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I used to have a nice car
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,993
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First Production Electric Supercar Launched:Tesla Roadster
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This looks to be the first credible fun electric car. No word on price yet. But will be hefty.
www.worldcarfans.com
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The first performance electric car manufactured by Tesla Motors, the high-performance, zero-emissions Tesla Roadster, was unveiled before a throng of well-wishers, car buffs, and potential customers recently during Tesla Motors's "Signature One Hundred" event at Barker Hangar.
More than 350 invited guests spent the evening learning about the new sports car, speaking with Tesla Motors executives, and going for rides along the tarmac at the Santa Monica Airport. Many signed up to be among the first to receive a special edition Tesla Roadster, becoming Signature One Hundred Members.
Celebrities in attendance included actor Ed Begley Jr., producer Richard Donner, businessman Michael Eisner, PayPal co-founder (and Tesla Motors Chairman) Elon Musk, Participant Productions' Founder and CEO Jeff Skoll, also of eBay fame, and producer and car collector Joel Silver. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped by prior to the evening's activities to learn more about Tesla Motors and took a ride in the Tesla Roadster.
"We're thrilled to have the support of top people from so many different industries," said Martin Eberhard, CEO of Tesla Motors. "High-tech, CleanTech, entertainment, automotive, you name it. It's gratifying to have others realize the significance or what Tesla Motors is doing."
The electric-powered Tesla Roadster boasts the equivalent of 135 mpg and a range of 250 miles on a single charge, a combination heretofore unseen in a mass-produced electric vehicle. Its extended range is due to its state-of-the-art lithium-ion Energy Storage System. The Tesla Roadster is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in about four seconds.
"The Tesla Roadster delivers sports car performance without using any gasoline," said Eberhard. "This is what we hoped to achieve when we started the company three years ago, to build a car with zero emissions that people would love to drive."
Using a unique two-speed electrically actuated manual transmission, the Tesla Roadster's power comes from a 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction motor. The motor is controlled by the Power Electronics Module (PEM) which also controls the inverting direct current to 3-phase alternating current, charging and braking systems.
The Roadster's Energy Storage System (ESS) provides power to the entire vehicle, including the motor. Its durable, tamper-resistant enclosure includes: 6,831 lithium-ion cells, a network of microprocessors for maintaining charge balance and battery temperature, a cooling system, and an independent safety system designed to disconnect power outside the enclosure under a variety of detectable safety situations.
The Tesla Roadster comes complete with its Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSE), a home-based charging system, which features an automatic safety disconnect system and can charge the Tesla Roadster in approximately 3.5 hours. An optional mobile charging kit is also available.
The Tesla Roadster has a range of up to 250 miles (EPA Highway) on a single charge, roughly triple the range of previous mass-produced electric vehicles.
"It didn't make sense to sell a car that only goes 90 miles on a charge. You'd spend more time charging the old EVs than driving them," said Eberhard. "Lithium-ion technology, which has been proven in many different applications, has allowed us to achieve exactly what we thought it would in terms of power, range and efficiency."
The body design of the Tesla Roadster, which included a collaborative effort by the company's employees, was led by Barney Hatt, Principal Designer at the Lotus Design Studio in England. The result is a sleek, stylish sports car that will appeal to enthusiasts and environmentalists the world over.
Tesla Motors's engineers have gone to great lengths to ensure that not only is the Tesla Roadster safe to drive, but also is safe when charging, at home or on the road. Their goal is to meet the rigorous Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, or FMVSS, as implemented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Tesla Motors co-founders Eberhard (CEO) and Marc Tarpenning (VP, Engineering) have brought together a team of automotive industry veterans plus Silicon Valley electronics and software engineers to bring the Tesla Roadster to life.
Research and Development for Tesla Motors is located at the corporate headquarters in San Carlos, California and in the UK. Motors are manufactured at Tesla's facility in Taiwan, and final assembly for the Tesla Roadster is in the UK.
Eberhard and Tarpenning provided the early funding for the company, and were joined in 2003 by Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, who is the major investor in the company and serves as company chairman.
Musk worked with Eberhard and Tarpenning to attract more investors and approach venture capital firms, and in June 2006, Tesla Motors announced that the company had secured an additional $40 million in financing led by Musk and VantagePoint Venture Partners, one of the largest CleanTech investors in the Silicon Valley.
Deliveries of the Tesla Roadster are expected to begin next summer.
