Tesla Model S Electric Car

Tesla Motors ^ | 27 Mar 09 | Tesla Motors

[Danae]

ROTFLMAO CLASSIC!

You could put a sticker on the back...

Don’t like my battery charger? Tailgate and I will discharge for free!

[DB]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216419/posts

[preacher]

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuSkdo1qswk

[RedWireNut]

Why does the name Preston Tucker keep popping into my head?

[Cheetahcat]

I use them everyday the new diesel trucks are remarkable I find them hard to beat.Yes diesel fuel smells bad.

[Glock19C]

I was wondering the same thing. I read that the Tesla has a 248-hp motor. Assume it takes 5 hours to travel 300 miles. So it would use 248hp x 746 watts/hp x 5 hours = 925,040 watt hours. 110VAC @ 20A = 2200 watts. 925,040 watt hours/2200 watts = 420.47 hours or 17.52 days.

No, I don't know what the numbers are but just like any road vehicle the rated horsepower is never used except during acceleration.

[DB]

The average horsepower required is far less than the maximum 248 hp of the motor. It takes that 248 hp to get you from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds, not to maintain 60 mph. It is probably closer to 1/10 that power level to maintain a constant 65 mph (a guess).

[Cheetahcat]

The $4.00 charge and 300 miles sounds fishy.

[pacpam]

The battery life and replacement cost have been some of the issues in the past. Tesla beat the other problems, wonder if it figured out these.

[DB]

I’m guessing it is around 100 kWh of electricity.

So anywhere between $6 to $35 depending on where you live.

[edh]

No, it made the Kessel run in LESS than 12 parsecs.

Get your facts straight :-P!!!!!!

[Cheetahcat]

I’m guessing it is around 100 kWh of electricity.

So anywhere between $6 to $35 depending on where you live.

Thanks

[Tex Pete]

Until Obama overhauls American energy. It will end up being at least triple the stated numbers.

[rod1]

Exactly. People should the request the Madoff model when they order.

[Cheetahcat]

“Until Obama overhauls American energy. It will end up being at least triple the stated numbers.”

Yes I can’t wait for the windmills.\s

[bobby.223]

was that before the jump to light speed or after?

[sionnsar]

I was wondering the same thing. I read that the Tesla has a 248-hp motor. Assume it takes 5 hours to travel 300 miles. So it would use 248hp x 746 watts/hp x 5 hours = 925,040 watt hours. 110VAC @ 20A = 2200 watts. 925,040 watt hours/2200 watts = 420.47 hours or 17.52 days.

Um. Error is in assuming the full output is required to go 60 MPH. It isn't -- you might need it to get to 60 MPH in X seconds, but not to maintain the speed. The specs said max speed is 120 MPH, I think, but what determines that limit is not clear.

I used to have a car with a 600cc engine, 36 HP, that could cruise easily at 60 MPH. It did top out around 84 MPH -- got pulled over for speeding while I was verifying that benchmark, but was let off with a warning.

[jaz.357]

Oh yeah? It made the Kessel run in 12 parsecs.

That's Impressive!

[Richard Kimball]

This is the Vader brother they don't talk about much:

There's Darth, Lance, Lynn, and Bruce.

[normanpubbie]

Here is an article from Popular Mechanics which has some details about the Tesla Model S's drivetrain:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4310750.html

According to the article, the standard battery pack has a 42 KW-hr capacity and the standard range is 160 miles. They also indicate that the 45-minute "quick charge" might be done at a recharging station between SF and LA (Google Maps says 323 miles). They also indicate that the charge time might be 4 hours using a standard 120V, 20A household outlet. The article further states that "Up to a 240-volt, 70-amp charging setup is possible, they say, in home applications". The article also states that the curb weight of the Model S is just over 4000 pounds...
So let's run the numbers:

Take the 120V solution first. Let's assume we are using the 42 KW-hr standard battery pack. We can expect a maximum of 120V times 20A = 2400 watts from our outlet. In four hours of charging, you have put 9.6 KW-hr of energy into the 42 KW-hr battery -- about 23 percent of battery capacity. With efficiency losses, it would take maybe 18 hours to charge the battery pack to 100 percent from a wall outlet. So that 4-hour charge claim does not hold water.

But let's press on. Assume that we have fully charged our 42 KW-hr battery pack and we leave LA toward the charging station. At 60 miles per hour, it will take 2.67 hours to reach the 160 station. During this time, we are discharging the battery pack at 42 KW-hr divided by 2.67 hours or a rate of 15.7 KW which converts to 21 HP. Can the 4000-lb Model S go 60 mph using 21 HP? I doubt it. So the second claim is questionable.

Now let's look at this "quick charge" claim. Every energy-conversion process produces less than 100 percent efficiency; the losses are typically in the form of heat. Let's assume 95 percent of the energy charges the battery and the other 5 percent is converted to heat in the battery. Then we have to supply 44.2 KW-hr of energy to the battery terminals in 45 minutes. This represents a useful wattage of 58.9 KW with 2.45 KW of heat -- equivalent to the heat produced by a baking element on an electric range. Hopefully the "quick charge" station has a really big fan to cool our battery! There is no fan in existence big enough to cool Tesla's hype.