AutoblogGreen drives the Tesla Roadster

[1888junkteam]

excellent work!

[Basketballism]

Please invest your cars in Philippines. We raely need to clean our environment.

Thank you.

[edstar83]

You heard wrong fool.

[tipoomaster]

Soon to face stiff competition from the Smart Fortwo ED.

LOL JK!

[euskadi71]

"..... and btw theyre iraqis, not arabs. "

You are truly the biggest idiot on the internet.

[euskadi71]

Cool, but how long will the 1000 lb battery last and how much will a replacement cost?

[geneticmistake]

They last about 6 years and cost about $1000 to replace.

[Gwynne66]

From what I've heard, the battery pack lasts about two years and costs about $80,000 to replace.

[Nichen]

BULLSHIT Gwynne66. Who do you work for, Exxon Mobil? You should be sent to a prison for lying about the Tesla batteries.

[Gwynne66]

I don't work for any oil company, I just report what I've read about the battery life and cost.

[Nichen]

Yeah well we´ll see whose right. Tesla themselves say 7 years and they have a pricetag of 12 000 $ NOT 88 000 $ as you claim. If you know anything about lithium-ion batterytechnology you would know that they last 5+ years (in this case 7) if they are running at optimal temperature which is the case with the Tesla Motors setup.

[Gwynne66]

If the battery pack really retails for $12k, Tesla wouldn't have to charge $120k for the car.

I also know enough about Li-ion batteries to know that in the real world, they rarely stay at the optimal temperature and when they go through the full charging cycle, (as they will do quite frequently with teh Tesla) that shortens the life even more.

Laptop Li-ion batteries are lucky to last even half of your hypothetical 7 year lifespan and most of them do less than even that.

[Nichen]

In the Tesla case they DO stay at the optimal temperature because the Tesla Roadsters have an onboard controller which keeps the battery pack cool or heated depending on outside temperature, even when the car is turned off.

[Gwynne66]

What's the effective operating temperature range for the battery pack's HVAC system?

And if you parked a Tesla in a shopping mall in Phoenix, Arizona in direct sunlight with an air temperature of 120F, even if the cooling system could keep pace with that... wouldn't it dramatically reduce the range of the vehicle?

[Gwynne66]

As an, occasional-use, short-range commuter car for wealthy posers, the Tesla might be suitable but it isn't anywhere near ready for mainstream use.

[moosedinner]

Since when is ANY $100k car ready for mainstream use?

The Tesla Roadster isn't meant to be an everyman's car. It's an experiment in design.

When you buy a $100k car, you are paying not only for the components but also the research that went into them; you'd be hard-pressed to find a car with more research behind it than this. So your unsubstantiated claim that the battery must be $80k looks very weak. The car is $100k because they can sell it for that amount; there's a waiting list to but it.

[Gwynne66]

Hard pressed? You'd be hard-pressed to find a car that had LESS research behind it that this. Any car produced by a small-volume manufacturer always has less research behind it than those made by a mainstream manufacturer. More money is spend by GM or Toyota designing a door than Tesla spent on the entire vehicle.

Also, do you think they're going to sell replacement battery packs at their cost? Don't be ridiculous.

[moosedinner]

Money is not the same as research. I highly doubt you know the dollar figures of research spent by ANY car company, much less three, and there's no way unless you've worked for all three that you know how much they spend on researching door design. You are fabricating evidence.

Who says they're selling them at cost? Just because you "heard" this idea that the batteries are $80k, doesn't mean that Tesla isn't making a substantial profit by selling them for around $20k.

[Gwynne66]

Money is NOT the same as research. Still, there isn't a lot of reasearch behind the Tesla. Lotus did all the hard work for them - it is the chassis technology that came out of their M111 project (known to the outside world as the Lotus Elise) that made the Tesla possible. The millions spent by Lotus and the Danish Hydro Aluminium firm dwarf what Tesla spend on their car. More reasearch time and money probably went into devleoping the adhesives to bond the chassis than was spent on the Tesla.

[Gwynne66]

p.s. You don't actually have to work for a car company personally to know how things work. But since you ask, I work in the engineering field and I know people who have worked for various car companies... GM, Hyundai, Ford, Lotus, TVR, etc. Plus, this is an area of personal interest for me so I know more than a little about how things are done in both garden-shed operations like Tesla, small-volume companies like Lotus and TVR as well as the big guys like GM and Hyundai.