Every moving part of a vehicle's propulsion system reduces its efficiency, so Tesla Motors's electric motor has only one moving part. Compare that to a typical American sports car's V-8 engine, with eight pistons, eight connecting rods, a crankshaft, 32 valves, oil pumps, valve springs and many more moving parts. Which one is likely to be more efficient? And which one is going to be more reliable?
The electric motor's efficiency rating is likely to be as high as 95 percent, while the internal combustion engine's efficiency is 20 percent or less. With this efficiency, the Tesla Roadster achieves the equivalent of 135 mpg.
That efficiency doesn't slow this sleek sports car down, either. Estimated 0-60 mph time is around four seconds, and with an electric motor, the torque is instantaneous, throw-you-back-in-the-seat responsive.
The 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction motor has a rotating magnetic field. Through electromagnetic induction, the rotating magnetic field induces a current in the conductors in the rotor, which in turn sets up a counterbalancing magnetic field that causes the rotor to turn in the direction the field is rotating. The rotor, which is made of copper and non-magnetized steel, provides power through the transmission to drive the rear wheels of the Tesla Roadster. The top speed for the motor is 13,500 rpm, putting it in Formula One territory, about twice the typical "red-line" of IC engines. The motor can deliver about 185 kW to the transmission.
The computer-controlled system for the motor, known as the Power Electronics Module (PEM), is an integrated power inverter and high-rate charging system. The motor can provide negative torque, otherwise known as regenerative braking, to enhance range. During charging the maximum input power is 240 volts at 70 amps AC 45-65 Hz or about 17 kilowatts. The PEM is air-cooled.
The unique two-speed electrically actuated manual transmission is also designed for optimum efficiency, with an integral free differential and final drive. There is no external oil cooling required. The transmission is cooled internally with a splash lubrication system. The gearshift is electro-mechanical with an electro-mechanical transmission lock (park position) on the final drive. There is no clutch. Torque change and speed matching for shifting is done using computer software. Maximum torque is 260Nm and maximum input speed is 13,500 rpm. Since electric motors can run in either direction, there's no need for the additional weight from a "reverse" gear; a simple switching arrangement reverses the motor. An on-board controller provides traction control.
High Performance Energy Storage System Is Key Driver For Tesla Roadster
What has 6,831 non-moving parts and powers a car? It's the unique Energy Storage System of the new Tesla Roadster.
The 6,831 non-moving parts are cells slightly larger than a typical AA battery. The large number of small cells allows Tesla Motors's engineers to create an energy storage system around fixed points on the chassis, ensuring optimum efficiency in packaging.
Tesla Motors CTO JB Straubel said, "Maximizing battery run-time is critical for an electric vehicle, but we've been able to do just that with the Tesla Roadster while minimizing weight and maximizing safety. The proprietary technology developed at Tesla Motors for our Energy Storage System is critical to the success of the Tesla Roadster."
The Energy Storage System (ESS) provides power to the entire vehicle, including the motor. It comprises a durable and tamper-resistant enclosure, the 6,831 cells, mechanical structure to mount the batteries, electrical interconnection between the cells, interconnection to the power electronics unit, a network of microprocessors for maintaining charge balance and temperature monitoring, a cooling system, and an independent safety system that is designed to isolate high voltage outside the enclosure under a variety of detectable safety situations.
A cooling system is controlled by the vehicle electronics. It uses a secondary loop in the cabin air conditioning system to provide chilled coolant which is circulated throughout the ESS. A resistive heater is used to heat the batteries in extreme cold conditions.
Batteries using the same lithium-ion technology used in Tesla Motors's vehicles have proven themselves over years of usage in modern electronic devices such as cell phones, camcorders, MP3 players and other digital devices. Unlike previous-generation nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride batteries, lithium-ion batteries have no "memory," and are good for 500 complete charge/discharge cycles before replacement may be required.
Lithium-ion cells are rechargeable and provide one of the best energy-to-weight ratios and a slow loss of charge when not in use. Pioneered by Gilbert N. Lewis in 1912, the first commercially available lithium-ion cell was created by Sony in 1991.
Lithium-ion technology is improving rapidly with the latest breakthroughs focusing on reducing charging time, and improving the capacity of cells. Tesla Motors continues to explore improvements in energy storage technologies and is actively working with several lithium-ion cell manufacturers.
Tesla Roadster Has Safety Built In
For automakers the world over, keeping a vehicle's occupants safe is a key factor when designing a car, particularly a performance electric car like the Tesla Roadster.
