backtop

Print 27 comment(s) - last by phxfreddy.. on Apr 16 at 8:28 AM

Tesla Roadsters Ready to Race the Turtle  (Source: Autoblog Green)
The catch is the speeds were under what grandpa drives to the store

The holy grail of the electric car market would have to be an affordable electric car that could charge fast and offer a long driving range of several hundred miles per charge. The reality of today's electric vehicles is that none can offer all of these features, but electric carmakers are getting closer.

Tesla has its Roadster and recently announced the Roadster Sport and Model S electric vehicles. The entire Tesla line falls short on affordability with a price tag that puts it only within reach of the well to do and outright wealthy. However, Tesla's Roadster does offer the driving range that most drivers will desire from an electric vehicle.

Autoblog Green reports that a Tesla Roadster entered into the Rally Monte Carlo d'Energies Alternatives rally set what may end up being certified as a distance record for a production all-electric vehicle to travel on a single charge. The rally course ran 241 miles from the town of Valance, France to the Principality of Monaco.

The course features a variety of road surfaces and types from trunk roads, motorways, to single car roads winding up the mountains. The Roadster was able to cross the finish line after 241 miles with an indicated range of 38 miles left on the battery packs. That would give the Roadster a total range of nearly 280 miles.

The caveat to these numbers is certainly the speed the vehicle was traveling. The average speed on the motorways was a mere 56 MPH; on trunk roads, the average speed was 37 MPH; and on the mountain roads, it was a sloth-like 19 MPH. The average speed was 28 MPH for the entire trip.

Register Hardware reports that the Tesla Roadster wasn't the only electric vehicle entered in the rally. Entrants also included several Mitsubishi i-MiEV vehicles and a Ruf-modified Porsche 911. There is no word on how far exactly those vehicles made it on the course.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
Mere miles
By andrinoaa on 4/12/2009 6:06:35 PM , Rating: 5
What was the silly line about a slow 56m/hr on the freeway about? Here in Melbourne , 100km/h is all we are allowed to do on most freeways anyway (60m/h). Stop start slow movement is what most people experience in city driving. Whats with the stupid agenda that electric cars have to mimic petrol cars in every parameter? I don't care if it came 1,2 or 20th. 280km is great in anybody's language. Its like trying to prove to your mother-in -law that you are not trying to rip off her inheritance, lol.




RE: Mere miles
By inighthawki on 4/12/2009 6:35:50 PM , Rating: 1
On a highway that can be fine, the problem is most likely the acceleration though. Anything with a top speed of 56mph highway speed probably has a sluggish acceleration. Not to mention most people don't like when people go under the limit. In my area top highway speeds are 60-65mph and cops generally dont mind if u go 5 over, so 56mph is going to be really slow compared to everyone else. an 19mph is pathetic...even on a hill


RE: Mere miles
By TheMan876 on 4/12/2009 7:39:21 PM , Rating: 5
I don't think that it's the top highway speed, I think they were just pacing themselves so that they would actually make it the entire distance.


RE: Mere miles
By bighairycamel on 4/13/2009 10:22:24 AM , Rating: 2
One very imporant thing that everyone is overlooking is that these numbers were for AVERAGE speeds.

To put things in perspective, I bought an '09 Mazda6 in November that tracks stats like Average-MPH. I drive 50 miles round trip to work 5 days a week and 44 of those miles are interstate where I typically drive 75MPH. However, after 7000 miles on the car the total Av.MPH is 38. Even though the bulk of my driving is done at 75MPH, the average takes into consideration idling at stop lights, stop and go city driving, etc.

19 MPH average on a mountain sounds typical because of all the braking, slow curves, etc. A gas car would see the same numbers.


RE: Mere miles
By inighthawki on 4/13/2009 3:54:17 PM , Rating: 2
Well yes, but it also doesnt say an average for the WHOLE trip. it says the HIGHWAY average was 56mph, and there aren't many stops on the highway that i know of :). So unless it was construction time, then 56mph average is still a little low (depends on the speed limits and how much they obeyed them too of course)


RE: Mere miles
By andrinoaa on 4/14/2009 6:08:41 AM , Rating: 2
What if it was to see how far you could go on 5 gallons of gas. Would you keep an average speed of 56m/h on the freeway and up mountains? No way! Guys don't get carried away, as others have said READ the article. Its interesting but I wouldn't hang my shoe on it ( Life of Brian) !