[moosedinner]

You're still not providing dollar figures for any of the claims you've made. I wonder why that could be.

The point I was trying to make is that $100k is not a lot of money to spend for a car that performs like the Tesla Roadster, considering what similar cars are going for. I don't know why you think the battery costs $80,000, and you aren't explaining yourself.

Lotus having done a lot of research for the Tesla doesn't mean the research wasn't done. The customer still has to pay for that.

[Basseman88]

You are absolutely right. Tesla has given a price on a battery replacement and it's more like to cost around $15.000.

$80.000 is way to high. Upon replacement they will dispose the old lithium battery in a correct manor which, by the time it will be necessary to do this, they will have improved this process substantially.

The Tesla is a great car. I've driven it a few times and will be receiving my/our Signature model within two weeks - amongst the first 10 cars in europe!

[EinBick]

@Basseman88 Can I know where you from in Europe? Cause I think I saw one in our Town

[moosedinner]

You're still not providing anything resembling hard evidence for your claim that the battery lasts about two years and costs $80k. Stop dodging the question.

$100k isn't an unusually high cost for a car like the Tesla Roadster considering the performance, efficiency and uniqueness. The fact that the whole car costs $X doesn't mean that any particular part costs any particular dollar amount, so quit pretending there's some inherent link and dodging the quesiton. Give some hard facts.

[Gwynne66]

I never *claimed* the battery lasts two years and costs $80k, that's just what I've heard. The lifespan isn't surprising considering temperature variations and the fact that Li batteries don't like to be deep-discharged.

But no, $100k is an unusually high price for a car with the Tesla's performance considering you get can get any number of cars for less money that will keep up with it on the track or in real-world driving.

This is basically a vanity project for Elon Musk.

[moosedinner]

You're still not providing a source for the $80k figure or the 2 year lifespan. You say that you read this, but provide no source and for whatever reason hold fast to these numbers despite sources to the contrary.

Their 244 mile range is more than enough for most people's use. Tesla says the battery should last 500 cycles, each one being 244 miles. Even if the battery lasts only 300 cycles and each cycle takes the car 200 miles, that's still 60,000 miles, more than most would drive in 2 years.

[Gwynne66]

Forgive me if I have trouble taking Tesla's claims at face value. They turned out to be wrong about the release dates, their manufacturing capacity, their transmission and the range. They originally claimed a 200+ mile range but with the sort of energetic driving that people buying a car like the Tesla will likely be doing... I find the 200 mile range to be optimistic to the point of being hallucinatory. When Top Gear tested the car, they found that on their track it had a range of 55 miles.

[Gwynne66]

As I said before... I never *claimed* anything. If you'll look at my original post, I simply repeated what I had heard. I'm perfectly willing to be shown that I'm wrong about the price.

But it scarecely matters... even if I wanted to spend $100k on a car, it would never be on a Tesla.

There are any number of cars available that perform better and/or are more exclusive and for less money than the Tesla.

Let Hollywood posers and Al Gore III drive it, they're the target market.

[Gwynne66]

Also, one of the reasons the Tesla is so expensive is because the project was so badly run. For example, right before they were going to release the car to the public, Elon Musk's wife took a ride in it and decided she didn't like the door sill. So they had to redesign the car so she could get in and out of the car in a short skirt without showing her knickers to bystanders. Women have had this problem with the Lotus Elise since 1996 - it shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone.

[hachicontrol]

Keep in mind, this is a sportscar, for the rich.

There is some rumor that Tesla Motors are working on a sedan model.

[tipoomaster]

not a rumor, its true.

[unique7117]

who ever says that whats the point of buying this car at this price. ITS not because I want to save petrol. ITS because of these greedy bastards at the petrol stations. how much does it piss you off when you only buy about $40 worth of petrol and the petrol gauge is only a quarter full and only takes you about 150km?!

down with OIL!!!

[One5thOfWhiskey]

How true. It would be worth it simply knowing the money was going some other place, rather than contributing to some CEO's $400,000,000.00 bonus. Piss on big oil, forever.