Tesla Motors's designers and engineers have gone to great lengths to ensure that not only is the Tesla Roadster safe to drive, but also when charging the performance electric car, at home or on the road. Their goal is to not only meet, but to surpass the rigorous standards of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, or FMVSS, as implemented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
"The Tesla Roadster will meet or exceed the FMVSS criteria, period," said Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard. "From traditional items like seat belts, air bags, and anti-lock brakes, to EV-specific standards including electrical disconnect systems and color-coding high voltage wires, I expect this car to be a model for vehicles anywhere, electric or not."
NHTSA has a legislative mandate to issue Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations to which vehicle manufacturers, like Tesla Motors, must conform and certify compliance. These Federal safety standards are regulations written in terms of minimum safety performance requirements for motor vehicles or equipment.
The FMVSS includes crash testing in order to fulfill the "occupant crash protection" standard (part 571, standard no. 208), which specifies performance requirements for the protection of vehicle occupants in crashes. Its purpose is to specify vehicle crashworthiness requirements in test crashes and static airbag deployment tests. This standard also specifies equipment guidelines for active and passive restraint systems.
The FMVSS also has standards specific to electric vehicles, including redundant, independent electrical disconnect systems, activated when the car's electrical system has been compromised by a ground fault, too much current, over- or under-voltage, overheating, liquid in the energy storage system (ESS) or in the case of an accident.
The Tesla Roadster's high voltage wires are color-coded in accordance with the FMVSS and feature double insulation. All high-voltage enclosures, including the ESS, feature tamper-proof packaging and warning labels.
The ESS, which provides power to the entire vehicle, features an independent safety system designed to disconnect power outside the ESS enclosure under a variety of detectable safety-threatening situations.
The Tesla Roadster comes complete with its Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSE), a home-based charging system. The EVSE is only to be installed by a qualified electrical technician, and also features an automatic system to switch off the charging current prior to the removal of the charge lead connector. The home system also includes a smoke detector that will discontinue charging and cut off current to the charging system if smoke is detected. Similarly the home system is equipped with a system that detects any unusual tension on the charging cable (such as another car running over the cable) and will cut off current passing through the cable. The Tesla Roadster is equipped with a safety interface that prevents the car from being driven or even moving if the charging system is connected to the cars charge port.
More traditional vehicle safety apparatus include self-tensioning driver and passenger seat belts and shoulder straps. An audible alert and instrument panel warning light will activate in the event the driver's seat belt is unfastened while driver key is inserted.
Passive safety is provided through energy-absorbing structure built into the front and rear of the vehicle, also known as "crumple zones," and driver and passenger air bags are also standard. The passenger compartment is encompassed by extruded aluminum door beams and high level side beams.
Enhanced safety features include the antilock braking system and traction control. An interlock system prevents the car from rolling or accidentally accelerating until the driver has turned the car on, fastened the seat belt, and shifted from park.
All systems are go for Tesla Motors. Last month the high-performance electric car company secured $40 million Series C financing led by VantagePoint Venture Partners, one of the largest CleanTech investors in Silicon Valley, and by Elon Musk, co-founder of Paypal and founder and CEO of SpaceX. Other institutional investors included Draper Fisher Jurvetson and JP Morgan Bay Area Equity Fund. Several individuals with strong interest in CleanTech investment also participated, including Sergey Brin, Larry Page, Nick Pritzker (through his investment partnership, Tao LLC), and Jeff Skoll (through his investment company, Capricorn Management LLC). The financing is already being used to launch the company's first product, the Tesla Roadster, and to support final safety compliance testing and production.
"We are pleased to have VantagePoint Venture Partners as one of our lead investors on this round because of their commitment to hands-on investing, particularly in CleanTech companies," said Martin Eberhard, CEO of Tesla Motors, "and we are proud of Mr. Musk's continued confidence in Tesla Motors expressed through his strong participation in every round of financing and his leadership on the Board of Directors."
Jim Marver of VantagePoint Venture Partners, who joined Tesla Motors's Board of Directors added, "Tesla Motors is driving change throughout the CleanTech sector in bringing to market real-world innovations for consumers. The company will be instrumental in transforming the way that consumers view CleanTech products - products that can now have style and speed while being good for the environment."
Musk, the Chairman of Tesla Motors, agreed: "By leading the technology change from gasoline to electric vehicles, I believe Tesla Motors has the potential to be one of the great car companies of the 21st century. The starting point is a high-performance sportscar, but the long-term vision is to build cars of all kinds, including low-cost family vehicles. Tesla Motors is one of those rare opportunities to change the world in a positive way and build a valuable company in the process."
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09-08-2006, 07:27 PM
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