RE: Mere miles
By Cincybeck on 4/13/2009 5:08:18 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
Anything with a top speed of 56mph highway speed probably has a sluggish acceleration.


The top speed of the Tesla Roadster is electronically limited to 125 MPH. It also goes 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. With the new transmission it has a torque rating of 280 ft-lb, and the electric motor doesn't suffer from torque curve losses like a gasoline engine does. Needless to say the driver was taking it easy. =D


RE: Mere miles
By Targon on 4/13/2009 5:19:56 AM , Rating: 2
You have to look at things from the perspective where the long-term goal is an all-electric car that can compete in all ways with normal gasoline powered cars.

Here in the USA, even when the speed limit is 55 miles per hour, 65 miles per hour is the expected speed people will be traveling at in normal/dry conditions, and there will be a good number that are doing 70 miles per hour or more. Obviously speeds will be lower in and around large cities, but the vast majority of roads in the USA are away from larger cities where the volume of traffic prevents higher speeds.

Europe, having cities and towns that are much older has the populations a bit closer to the towns/cities overall, but since things in the USA are more spread out, things are a bit different as a result. I understand that if you travel seven hours at 55MPH in most of Europe you can easily get to another country, but that isn't the case over here. Many people in the USA travel a good 40+ miles each way just to get to work, so that will also influence what people find acceptable.


RE: Mere miles
By MRwizard on 4/14/2009 9:52:23 AM , Rating: 2
and thats only the average speed. i would love to have this cab!


. . . and the DailyMislead
By kake on 4/12/2009 4:44:25 PM , Rating: 5
I am getting a bit annoyed at the . . . suspect headlines lately.

quote:
what may end up being certified


That is not exactly what the top of the page says, is it DailyTech?




RE: . . . and the DailyMislead
By someguy123 on 4/12/2009 5:10:04 PM , Rating: 5
hey look, google comes up with dailytech as THE ONLY WEBSITE claiming they've already set a record.

amazing. what the hell is going on lately? not only is this taken hours late from thousands of other websites, but the title is misleading as well? I guess dailytech decided to replace their stuff with high schoolers.


RE: . . . and the DailyMislead
By nixoofta on 4/12/2009 5:33:08 PM , Rating: 2
Ya'll sound like ex stuff -members,...

and you forgot to claim "FIRST!",...and "SECOND!".

"THURD!...FTW!"

:P


RE: . . . and the DailyMislead
By someguy123 on 4/12/2009 5:59:42 PM , Rating: 2
yeah, i noticed. thought i could get away with it :(

everyone knows i mean staff anyhow


RE: . . . and the DailyMislead
By nixoofta on 4/12/2009 7:47:40 PM , Rating: 2
yeah,...had post-post regrets as soon I hit the button. :P

Had this "Just leave her alone!" bad taste in my mouth.

Rag on Dailytech all ya' like. I'm happy to read whatever they post on weekends. If the headline was "Large Boobs Improve Literacy" I wouldn't be all that surprised to read that more men and women read articles with "Large Boobs" in the headline. There by improving their literacy. Albeit misleading. :P


RE: . . . and the DailyMislead
By iFX on 4/12/2009 10:33:34 PM , Rating: 3
DT doesn't exactly have a reputation for accurate reporting - I'm sure they think they do though.


RE: . . . and the DailyMislead
By Samus on 4/13/09, Rating: 0
RE: . . . and the DailyMislead
By InternetGeek on 4/13/09, Rating: 0
RE: . . . and the DailyMislead
By Mitch101 on 4/13/2009 8:36:20 AM , Rating: 1
For future reference Fox News is an Oxy Moron/joke too.

I will also point out Fox ends ends every show with "You wont believe what happens on the next weeks episode of _______" and shows you a portion of the show that will be taken totally out of context for what really occurs.


RE: . . . and the DailyMislead
By phxfreddy on 4/16/2009 8:28:14 AM , Rating: 2
Fox is the only news outlet that is not a house organ of the government.

