manual gearbox

    ironically if americans dont build proper cars ... why are practially all of there companys still around

  • Now, now, there's no need for intercontinental hostilities around here. :D

    Of course besides the fact that GM recently died, and Ford is having trouble staying alive, all American car manufacturers are as healthy as a Polish hooker.

    And the only reason why Americans don't like a manual gearbox, is because they're too lazy to use them.

    And if the electric car will work, the Germans or probably the Chinese will make them work. Anything but the Americans...

  • @b191191 idiot.... -_-

  • @b191191 Really? you come back with wiki waki? you are joking right?

  • @b191191 lol reliable source dip shit.

  • @b191191

    Yep Wiki-fucking-pedia is the way to go if y'all want accurate intel... xD

  • is that the team captain of the london silly nannys.

  • There great but werent really designed for power through the raceways over and over. But for everyday driving they average 250 miles. and thats not bad at all for average blokes to get to work everyday or make it too a simple 200mi trip. Dont forger you can get a extra battery back which takes 5 mins too swap while you charge the dead on with a quick charge pack

  • Double the battery count, wire them in series and let hell break loose rapidly! I race rc cars so I know it's possible! Mmmmm.......

    burnt capacitors are tasty!!!

  • whats the song at  7.25

  • @daveduznotrull Interpol - 'Untitled'

  • What hark said

  • Under normal driving you will get a hell of a lot more than 55 miles out of this thing. Plus, with a properly equipped charging garage, the charging time is really around 4 hours, not 16 as they say here (according to tesla website). So, basically unless you want to run this thing in an F1 race, the drawbacks mentioned here are really not as big of an issue. Most people could drive a week without charging one of these.

  • @harkinat0r1 tesla has already shown that the cars that they used only drained 20% of their batteries and that this piece is just that......a piece. the bbcs response was this show is just entertainment. so this clip and the entire episode are complete fiction.

  • @harkinat0r1 the point being made is that for the electric car to catch on they need to be as good as petrol-powered cars. if your logic is to dismiss their downsides on the basis that you rarely ever drive more than X kms in a given week, or that you shouldnt drive at more than 100mph etc then we what kind of marketing is that? Seatbelts - who needs those? You rarely crash. Lights? who needs those - most people drive during the day. Being able to drive across europe? who needs that? stay home

  • It doesnt work just yet... the technology will develop. You should watch some of Robert Llewellyn's videos about the tesla.

  • theres too much wait the steering and brakes break alot and 55 miles thats awful

  • I think this car is great and I say well done to America. It's about time you lot produced a decent car!

  • Comment removed

  • The thing I love about American cars is the fact that no matter how terrible it is from a practical stand point, you can't get behind the wheel of a 500HP muscle car and rev the engine without a big smile coming across your face.

  • how about the SSC Aero? Saleen S7?

  • What about them? Fast maybe but other than that, useless.

  • Recent studies have proved that even if an Electric car gets it's electricity from fossil fuel powerplants, it's still more economical than an average car. I'm not an eco-mentalist by a long shot. I love my muscle cars. But I think you have your facts screwed up. Despite my love of muscle cars, I'd love to have a Tesla.

  • Comment removed

  • Uhmm, no. Studies have actually shown that if fossil fuel sources are taken into account, electric cars will end up having an approximately 20 % overall efficiency rating, less than the 25% efficiency rating in a petrol car. The most efficient engine is a diesel, with a 45 % efficeincy rating.

  • @akamola11 Those "statistics" are absolutely bullshit. An internal combustion engine doesn't come close to reaching 10% efficiency. At least 90% of the energy produced during combustion is in the form of thermal radiation. No matter how you slice it, electric engines are going to be allot more efficient, even if you take into consideration line loss and the efficiency of the plant. Also, refining oil and extracting crude takes tonnes of energy, that should be taken into account.

  • Those statistics are bullshit you say ?? I got them from the US department of energy website. Now unless you are a conspiracy theorist who thinks the government totally sucks, then I suggest you should STFU. Otherwise, give me the references for your stats, which I think you have pulled out of Al Gore's ass !! PS, don't electric cars use the energy produced from crude oil ?? Until renewable sources become widespread and readily available to everyone, electirc cars will run on fossil fuels.

  • @Z34teen Im not an eco-person and currently own a car with a twin turbocharged V6 but I will only buy the Tesla when the battery range is increased to 1000 miles and the 45 min quick charge becomes standard.

  • @GunsOfThePhoenix So basically you demand a lot more from an electric vehicle than you would from an ICE vehicle? With the electric one, fuel is extremely cheap, acceleration is considerably faster and there's no service required since there's just one moving part. How often do you drive those 1000 miles in one day, I wonder...

