Tesla is really not fast at all...(really fast)

We have a toll road here in Texas with stretches that are 85 MPH and interstates in the western part of the state that are 80 MPH. I think Montana also has some 80 MPH interstates.

 

Hybrid is the ideal combination I agree. Alter the mode on a button and you can drive around in EV mode in town, when necessary use the engine as a generator and combination of the two during hard driving.

 

Back in he 1970's when I would go to my father, breathless, reciting to him the latest 0-60 times and top speeds posted in the magazines for the American muscle cars and European exotics he would just shrug. To my awed declaration that a particular car could go 0-60 in 4.8 seconds and had a top speed of 150+ mph, he would ask just a simple question: "Where ?"

 

this is kinda true, but kinda not.

example, whenever i am at the head of a stoplight, i do actually try to accelerate quickly in order to relish this brief moment of freedom.
lately i have been doing that in the fisker, that only has a 0-60 time of 6 seconds, AND i am still beating the others to the next light by a very long way. in other words, almost everybody else is not accelerating rapidly. so, if you are not in the first row, you are stuck behind the soccer moms, and your own car's abilities are neutralized.

anyway, i think most of the people on this thread have kind of come to a rational consensus that for the daily commuter/grind/city car, an EV can do the job in a satisfactory manner; and that if you have only one car, or if your needs include occasional longer trips then a hybrid is the answer; and if you have the luxury of having multiple rides, you can pick one of these and STILL keep your favorite ICE rides to enjoy the handling and the noise.

 

Trying to accelerate quickly in the front-wheel-drive Highlander that was my mom's last vehicle is a slapstick comedy routine. It's even funnier in the rain. Hate FWD. It's a great grocery getter, but I'm ready to be rid of it.

 

I expect a lot more electric cars (forced by governments), rest will be hybrid. Very few to no ICE only.

As long as I can keep driving ICE cars (even with hybrid assistance) I don't care. Force me into an electric car (even not allowed to drive ICE anymore) I'd sell everything and live on a beach in pacific ocean.

 

Lockhart has several stops, Kruez, Blacks, and Smitty's.

 

It is more difficult to optimize an EV or ICE engine for maximum efficiency but easy for hybrid. This is due to the long power bands required for each applications (max efficiency occur at different speeds and torques).
For EV, the maximum efficiency typically occurs towards the top 3rd of the Torque-Speed curve due to Amp limitations, Joule losses, iron losses and demagnetizations current limits. Flat and immediate EV torque curves are a product of these parameters.
For ICE, maximum efficiency occurs at peak volumetric efficiency where the engines breaths the most hence the benefits of turbo and supercharging.
Now, when you operate an ICE at max efficiency to generate power to the battery (hybrid), and use the battery to power the Electric motors, you get the best of both worlds.

 

I think like Bas said, it all comes down to if you want initial fast acceleration, or sustained performance on "longer" distances (I.e. 400 meters), as well as nimble handling and cornering capabilities. The Tessa does well on 0-30 and 0-60'mph. But after that the car does not perform at supercar, or HyperCar level.

Like Frank Markus of MotorTrend magazine wrote "The Tesla does not hold the advantage forever, though, because higher speeds give the advantage to horsepower over instant torque. The Ferrari LaFerrari hits 70 mph a tenth of a second quicker; the Porsche 918 and McLaren P1 pull ahead at 80 mph, and these hypercars all continue to pull away at higher speeds".

 

Pretty much what Koenigsegg is doing with the powertrain of the Regera. The ICE and electric motors combined (1,000 + 697) make more horsepower than the car's actual peak (1,500) because they don't sum the two simultaneously. The electric motors are optimized at its range and ICE for its range with some overlap (not at their peaks) to make a nice powerband.

 

Have to figure soccer mom in her Tesla minivan has the good sense to be out of the throttle by then, though?

 

Well it depends which S class u have. A s63 makes the right noises to me
The cabin in a model s is not nearly as well insulated from the outside as the S class


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That was the point I had tried to make. Anything faster than say 5 seconds 0-60 is plenty fast for city driving. You are going to leave the vast majority of all the cars in your rear view mirror. So the Teslas (or any other cars) sub 5 sec 0-60 is pretty meaningless to the majority of drivers.

 

I love my I3. It zips in traffic super nicely! Ride comfort is poor though;(


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I know I'm not up on modern cars, but I sure haven't heard of Ferrari model called Tesla before...

 

another nail in the coffin

 

Still has all the style and design of a cheap Asian mass market car.

 

I hear the folks at pinninfarina are available for an easy fix.


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Out of interest how many of you guys choose to wear a mechanical watch over a Quartz / Digital watch?

Sometimes I wonder what percentage of us have a mechanical fascination as well as an appreciation of the sound / feel. Leaving aside the Tesla driving experience, there is interest to be had in how the Tesla's work, but its far less exciting - no?

 

The forthcoming Roadster has some exterior design flair, but I'm still struggling to get interested in it.