The Tesla Roadster
This article is about the Tesla Roadster. First, I give you a brief description of this electric vehicle. Second, I discuss how the Tesla was developed. Third, I review the technology of the Roadster. And lastly, I talk about the availability of this electric car.
The Tesla Roadster is a fully electric sports car, which can travel up to 244 miles (393 km) on a single charge of the battery pack, which is lithium ion based.
People have argued in the past that electric cars would not be as efficient as gasoline powered cars, simply because they would not be fast enough. The Tesla Roadster which is the first electric car to be manufactured by Tesla Motors can reach 0 to 60 (0 to 97km/h), in 3.9 seconds, that is fast. (Some people say it’s the best hybrid car but it’s an electric car, not a hybrid car .)
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In developing the Tesla Roadster, Tesla Motors acquired the help of Lotus Cars. Lotus Motors gave Tesla a basic chassis idea of its own Lotus Elise. Tesla engineers made plans to use a resin molded carbon fiber composite to minimize the weight. This resulted in the Roadster being the least expensive car with a carbon fiber skin.
The technology that is used for the AC motor and the drive train are much more advanced than the same technology used by General Motors . Tesla’s AC Propulsion EV power and Reductive charging system designs, covers the integration of charging the electronics with an inverter, which will reduce mass, the complexity, and lower the cost of the Roadster.
This two seater electric sports car is being manufactured in Hethel, UK by the Lotus factory. However, the parts come from all around the world, from Taiwan to California. The chassis comes from Norway, and France creates the carbon fiber body panels. The brakes and the air bags come from Germany.
The Tesla Roadster has a 3 phase, 4 pole electric motor that can produce 248 hp (185 kw), and it delivers 80% of efficiency when the motor is topped out, and 90% efficiency during typical driving . The tachometer is designed for speeds that will reach up to 14,000 rpm’s.
In September 2008, Tesla decided to manufacture gearboxes from Borg Warner, and soon began equipping all the Roadsters with a single speed fixed gearbox, with an electronic parking lock mechanism and a mechanical lubricating pump.
The next idea from Tesla was to improve the transmission, and after several tries, finally developed the single speed gearbox. It combined with an improved electronics and motor cooling systems, which made it possible to reach a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h).
The Tesla Roadster’s battery system is referred to as ESS (Energy Storage System). It is based from the type of batteries used from a Laptop computer only on a much larger scale. It takes 31/2 hours to fully recharge the ESS, using a high power connector. Once it has been fully charged for 53 kWh. Tesla Motors expects the ESS system to last for 100,000 miles (160,000 km) or approximately for 5 years, whichever comes first.
Tesla began accepting reservation orders in September of 2006, to be shipped out by 2008. Tesla opened their first American service center on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles in May of this year, and as of July of this year Menlo Park California has become not only a show room, but the final assembly point for all American ordered Tesla Roadsters.
Tesla is planning on adding 15 more service centers in the United States, with New York, Miami, Chicago, and Seattle among the tip picked cities.
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