[insightllc]

@unique7117 TESLA MADE EARTHQUAKES IN 1899.

SEPTEMBER 3, 1899

SEPTEMBER 6, 1899

SEPTEMBER 9, 1899

"IF YOU ONLY KNEW THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THE THREE, THE SIX AND THE NINE... THEN YOU WOULD HAVE A KEY TO THE UNIVERSE."

-NIKOLA TESLA

(AFTER CAUSING 1899 CAPE YAKATAGA AND YAKUTAY BAY EARTHQUAKES FROM COLORADO SPRINGS)

111 YEAR OLD RIDDLE SOLVED BITCHES. THAT IS WHY YOU CAN'T DATE THAT QUOTE. THAT IS WHY HE ELUDES RECOGNITION. THAT IS THE SIMPLE TRUTH THEY DILUTE WITH CONSPIRACY.

-CMS 2010

[DBSpy1]

@unique7117 Its not the gas stations, its the big guys that run big oil. At least blame the right people, or nothing will ever change.

[floatinsun]

well...the idea of making an alternative fuel car is because the gas is expensive, not just the worry of emission, but if the car costs 100000$ then whats the point of buying this car,can a common man afford? this is like Maglev train, the expense for building the track which runs to billions of dollars, questions the requirement of the technology! Tomorrow you and me may design solar powered car for 1 million $ will u buy it ?

[routybouty]

It's a first of it's kind, it's going to be expensive. It's a way of showing what can be down and when you can mass produce a calmer version with competition, they will get cheaper and cheaper.

Anything first is expensive. Remember computers? How cheap are they now? Anyways, it's performance is similar to a Lambo and how much more are those?!

[jasperduf]

This car is a badass....Its time to kick some arab butt!

[BeNGALi4LFE]

watr u talkn about we're the ones that went invaded iraq in the first place. and btw theyre iraqis, not arabs.

[jasperduf]

I was pointing UAE,soudi arabia and countries like that....coz they are the big guys in oil export.they r arabs...what i mean is we need to kick their butt by introducing green fuel and vehicles which is good for our planet.Tesla is very expensive but there is a hope and soon we will see afordable air cars.I didnt say anything about iraq bytheway thatz a different subject.

[NeoNinja7]

FUCK OPEC!

[Inmate527]

What do you mean Arab butt? We get most of our gas from Nigerians and Mexicans.

[szester]

i lol'd

[Zrmanja1980]

THANKS TO TESLA! very cool

[warinergray]

Yeah, then climate change denying idiot Jeremy Clarckson will try his best to hate it, but will have to admit its damn fast.

[schumisatokubica]

cant wait for Top Gear to review this one

[4AWD]

Eso SI es respeto al medio ambiente!!!

[rccardude04]

Once electric technology is refined enough, I think the torque will be unbelievable. The top end will come around, but from my experience with r/c vehicles, the literally nearly unlimited torque capabilities of brushless (3-phase ac motors basically) are going to surpass IC engines by a long shot.

The trick is getting the price down... :)

-Eric

[EETechs]

Electric AC and DC motors have always had more torque than gasoline engines for YEARS (think back to the 1920's). Ever worked in an industrial environment before? The are tons of industrial 3-phase and DC motors running 24/7 in such environments that put gas engines to shame in the torque department. So what is holding us back is battery tech and price not motor torque.....

[rccardude04]

Yeah I agree. If I remember right, the Tesla car is the first to use the A123 Li-Ion cells, which are extremely high discharge as well as naturally non-volatile and low maintenance.

I think this is where a lot of the Tesla's price tag comes from, aside from the obvious development costs.

-Eric

[DRFTBling711]

yea this would be much cheaper now especially with gas prices rising every day. I read about this car in a magazine a couple years ago. Doesn't it use like 1,000 lap top batteries stacked on top of each other or something? or equivalent to that?

[Deltie]

for 2 cents a mile, thats fking good.

Hope to these massed produced in the future, so itll go down to at least a reasonable 30-40k.

[absolute141]

cause you've gotta start somewhere. they know people are willing to pay for it... one they've got themselves established, factories built, the technology refined, that's when a broader range of cars will come.