It appears a bunch of idiot liberals who could never in their wildest dreams get an engineering degree have been commenting here on DT lately.

DT commenters used to be a practical bunch. Now its a group of idiots who can not brook dissent who rate any dissenting opinion down,.

Pretty sad. You know the type. The ones that claim global warming as a scientific problem was solved by a consensus vote. Yuk. A world ruled by these numbnutts is a very coercive uncool place.

Heil Obama. ( maybe that will keep me from getting rated down )


56mph
By spread on 4/12/2009 5:59:14 PM , Rating: 2
I don't understand how 56mph is slow. Climbing a mountain at 19mph is decent, its a mountain!




RE: 56mph
By mmatis on 4/12/2009 6:03:17 PM , Rating: 3
Ah yes, another city boy! I'm reasonably confident that the Italians can tell you that climbing a mountain at 19 mph is pathetic. Try doing that on the Pennsylvania turnpike sometimes. Or on I-70 west of Denver. Even this country's cops will pull you over for that.


RE: 56mph
By bigbrent88 on 4/12/2009 10:24:51 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Try doing that on the Pennsylvania turnpike sometimes. Or on I-70 west of Denver.
I do believe those are highways , even though they go through mountains. I believe a SINGLE lane mountain road would be more equivalent to Pikes Peak so 19mph in an endurance race would be fine. Damn Americans and our small mountains ;)


RE: 56mph
By Jacerie on 4/13/2009 12:52:42 AM , Rating: 2
Not to mention that the Tesla isn't the lightest thing on the road. All engines suffer performance loss when climbing a grade, electric motors don't always compensate well. If Tesla could improve this, then that's one more step closer to an IC vehicle's performance.


RE: 56mph
By Spuke on 4/13/2009 7:12:13 PM , Rating: 2
The 56 mph average, for you non-readers, was measured on the HIGHWAY. This wasn't a speed contest. Try READING the article!!!


RE: 56mph
By BZDTemp on 4/13/2009 5:44:05 AM , Rating: 2
19 mph would be decent if you're on a bicycle!

My guess is they took it slow up and very slow down not using the brakes but only relying on the engine to hold the car thereby recharging the batteries.

As for 56 mph it sounds fine for the freeway around Monaco for someone following the normal traffic. The short distance has to mean they never really got far. Possibly the 56 mph could include getting off and back on the freeway to do a 180 turn.

Anyway this was a "Rallye" not in the sense of a race to use the shortest amount of time so what can be expected.


By heulenwolf on 4/13/2009 9:47:36 AM , Rating: 3
I see a parallel between the auto industry going electric and the storage industry going solid state. Much like solid state in storage, everybody who is familiar with the benefits is clamoring for more electric cars. The technology has the potential to be faster, more compact, and more efficient. The first models to come out, however, are priced out of most peoples' range and have too small capacity to be practical for many (both in #seats and range), though their performance in some areas is incredible.

Its too bad there isn't an analogous customer to the big-business server farm within the auto market. Most big businesses that consume in the auto market (e.g. maintain a fleet of vehicles) focus on utility and reduced total cost of ownership. I can't think of any that are clamoring to replace their fleet of Porsches because they need more acceleration. Were they out there, the auto industry could focus initial models on them and still get the high volume needed to recover R&D costs.

Regardless, I see this going in much the same way that solid-state vs magnetic storage has gone, only slower. Gas autos still have the capacity/$ advantage and can continue to push that advantage as more electric vehicles come out by lowering prices and/or increasing range or capacity.

Of course, the auto market is confused by the addition of other alternative fuel technologies and the earlier release of hybrid technologies. Nonetheless, I think its an interesting parallel.




A record LOL!
By BZDTemp on 4/13/2009 5:50:53 AM , Rating: 2
Only four cars took part in the EV class with two of them being Teslas. One Tesla won the class and the other lost the class.

DailyTech shame on you for calling this a record - this is so lame.




"Game reviewers fought each other to write the most glowing coverage possible for the powerhouse Sony, MS systems. Reviewers flipped coins to see who would review the Nintendo Wii. The losers got stuck with the job." -- Andy Marken











botimage
Copyright 2012 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki