Tesla Sighting
 

If you haven't heard from me lately, it's not because I fell off the face of the planet, but rather am out on the road working, and have to pay WAY too much money to use internet at the hotel.

However, I have OFFICIAL WORD that I will be seeing a Tesla Roadster tommorow.

Unfortunantly, my camera got left at home, but I will have to make sure to get a photo of it with someone elses camera.

-Ben

I officially cannot wait!

Dear god that was a fast reply. I posted about ten seconds ago!

Timestamps say 2 minutes!

I second the 2 min lag time. :) Cant wait for pics

Can't wait for pics :-)

P.S. Did you get my package before you left for Cali?

Seen it!
 

This morning, the Tesla showed up.

I took some photos, however, MY camera was left at home, so I had to use somebody elses. That somebody is not around right now, nor is his camera.

I will load the photos onto my computer when I get a chance.

There was also a Tesla rep there, who was pretty cool to talk to. He did pop the trunk, but I didn't get to see under the hood. I could see through the big slits in the hood that there were two big fans under there.

The whole vehicle is sort of strange.

It's a sports car, which is really more designed for looking cool than being aerodynamic. It does have a FULL belly pan. Too bad they didn't have a mirror under it to show that off.

It looks shockingly like a gas car. The charger plugs in to what would otherwise be a gas cap. (Apparently it is a Lotus frame)
It doesn't have any giant letters saying ELECTRIC on it anywhere. The only real hint that it's electric is no tailpipe and the bellypan.

The gear selector is interesting. There is a two-speed gear selector. Just gears one and two like on a POLE POSITION arcade machine, plus reverse off to the side.

The rep told me that this particular car has the two speed gear selector, but the motor is actually in a single fixed gear, in a ratio closer to what was second.

The trunk is TINY as it is a sports car. The motor, batteries, and power electronics are all in the back. Motor is air cooled, but batteries and controls are liquid cooled.

Most of the car is carbon fiber.

I wish this car could have been out on a race track. I think it's hard to appreciate an electric car when it's just parked in a hotel lobby.

Here's a funny bit. There were two other cars there, both hybrids. They were at the event a couple of days before the Tesla. Both had drip pans underneith them. I mentioned to somebody that since the Tesla is all electric, it wouldn't need that, because there was nothing to drip!

Sure enough. When it showed up, there was nothing under the Tesla but floor.


Pics still to come.

We are moving the Tesla this afternoon.

I wasn't around when they brought it in, so I have only seen it PARKED.

No, it isn't being moved out to a racetrack, only into a ballroom (over carpet, no gas to leak!)

I will not be the guy to move it, but it should still be pretty cool just to see roll under its own power.

The guy whose camera I used to take photos the other day left on a flight and didn't let me get my photos first. I have e-mailed him asking for one, but I don't know when I will get it.

Damn that guy with the camera! Looking forward to hearing more, :)

Ohh Tesla... drool drool.. and the man Tesla was great too.. wish i could tap his memory banks and knowlage

Photos
 

HERE ARE PHOTOS!


http://gallery.mac.com/benhdvideoguy...G_0001/web.jpg

http://gallery.mac.com/benhdvideoguy...G_0006/web.jpg

http://gallery.mac.com/benhdvideoguy...G_0009/web.jpg


I got to see it drive when it was moved into the main room from the lobby. Tires are squeeky on brick and dead silent on carpet!

I also got to talk some more to the Tesla Rep. Nice guy. Younger.

In the front of the car, it has sort of a big air scoop. This makes air flow into the huge radiator and then out through the giant slits in the hood. That radiator runs the coolant for the power electronics, batteries, and air conditioning.

If you peek through in the bottom back, there really isn't much to see. You can tell where the motor must be, and that's about it.

Ah yes, did I mention I got to sit in it? Too bad I couldn't take it for a spin!


PS: Notice how you can park an electric car on carpet, with electric lights under it, and not need a drip pan to catch petroleum.

Hey look, that crazy Ben Nelson character is ruining all the pictures.

Ben, you're either a giant or that car is tiny. Knelt next to it you are taller than the car !!!

The car looks much bigger when I am inside it rather than next to it. You almost sit on the ground in that thing. I am six feet tall. It is a LOW car.

Of course I am ruining all the pictures! If you just wanted a photo of just the car, you can go to their web site!

That is not the Same Mule that was at SEMA. It was in the Bridgestone booth only thing open was the "gas" door.

If I'm not mistaken the production motor is Liquid cooled, and will have a single gear.

All Lotus vehicles have a full Flat under tray. Normal power is 1zz Toyota. A friend in town has one, one HELL of a ride.

Very cool to see the production version.

Edit: Posting Pics now

Good News You don't Know anyone in these pics
Bad News We were in a HUGE rush 3 days is totally not enough time; pics suck.
not Trying to Hijack eeK

Here is video!

I apologize in advance for it being so bad, but I only had one quick moment, just enough to grab a computer with a web cam on it.

It is bizarre how much louder my voice is than the car driving. No the camera was not right next to my mouth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mtaVj09x20

Cool! Bit eerie but cool

Yea, I've wanted one of these things before they even had a working prototype made. At the time, their goal for top speed and millage seemed skeptical to many, but, in the end they managed to do it. It's not only a great car PERIOD, it's also a great looking car. It looks to be about the size of a Lotus Elise or Mazda Miata, would you say that's about accurate Bennelson?

yeah, it's pretty small.

The main thing is that it is really LOW.

I guess it is based on some Lotus model.

Maybe because it IS a Lotus Elise :-) At least I think that's the model... Lotus builds the frame & body, Tesla adds the electric powerplant.

Actually it's based loosely on the Elise, at least it was to start with. It shares maybe five parts with the Elise, if that. The body is built and assembled in China, and shipped to the US where they fit the batteries and motor.

That's odd: Tesla's FAQ site seems to think otherwise: Tesla Motors - FAQs

(Be warned: the site is a POC. You get to click on one question, then the screen grays out, the answer is overlaid on it, and you can't do anything more. If they use similar engineering in their car, I won't be buying one.)

Tesla outsourced most of the car. The body is a Lotus design, the powertrain comes from AC Propulsion, and the battery is from A123 systems. Tesla is refining and integrating everything into one package.

I realize they are trying to break a stereotype, but I think it's stupid to call that car "green." They are aiming for the same ignorance that thinks top speed and range are inclusive of each other. They get to be green and burn rubber at the same time. What a wonderful fantasy world...

Their engineers are among, if not the best, in the industry, however.

- LostCause