[Zdaytona05]

and you drive 125+ on a daily basis? dumbass

[ArcticSheep]

cry, whine and moan all you want. i will be laughing at you when you get stuck in the middle of a highway because you can't afford any more fuel. the roadster is a great innovative car and you know it.

[rccardude04]

Yeah, it appears to be more about quick acceleration and agile handling.

Typical European (or whatever the hell you are) with a stuck up attitude assuming that everyone else is a lesser being.

Grow up faggot

[plasticboob]

I'm American, and a faggot. Now suck it hard since you seem to be so interested in my sexuality. Go play with your "grown up" RC cars and leave the 150+mph cruising to the real deal.

[rccardude04]

lol...

Sorry about the name calling. I was in a bad mood.

Where exactly do you drive 150+?

-Eric

[plasticboob]

Haha, it's okay man, it's only the internet. I've been called a lot worse! I didn't mean to make fun your hobby either. You're right though, that people never really go 150+, but I'm sure once in a while on open highways or on the way to Vegas, it happens. ;) Of course I personally wouldn't know, I never go past 65! :x Despite my criticisms I still think this is a cool car.

[rccardude04]

Apparently it is possible to argue in a civil fashion on youtube. LOL

-Eric

[tiffelau168]

hahah! "Stealth Mode"

[quencho092]

I think its the best approach. Market to high income rich people to get the product off the floor and in relatively low volumes, generate fan boys in high places, then slowly integrate more practicality and lower price.

It makes them less likely to have their factory burned to the ground by 'accident'.

[mkeeeee]

Great post. You got it right on. :)

[lilPat]

I love this car but I've never seen it in real action(racing). Is there a video of it rolling on a race circuit?(Forget about the PGR4 commercial outtakes)

[Revenge33]

Wait, wait, wait, this car is in PGR 4 or something?

[lilPat]

I dont know if it's in PGR 4 but I saw it on the commercial's live action videos.

[mao12345]

So sick!!! A ecofriendly car that looks like a lotus elise, get 135 mpg, and accelerate to 60 in under 5 seconds!

[dbowlesjr]

not for people with more than average width, that counts out 75% of americans

[Luke123098]

Glad I am not in that category.

[ElvenDane]

ROFL - good point ;-)

[xtvrspeed12x]

the tesla gets a 220 mile combined-cycle range... it takes about 3.5 hours to charge @ 220 volts/70 amps. its a great car even though the pricing is a little "out of budget" but overall a good job by the guys at tesla...

[naught405]

In development at tesla are a sedan projected to cost around $40,000 also full electrice and after that they plan to release a family car running ~$20,000 all using the same technologies as the Roadster so probably slightly slower acceleration and top speed because of added weight but who expects to go 0-60 in 4 seconds in a family car? :)

[4x4jeepjeep]

98 grand for that pos?? the upcoming Corvette ZR1 will be the same price, I'd get a ZR1 long before this crap. plan on going any distance in a tesla? then i hope you can deal with no radio, no headlights, no air and no heat on, the you may break 200 miles with the wind at your back.

[eltorito89]

Man, you don't know anything about this car... Some research wouldn't hurt.

[Dilekz]

Headlights, radio, heat and airco doesnt take that much of power.. if you have a 50kW pack dude.. the motor is 150 Hp.. that takes ALOT more..

And in a normal car you need 5 HP for electrics mostly.

[stopcrazypp]

It's actually 250hp, but you are right, the accessories really don't take as much as 4x4jeepjeep is trying to say, esp since the roadster uses more efficient heated & cooled seats.

[4x4jeepjeep]

It's 250 HP(189kw)and 200 foot pound of torque, the ZR1 is 620+ hp(465kw) and 595 foot pounds of torque. And what the tesla EPA rating???? It has none! It has not been rated by the EPA! only rating that was done was done by TESLA at an EPA track, BUT NOT by the EPA!

[stopcrazypp]

Again, I have addressed this issue in my post, cars routinely get half its mpg at race track, plenty of suby and evo owners have attested to that. A wrx that gets 20mpg gets 8-9 mpg at the track. The 93 mile figure was with a 95% battery 7% charge left - 105mile. This was as close as you can get to track racing on a public road with no restraint in acceleration & many standstill acceleration tests, which the editors already acknowledge.

[stopcrazypp]

Do some research on the car! It's fairly impressive. Can the ZR1 do 14k rpms, have all it's torque at 0rpm? Can it do 0-60 in 4 secs on to its top speed using just 1 gear? That's what the Tesla can do. & oh, using the all the things you mentioned it does break 200 miles as it's EPA rated at 221, best it got was 267! In track driving with everything on you would likely get around 100miles, but I asked around & most ICE cars also get half its normal MPG on track days.

[4x4jeepjeep]

I've followed tesla motors for years now. The Telsa is coming out with a transmission different from the proto types, it is now rated at 0-60 in 5.7 secs, the ZR1 goes 0-60 in 3.5 secs! and does it in 1st gear, top speed on the ZR1 is also 200+mph.

so either you get a tesla that goes 0-60 in 5.7 secs with a top speed of 125mph, or the ZR1 that goes 0-60 in 3.5secs and will do 200+ mph, do some research on the ZR1.

[stopcrazypp]

Go to autobloggreen or to the tesla website & listen to the town hall meeting II. Only the interim transmission is getting 5.7secs. You should know that if you are following it. The final transmission is now switched to a single speed and is going to get 0-60 in 4secs, and 14k rpm. You should know many of its performance is only limited by gearing.

[4x4jeepjeep]

ya, and deliveries of teslas to owners will start in 07........., maybe they will get the upgraded trans in 2013.

[stopcrazypp]

The first production model has arrived! Youtube "Tesla Roadster travels in packs of 5". Production on the others will start March 17 using the interim tranmission; I heard it's only for around the first 100. I get it, you are one of the skeptics about Tesla. I understand, they have had delay after delay & probably lots of speculators have starting equating Tesla to vaporware. Whatever, at least they are ready to deliver vehicles now.

[4x4jeepjeep]

I like the looks and the performance of the Tesla(when or if they get a good trans),but you know why none of the major multibillion dollar automakers have not came out with something like this? Because the battery technology is not there yet, it's 5-10 years out(see chevy volt) In Real world driving, by people who own a "fast" car, you be lucky to get a 175 mile range. For 98K the ZR1 is by far the better choice, and you won't have to push it home. Tesla=sucker investors and sucker buyers.

[satanicbassguy]

Most people I know dont even clock up 175miles in a day. You can charge it up while you sleep and its ready to go work the next day. I think the cheap milage makes up for the lack of milage.

[Curveball]

Until you cannot afford to fill up your thirsty vette when gas will cost you $100+ every two days.

[southyr6]

sorry assbag. GM had electric cars but destroyed them all. ever heard of "politics"? read a book clown. lol

[tnguyen318]

ELECTRIC CAR MUST BE THE FUTURE!!!

[tnguyen318]

Politics, maybe... But if it is, it isnt right. People must know about electric and the government must see it through. Does America need tax that bad? I dunno. I hope we/congress/America are/is thinking for the earth.

[4x4jeepjeep]

Tesla just may get it right...one day, if they can cut costs way down, but not with this roadster, google "Tesla to make gas-electric car"

[GFYESAD]

did you ever think we have to start somewhere somehow.

[4x4jeepjeep]

Yes and we should start in ANWR and off the coasts in California and Florida.

[southyr6]

dude you are retarded. drill drill drill. seriously man. evolve. we won't see that sludge at the pump for 5-10 years. by then we won't need the stinky shit except for to mow the goddamn lawn. get ready to sell your jeep, you'll be buying an electric 4WD just as soon as they perfect the technology, you aren't fooling anyone.

[Junije1]

So true :) I'm not buying an electric car until they make an 4WD SUV one =)

[Edward1589]

People like you need to be shot by the wall. =)

[Curveball]

yeah, and when gas is $10 a gallon and you cannot afford to drive your corvette, then you'll be wishing you had a Tesla.

[4x4jeepjeep]

the production telsa is going to be 0-60mph at 5.7 secs, NOT 4secs and the max rpm is 13,000 NOT 14,000. it's top speed is 125mph, it was tested at an EPA test course, with the prototype trans, BUT it was NOT tested by the EPA. There is no EPA rating for this car yet, only teslas' claims.

[stopcrazypp]

The 165 quoted was agressive driving & a worse case, there were 7 figures quoted with over 200 miles in highway driving, so clearly it will not "struggle" to get 200miles. The EPA cycle is not actually performed by EPA, it is always performed by the manufacturer & submitted to the EPA (EPA only retests 10% of models), look it up. As I mentioned, its EPA range was 221!

[4x4jeepjeep]

The best it got was 267 in "slow" city driving, in highway style driving it got 165. and from 0-60 the ZR1 will smoke it! from 0-100 the ZR! will smoke it, from 0-125 the ZR! will smoke it, and from 0-200+..... oh wait the tesla will only do 125.

[stopcrazypp]

I am aware what the ZR1 can do, I am a car guy too, but read my questions again, the ZR1 can't do the things I mentioned. It's hard to explain with youtube's stupid 500wd limit, but the ZR1 is the result 100+ years of refinement of the ICE car. The Tesla is still relatively new (& expensive) tech & it's impressive it can perform so well already for its price. Annoying word limit again...Maybe we can chat privately instead.

[Curveball]

Line your ZR1 up to a Wrightspeed X1 electric car and see what gets smoked. 0-60 in 2.8 seconds. Soon the vette will be out of gas, but the electrics keep on going. Welcome to the future.

[plasticboob]

Yeah, line them up and race them 0-200mph, see who gets smoked on that one.

[madmal666]

Sorry, I meant 200 miles not km's!

[madmal666]

I am interested in the recharging procedure.

If I drive 200km in one direction how and where can I recharge, & how long does it take to recover so I can drive home?

[koukicrisp]

I think you can plug into any wall jack but it will take hours to recharge. Last I heard it was about an overnight recharge time, but no specific hours.

[madmal666]

Thanks 4 reply!

[V8Cobrakid]

once dead, it takes just over 3 hours to fully charge the car. you recieve two charging system; a garage unit and a portable unit.

[4x4jeepjeep]

3.5 hours to charge is teslas' claim. that's as close to just under 4 hours as it is to over 3. "pull over we need to take 3.5 hours to recharge" also autoweek did the 1st real world test on a tesla last week and got 93 miles from a fULL charge.

[madmal666]

Thanks

[FooDoo6]

if it's the same size inside as a lotus elise/exige then if you're over 6'2" you're probably not going to fit... looks like a cool car though

[aidanfdsa]

nice but one thing thats bad about electric cars is that they sound like some kind of high pitched fan

[TheBishopSSR]

It sounds more like a jet turbine in real life- very cool. I personally like it more than the choking rumble of the ICE.

[Dilekz]

ICE = Alot sound not going forward..

Electric motor = Almost no sound and GOING forward... =)

[falcontwin]

For all the tree huggers out there. more C02 is created from plants than from all the cars on the planet. so go for your lives.

[mcklain]

"Tree huggers". Most stupid thing I've ever read on youtube's comments.

[talon311]

Dude, plants produce oxygen.

[4x4jeepjeep]

at night palnts produce co2 and use oxygen.

[blaisejones]

if you mean decay, it is canceled if not taken out of the equation completely by the production of oxygen. the fact that humans are putting more chemicals than the earth can handle into the atmosphere is the main issue.

[roots4x]

I'd think that with the electric motor, this car would be pretty fast and torquey.  So, it would offer a different dynamic than the elise.

[FreebiesMan9007]

Ok first this car isnt an Elise and secondly are you retarted? This was made to make "our" air cleaner.

[jnaggs]

if you are into performance, just get the elise (this is basically an electric lotus elise)

if you are into buying a $100k treehugger bumper sticker, then more power to ya

[stopcrazypp]

I suggest you watch the motortrend review on youtube. It's a new & unique experience that the Elise can't provide. Not to mention the car is more refined & comfortable than the elise (looks much better too). 90% of the parts in the roadster are unique from the elise, & it's also larger in size. Not everyone who buys a sports car is into performance, the luxury market is a big market that the Tesla can tap into better than the Elise because of its refinements.

[turbo20v18]

No audio??!! We wanna hear it!!

[andrei999]

It's an electric car, dumbass.

[4x4jeepjeep]

It's still makes noise, it's not compleatly silent, dumbass!