  • @Z34teen I agree completely. im a petrolhead AND environmentally conscious. I got to ride in a t-zero (electric sports car 0-60 4.1 secs look it up) and holy shit. Its not like 4 seconds in a gas car. its immediate. it actually hurts. Also, if i get my way (i'm part of a utility scale renewable energy start up in silicon valley) we'll have more renewable energy in the electric grid soon.

  • @Z34teen yes you are correct

    and the british just cant help themselfs from moving off oil

    its a british myth that its not more economical and even with out proof theres 2 other arguments that blast there stupidity away because there alot cheaper and quieter to run than priced petrol powered cars and also they mean the air on our streets is cleaner too

  • @Z34teen It's important to point out that they're more economical than the average car. However when you compare it to a 2010 Prius, in some cases the Prius is more energy efficient and definitely more cost effective than any of the "mass produced" electric cars ever made (which isn't many). But that's when charging on at least 50% coal, if charged by natural gas combined cycle power plant or nuclear power, then the electric cars are indeed significantly cleaner.

  • @Z34teen 600 % more efficient the fumes are also concentrated in one area where they could be treated instead of pumped the high street, also nano lithium batteries are available now , aprox 10 min charge time : o

  • @rainbowsalads

    And thos batteries cost only... HOLY CRAP?! This is robbery!

    Not to mention, that unlike most tech going into mass producion batteries don't get that much cheaper, because of rare elements needed for their production.

    But you are absolutely right on pullution, it's much more under control if centralised. Besides gasoline/gas/diesel (coal? 8D) cars use only a fraction of power to actually move, quite a lot is used by onboard devices or lost in fricion.

  • @SwineNahNah Lithium isn't rare

  • @eldictator1 especially since we found the afghans sitting on a trillion dollars worth

  • @Z34teen - indeed...even mass produced electricity via fossil fuel is more efficient than fossil fuel driven cars. Given we'll have a lot more nuclear and renewal energy in the future I think Tesla will be remembered as pioneers. Future electric cars will far outperform anything petrol powered today...once again western genius will leave the rest of the world with jaws dropping. Our future energy needs are safe - no more pandering to terror states.

  • @Z34teen yes, proportionally, the tesla car would be like getting 700+ mpg

  • emm lol this video says that it can go 200 miles in one ride

  • your a douche you know

  • Nikola Tesla would be proud.

  • Gear are useless with an electric car.

    The future is auto transmission.....no gears, no sound, all electric or hydrogen.

  • Comment removed

  • "doesn't work in the real world"...yeah because driving high speed around an airfield race track iswhat everyone does.Clarkson where did you pull out the 16 hour charge time....

  • The tesla is marketed as a SPORTScar so driving it fast is what it is about. Electric cars make good city cars,no more.

  • @daterwat666

    Don't be a fucktard please, if a tenth of what let's say Toyota spent last year on development was spent on developing an electric car, it would surpass internal combustion cars in every aspect. Electric cars are the future. And by the way, the future is already here. Just search Tesla Model S on Google.

  • If you knew a bit about science and maths you would not talk such utter crap batteries will never, never equal the joule per kilo of petrol your the fucktard.

  • hmm an electric motor is more efficient than a fuel burner

  • Indeed it is,but batteries will always be a problem because lithium supply is limited and when batteries are disposed of extremely polluting chemicals have to be dealt with. Also with many electric cars vast amounts of electricity will have to be produced.

  • tesla's batteries are recycled up to 80-85 percent , the rest being plastic, which they're working on. Current laws mean that the batteries could even be sent to landfill with no problems of dangerous leakages, compare that to lead acid ones being used in current cars. not vast amounts. Apparently running a tesla is the equivalent to buying 3 plasma tvs and using them for an average amount of time over a year. Petroleum has to use vast amounts of energy to process it, nothings energy free.

  • @daterwat666

    A bit about science and maths? Joule per kilo of batteries? What the fuck is wrong with you? Batteries are not fuel retard, you can't compare those those two things, but for argument's sake let's say you can. Where the fuck did you gather that batteries(+engine of course) will never(?) have a better work capacity/weight? Can you see into the future or something? Better batteries will be developed.

  • @daterwat666

    And your stupid comments about Lithium supply being limited only demonstrate the very tip of the huge fucking mass that is your ignorance, I'm sure. Stop being a fucktard, fucktard.

  • well the test was debunked as fakery, it misled people into thinking it had ran out of juice myself included

  • I'm going to stick with fossil fuels for now; I will check back in twenty years...

  • man just wait till it has some gears! I mean to do that performance on 1 gear is astonishing. And im sure with say a 4 speed gear box it will use less power due to the fact that it wont have to work as hard to take off and get moving.... and accelerate faster with a higher top speed. Its all new technology and i reckon in 10 years these things will be everywhere

  • Gears won't help much. You're thinking about internal combustion engines, which have a narrow power band. Electric motors deliver torque almost independent of rotational speed.

  • @poorcocoboiboi

    i have to dissagree mate. Its a motor that creates power and torque, just like a diesel or a petrol car just with different means. Sure no car in the world can do what this car does on one gear but say a 2 speed will definitely give it better take off in 1st gear and second will give it a higher top speed. its basic engine physics no matter the engine or power outputs/figures.

  • Okay, fair enough; a second gear would help. I forgot about reverse EMFs; but they are still far more civilized than internal combustion engines. You saw how Jeremy went off the line in the Tesla: 100% torque from the get-go. It's impressive!

  • @poorcocoboiboi

    oh deffinatly i mean to do this on one gear is insane

  • @Paiste402 It's electric. Gears are nothing but stupid for a electric car.

  • hmm... i wonder how much British Petroleum paid mr. clarkson

  • What's the music at 6:30?

  • Its Interpol - 'Untitled'

  • I don't know if he is slightly dumb in certain areas of the brain? Gets back handers from oil companies? Or both?

  • I want a gee whiz with a z14 sportbike engine in it

  • Those Tesla performance issues look like they can be solved easily. All it needs is stiffer shocks, a sway bar (look at the sag under acceleration and cornering). Take away the rolling resistance tyres and chuck on some sticky sports ones. At least despite being heavy, then it will handle like a sports car.

  • does anyone know how heavy the engine is?

  • It's not the engine that adds all the weight.. its the battery's.. once that technology gets increased or even gets co developed with using cap's as a quick charging system this has a chance of being a beast...

  • i know

  • because they would have so much money they wouldnt know what to do with it

  • Portable fusion engine. Problem solved. *dusts hands*

  • That is, all energy. You can always get back some of it, but that uses energy too, so in the end you end up with less energy you started with. Energy must come from somewhere. All of our energy is from either the Sun (through oil, coal, vegetation, directly, or wind, etc.) or nuclear (uranium). Nobody likes the idea of a nuclear car, though Ford made a prototype in the 1950s.

  • actually, it is theroretically possible for the tesla to run forever. If the heat produced by the breaks and friction of gears and the tires on the raod was regenereted into energy it would run forever.

    Law of inertia: an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by another force.

    in this case ,friction is the opposing force, if all the heat from friction was converted back into usable energy the tesla would drive forever.

  • No it isn't. Have you heard of the second law of thermodynamics? "the entropy of an isolated macroscopic system never decreases, or (equivalently) that perpetual motion machines are impossible." In other words, there will always be wasted energy that cannot be recovered to produce usable work. The regenerative breaking in the Tesla will waste some of its energy in the form of heat. That heat will radiate into the atmosphere where it will be effectively lost forever.

  • Orbiting planets are in perpetual motion!

  • Comment removed

  • THats why i said THEORETICLY. if your in space and get pushed you will travel forever because there is no opposing forces. if the tesla gets pushed by the motor and the wasted heat is converted in to energy it would be equivilant to have no opposing forces " like in space" and it go forever. However, itwouldbe restricted by its original potential energy value, which is derived from the altitude it started at.

    and that isn't the 2 law of thrmodynmcs. The energy of the UNIVERSE never decreases ..

  • if the tesla ran forever it wouldnt decrease the entropy of the universe. It just would increase the entropy of the universe. And entropy is a tendency , Not a law. So it is THEORETICALLY to decrease the entropy of the universe.

  • no, physics lesson mate

  • Ever heard of Newton's laws? Regenerative braking is used in the Tesla of course, but it's not like you can ever achieve 100% reciprocal motion/energy, ever. You lose it to friction, and simply because to do work, you generate heat that is lost. Even if you could harness the heat lost in the work, you'd still have the problem of basic physics. You can't generate energy by taking it back from what you've generated.

  • Comment removed

  • Im wondering, that if they use generators/alternators on the prop shaft, and each of the wheels, in theory, they should be able to mak a car that produces its own electricity as it drives, therefore making the recharging factor obsolete.Similar to a ramjet, the faster you go, the more electricity you produce. just a thought!

  • @sizzlingandrew

    Yeah, but wouldn't putting generators/altinaors on those areas increase friction and make the electric engine work harder?

  • mmm, maybe, but that can just be counterbalanced with a more powerful motor, which it would need due to the added weight. unforuanetly im not completely clued up on torque friction of alis and gens, but im sure it is possible.

  • thats a terrible idea... newtons first law: energy can neither be created or destroyed..

    you proposing a vehicle that can creates its own energy

  • No in all fairness the Tesla they got was pre-production, from what I understand of the production model, they have resolved the battery issues. (It used to lose energy when parked because a radiator fan would keep running.)

  • @YNot1989 I did not know that. Thanks for letting me know that. I need to revise the video. I'm glad I know this now because i really like this car.

  • Don't worry, the Top Gear folks just wanted to show what would happen if the Tesla ran out of batteries. Same as any car that ran out of gas. And, like any petrol vehicle, if you handle it roughly you're going to kill the fuel efficiency.

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