I’m anything but a Trekkie, but a recent drive in the Tesla Roadster made me think of the Starship Enterprise. To be more precise, the Enterprise a second after warp speed has been deployed. Imagine for a moment that your brain is Captain Kirk and the “gas” pedal is Scotty. When Scotty receives the warp factor order and flips the fast switch, something very weird and very breathtaking happens. On the Starship, as in the Tesla.
Time and time again, when I’d mash the Tesla’s accelerator, I couldn’t help but curse. As in, “holy *&@!, this is incredible”. That is what happens when you have linear, quiet, shiftless acceleration from zero to sixty in yes, three point bloody nine seconds. Quicker than any Porsche, and as quick as anybody who has not driven a formula car recently can imagine. And with far less drama than I’ve ever experienced in a sports car. You want to go faster, and then, suddenly, you’re faster — faster than you probably wanted.
Doesn’t this kind of power corrupt? During a 20-minute drive through and around Frankfurt, it did, inasmuch as I couldn’t help dishing out gobs of pure speed whenever there was an opening in traffic. And watching motorcycles struggle to catch up was only half the fun. It feels almost unspeakably awesome to have almost unlimited acceleration at your disposal, especially when it’s in an unflashy, inconspicuous small car. A car of which a pedestrian at a traffic light once asked “is it just a quiet car, or is it what I think it is?” When you’re in a Tesla, nobody insinuates you’re a toff, or a wanker, or yuppie scum. You’re in a superfast sports car, and everything is just fine. Has there ever been anything like it?
Did I say sports car? Well… let’s discuss that. The layout is sportscarish, what with two tight-but-comfortable seats, Lotus-low entry and egress, and a cabon-fiber cladded trunk that may be large and wide enough for your golf kit but not much else. Continuing the case for the Tesla’s sportscar-dom by virtue of inconvenience is the top of the windshield’s habit of blocking your line of vision if you’re over six feet tall.
Fit and finish is old-school sports car too: the inside is simple and pretty, but by no means is this the interior of a 100k car. You’ll find no jewellish instruments and no foolish luxury condiments such as an air scarf. No toys, in other words, except the car itself.
A toy, exactly, but, again, is it a sports car? Well, first there’s the steering. What Tesla gives you is a very small, unassisted wheel that doesn’t agree with your arm muscles at low speeds and feels wooden at higher ones. Does Tesla have this feature to discourage hoonage? If so: guys, it works. Then, there is the heavy battery pack which, in contrast to some other EVs, is not flat beneath the floor, but behind you, at around the level of your shoulders. The sum effect is that the Tesla feels solid and substantial but not particularly maneuverable. I didn’t take it to the ‘ring, butI can assume from the way it feels that this Roadster would feel not at all at home there.
On the other hand, ride comfort is suprisingly good. Tramway track crossings are taken in stride and long undulations, of the kind that make many a car feel bouncy on the autobahn, didn’t bother me at all. (Wind noise is present all the time, though).
Does it matter that the Tesla is not as direct, as communicative, as quick handling a car as its Lotus donator is? I’d say, no. Because what you do with this car is point and squirt — albeit with a monster squirt gun.
In other words, you need to employ a totally different driving style than you would in Porsche, for instance. You step on it, reach warp speed, let the regenerative brakes do their thing and get down to a comfortable speed before entering a curve, and then take off again.
Are you catching my, well, drift? This is a modern-day muscle car. It follows a simple formula: put a super-powerful engine in a small package, and watch people pay a hefty premium.
OK — it’s unsophisticated, and if you ask the competitors in the electric vehicle field, the guys who are busy designing some miracle car for 2012, they’ll tell you the Tesla is impossible. Laptop batteries! A Lotus chassis they simply loaded to the brink with Lithium! But really: as much as some people care, plenty of people don’t. And come to think of it, neither do I when the drive is so good. 
Also, many people probably care about how long the batteries will last; what happens to your faulty batteries if Tesla’s financing dies; whether these newfangled Lithium-Ion batteries are really safe; whether its range of 50-200 miles is acceptable. (I wouldn’t suffer from range anxiety for the simple reason that anybody with the money to buy one would in addition own another car for the occasional long-distance drive). These issues are in flux, and a matter of discussion to take place outside the context of a test drive. Another qualm might be the price, to which I say: it’s an early-adopter’s toy, for crying out loud — these things are always expensive.
But for me, the real significance of the Tesla is this. For the first time in decades, Americans are offering a car that by way of brute force, cheekiness, acute understanding of new technology, and clever access to financing, has turned into something desirable for people everywhere. America is no longer the laughing stock of the automotive world. Folks, you might not like the Tesla, you might think it’s some kind of Silicon Valley scam, but if it was made in my country, I’d be mighty proud.
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Silent accelerative power is kind of like an epiphany, isn’t it?
You feel like it’s the invisible hand of God pushing you along, after years or decades of listening to the enefficiencies and noise of a reciprocating engine….
I got a similar epiphany the first time I drove a Prius and gently took off under electric only mode. Obviously on a lesser scale, acceleration-wise.
In addition to your list of questions, I’d add recharge time. How long does it take to go from zero to 100% charge? 110 or 220VAC?
Twotone
Was this in conjunction with the IAA? If it was, could anybody take a test drive, or were you considered “automotive press”?
If motorcycles were struggling to keep up, they probably weren’t trying or you were out racing cruisers.
pretty much any modern 600+cc, if they tried, does a 0-60 in the low to mid 3’s and the quarter in the mid to high 10’s stock. It has roughly the same street range as the tesla (my bike is about 150-180 miles before fillup).
I know one Mag had the kawasaki zx-14 from 2-3 years ago at 0-100 in 4.95….
Spend enough time with the power and you will get used to it :)
The bigger difference IMHO (that I imagine) is having tons of torque always available. This is something that (normal) bikes CANNOT match.
I have been looking at the zero-s on and off (completely electric bike, about 60-80 mile range) but I am not sure how well it would handle turns since it is fully electric & always has tons of torque. It also doesn’t have gears and the top speed is just 55mph. You do get 0-50 in I think 5 seconds though…IIRC
How silent is the electric motor? Had a ride in GM’s EV1 once. It was quick compared to other cars at the time. But it was not silent with the pedal to the floor. Maybe if GM had gone with RWD…
Maybe I’d be a convert with some seat time. But how can the drive be so good if the steering and handling are poor? I cut gas engine cars no slack when all they’re good for is quick acceleration. Why make an exception for the Tesla?
I’d love to have some reliability stats on these, but will there be enough owners? Unless they sell 10,000+, probably not.
http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php
Thanks Martin. Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter taught that creative destruction is essential for healthy economies. New technologies replace old. New business models throw too-big-to-fail businesses aside. But no one associated with the antiquated businesses wants to see it go down and for workers to lose jobs. Others are simply sentimental or just want the world to be predictable. Or maybe we are anxious because we can’t yet see what the future will bring. Whatever the reason, we resist change.
This review helps us see that as the Big 3 are in their final death throes there is hope for a young and vital new automotive industry in America. Are EVs the future? There are a lot of kinks that still need to be worked out. Will Tesla emerge as a major player? Possible but not likely. Nonetheless, this is an important glimpse of what lies ahead.
+1 Robstar, on the faux “quicker than motos” biz.
Frequently on this site when there’s a *really* quick car reviewed (benz with big motor, custom viper, etc) the writer gets all carried away and drops the breathless “quicker than motorcycle! sportbikes struggling to keep up! all for only 10x as much!”
Then somebody points out that “yeah, well, you’re right, bikes are quicker, but you’re gonna die.”
People, PLEASE. Fatality rates aside, if we’re just talking pure acceleration figures and power to weight ratios (and this article in particular is talking about 0-60 times) whatever the hell you’re reviewing, no matter how great**, is not as quick 0-60 as a 600cc sportbike, let alone a literbike, m’kay?
And while cornering properly may well be a (potentially fatal) issue with two wheeled vehicles, getting them to accelerate insanely fast, assuming you can drive a stick, isn’t.
**Veyron and similar 1000hp “cars” excluded.
“nobody insinuates you’re a toff, or a wanker, or yuppie scum. You’re in a superfast sports car”
Aren’t those statements mutually exclusive?
Good write-up, Martin. As a kid growing up in Austria, electric vehicles were our first and primary modes of transportation: trams, trains and electric trolley buses. Loved the quiet humming power. Electric cars: it’s like, what took so long? But they’re coming, and I welcome them to the fray.
I had a ride in one a couple of years ago on a winding tributary to skyline in the peninsula. From the vantage point of passenger, the handling felt extremely competent, and the thing didn’t seem to lean at all. And yes, the acceleration was impressive. But judging from your account, I mean, immense acceleration is nice and all, but even if money were absolutely no object, I’d rather have a Cayman. (See my account of Skip Barber.)
How much cheaper would a Tesla Roadster be if its 0-60 time was 6.5 instead of 3.9?
I assume the 20-minute drive time was their idea, not yours. Someone should try driving it sportily, for a longer time, in the winter with the lights and heater on, and then tell the world how far it went before it ran out of juice. That sound we might hear will be the wind noise of air rushing out of a balloon.
Let’s never forget that four months ago, Washington gave $465 million of your and my money, as part of the government’s strained effort to strike a forward-leaning pose while providing glitzy cover for its failing “investments” in the auto industry. Until proven otherwise, I consider the Tesla as one element of a massive, PR-driven political fraud to push mountains of public cash down a Green sinkhole.
@William C Montgomery
It seems the old-school auto industry is in the twilight of its life. Consider the behaviors: nostalgia for the past (retro, anyone), focus on meeting needs low on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (the big three, at least, don’t exhibit behaviors above “Safety”), and focus on current self-preservation over planning for the future. Senility, anyone?
I can’t guess if it will be Tesla, or even electric, but cars and their manufacturers are going to be very different 10-20 years from now.
You mentioned the small size of the steering wheel; from the interior photo it looks to me as though it couldn’t be much bigger without your left hand hitting the door pull.
in the winter with the lights and heater on
Two thoughts. 1. In many parts of the country it doesn’t really get cold. 2. How many 911s, Vets, Vipers etc. do you see driving around in the dead of winter?
A friend of mine in Dallas just went for a ride in a Tesla and described the acceleration exactly as you did… eery and incredible.
I agree with tparkit. Green sinkhole – great.
Wranglers are good at off-roading.
Minivans are good at hauling people and stuff.
Pickups/SUV’s are good at towing/hauling.
This thing is good at – suck-your-eyeballs-through-the-headrest speed for 50 miles? Sounds more like a toy than a car.
The review was good, but I just disagree with this about the range – These issues are in flux, and a matter of discussion to take place outside the context of a test drive.
With electric cars, it’s all about the range and recharge times. Good thing this is just a toy then.
“Thrust” is a drug. If you want to differentiate your product to people, you may as well go with the automotive drug of choice. Tesla are right to provide it.
I hope they succeed.
As usual Martin Schwoerer, thanks for your writing.
suck-your-eyeballs-through-the-headrest speed for 50 miles?
How often do you drive more than 50 miles in a day? I drive 8 miles a day. The median for the US is 22.9. Even driving like a hoon it will meet the needs of the vast, vast majority of drives – from a range perspective.
Shame about the weight distribution – killing the best part of the Elise in exchange for straight line acceleration – I think I’d take a Corvette instead.
It is a start, but just that. The Model S actually looks like a real vehicle.
@jmo – the problem is you can never go over the mile limit. It is not like there is an infrastructure to change out batteries on longer trips like gas tanks for your grill. Of course you will just end up renting a car for those weekend trips, but it is sort of annoying.
I would not be surprised if a car share company didn’t offer electric-conversions within a couple of years.
Matt: it was on the first press day of the IAA and I was press. There was a surprisingly nonchalant Tesla PR guy sitting next to me, who chatted on his iPhone while I pushed the pedals to the metal. No pressure whatsoever to take it slow or turn back soon.
Range: official is, I think, 50-200 miles. If I can get a loaner from their new Munich office, I will report accordingly. I didn’t write about this because I dislike reviews that repeat PR data only.
Robstar: as chance will have it, I drove a Vectrix a day before the Tesla. Very impressive linear acceleration and torque, but not nearly as breathtaking as the Tesla. You got me on the motorcycle bit though, and obviously a really fast bike can out-accelerate a car any normal day. (But they didn’t…)
And then the battery went dead and I walked home.
jmo wrote:
“How often do you drive more than 50 miles in a day?”
Do you mean presently, or if I had a Tesla Roadster in my garage?
I’d be impressed with the Tesla Roadster if it wasn’t just a ripoff of the tzero.
David: I drove Capt Mike’s 911 today, which is a tremendous, exhilarating drive. On a track, surely better than a Tesla, so I agree with your Cayman preference. But superquick while relaxed — one might say, civilized — transportation has a charm of its own.
Interesting technical exercise, but at 100 large, I’m unconvinced.
And if the interior on this car is anything like the Lotus it’s based on, not only am I unconvinced – I’m uncomfortable.
I can think of a lot of cars I’d rather have for this money.
Martin Schwoerer :
October 7th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Range: official is, I think, 50-200 miles.
Isn’t that kinda like the weatherman on the 10:00 news predicting anywhere from 2 to 20 inches of snow?
Great review and to read it here, ironic even, considering the Tesla Death Watch series. You know, as a first production electric sports car, you have to admit, they did a pretty fair job. If they can stay in business, future models should get better and cheaper.
“Quicker than any Porsche”
I think you should check your figures. At over $100k, comparing to the 911 turbo is fair game. The Porsche even has an automatic transmission option (for those who want to win the race but have less fun).
For straight-line acceleration, several M-badged BMWs and AMG-badged Mercedes might give the Tesla a run for their money even while carrying 4 people in relative comfort. Then there are the E55 and M5 station wagons!
I like this car (at my distance) because it fulfills its claims as a high-performance sports car. For that, you pay.
Other EVs, like the Volt, are attempting to enter the economy car market with near-luxury prices. To me that’s a no-go, even for many early adopters. Economic return on investment matters a lot for an economy car. Not so for a sports car, and that’s why they are selling (albeit in small numbers).
The Model S will be one of the most beautiful cars out there, and with a lower price point and home-grown chassis (I think). Can’t wait for that one.
Sunnyvale: the Stig would have said it is quicker than the GT3, if he was inclined to talk
I drive 8-32 miles a day, I have a garage with 220V, and I live in Los Angeles. I plan to buy a Nissan Leaf when they come out, with its 100ish mile anticipated range, and will only have to charge it every few days to every week. Compared to that, a Tesla would need to be charged less, would be more fun…and there are many, many more people with money to burn here in CA than there are Teslas available for purchase.
@Martin Schwoerer: Hrm, I kinda always thought Elon Musk was a toff wanker yuppie-scum. :D
@William C Montgomery: +1 internets on the Schumpeter ref!
The big guys would never get it together enough to Hewlett-Packard this thing together in a shed.
Model S Ponzi Scheme or no, GM would’ve instead spent the money on chrome-plated trucknutz for Maximum Bob’s vanity mirror.
It even sounds like the USS Enterprise (or lasers from the 80s). Here’s a youtube video from a French video magazine where they record an acceleration run of a Tesla. Note the speed is in MPH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY-EhnWzcg8
For the sport bike comparisons, please note the review was not conducted in the US, where an 18 year old can buy a Yamaha R1 with no motorcycle license.
The car IS a toy…Most sports cars and supercars are. It’s an emotional purchase, not a practical one. You don’t see anyone driving a million dollar, 1001hp, 252mph, Carrera-size, Beetle-shaped car that gets 0-14 mpg to Burning Man.
Wikipedia says that Tesla reported an operating profit in July for the first time. Of course, they’re not a public company, so who really knows…but if they can make a profit, and continue to improve upon what they’ve built and create viable, better electric cars, then it would be a triumph indeed on their part. Certainly not the roadster, and probably not the S…but who knows, the next Tesla could be the Model T of electric cars. Especially if the S achieves what they are aiming for…a viable, attractive electric family car at $50k.
The range numbers have to be a range because lithium ion batteries start losing capacity the minute they come off the assembly line. Even Tesla concedes that the range of the Roadster will become unacceptable to most owners after two to three years. The entire battery pack will then need to be replaced.
The theme in this place is: Gm sucks – don’t change anything. Anytime anything new is created it’s seen as an evil impingement on some perceived freedom.
This thing gets about 220 miles on a charge, is really fast, and really expensive. They took off the shelve parts – added their own software – and created a monster. I say three cheers. And may the devil take the hindmost. (whatever that means).
This thing gets about 220 miles on a charge, is really fast, and really expensive. They took off the shelve parts – added their own software – and created a monster. I say three cheers.
I’d agree with you, except two things really bother me about Tesla.
First, people at Tesla act like they invented something new. They did not. There is little new about the Roadster. They ripped off the tzero concept and still refuse to give any credit to AC Propulsion.
Second, Tesla got free money from the government to build cars. In my view, that’s a disgrace. We are spending hundreds of millions to subsidize a company that caters to the rich.
Yes, it is just a loan. But that is the shame of it. If Tesla tanks, we taxpayers are out all the money. If Tesla succeeds, its investors profit. Not us. We just get our money back — 50 years from now. No sane investor would ever do that deal. Only an insane government.
I don’t know if I’ll ever warm up to silent acceleration.
Is there any way to make this thing sound like a TIE fighter from Star Wars?
Second, Tesla got free money from the government to build cars. In my view, that’s a disgrace.
Boeing would have never been able to get the 707 off the ground if it wasn’t government subsidies in the form of initial orders for the KC-135.
NASA and Boeing often work closely on projects with Gov’t funded research often vital to Boeing’s production of civilian aircraft.
We are spending hundreds of millions to subsidize a company that caters to the rich.
When the 707 was rolled out by Pan Am in October or 1958, it was certainly the province of the rich or at least very upper middle class.
First, people at Tesla act like they invented something new.
They did invent something new. The first freeway-capable, fully functioning EV to be sold outright to the North American public. Why haven’t 700 tzeros been sold to the public? Have you ever seen a tzero in the wild?
There’s a lot more to this game than just technological innovation.
This thing gets about 220 miles on a charge, is really fast…
I think you meant to say, “This thing gets about 220 miles on a charge or is really fast.”
They did invent something new. The first freeway-capable, fully functioning EV to be sold outright to the North American public.
That’s my point. They didn’t invent that. What did they invent? Have you looked at Tesla’s patent portfolio?
You are right that they built a business to put the Tesla Roadster on the road. But that’s not much of an accomplishment. Give me the $200 million they spent, and I could do a lot better.
I should admit my bias against Tesla. I’ve worked in Silicon Valley for 17 years and know a lot of the people here. Elon Musk has stabbed many of them in the back, including one of the most capable and honest people that I have met. I have nothing but contempt for the man.
Tesla’s website white paper on batteries indicates the charge energy is equivalent to about 8 liters of gasoline. That is about 280 megajoules of energy from, in one case, 6 kg of gasoline, and in the other case, from a couple hundred +/- kg of batteries. For some small light aerodynamic gasser, I’d expect to hear range claims of 60 to 120 miles from an 8 liter gas tank. Maybe the high side 200 mile Tesla estimate comes from motor efficiency. Bet it doesn’t include heating in winter climates, which is pretty much free from gassers.
To sell these things, you need to sell with the caveat that it is a short range vehicle. Nothing wrong with that. You’ll be able to sell plenty before you come up against a growth limit from lack of range and long ‘refill’ times. And during that time, maybe there will be a transformative breakthrough in storage technology.
For once, GM did it right with an honest disclosure – a claimed 40 miles out of the Volt. Provided they can do it, of course.
<i.But that’s not much of an accomplishment.
That’s at least half of it. It’s all well and good to have a great idea but it often takes an entirely different skill set to bring that idea to market.
The other day Dr. Chales Kao was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics as he was “the first to promote the idea that the attenuation in optical fibers could be reduced below 20 decibels per kilometer (dB/km), allowing fibers to be a practical medium for communication.”. Yes, he had the idea and he has a Nobel prize but it took countless companies to develope and roll out the fiber optic communications network.
Woo! Sounds like great fun! Only problem is (as demonstrated by Top Gear) they are VERY easy to break. When reliability gets better (and the price comes down) it would sound like a much more serious proposition for the ‘hoons’.
@ SunnyvaleCA
“Quicker than any Porsche”
I think you should check your figures. At over $100k, comparing to the 911 turbo is fair game. The Porsche even has an automatic transmission option (for those who want to win the race but have less fun).
i’m going to back you up on this, because at 3.9 sec 0-60 the tesla would NOT be faster then: the 2006+ 911 turbo with manual does 0-60 in exactly the same 3.9 sec. however if you buy the 911 turbo with the lame Tiptronic S automatic transmission then it will go from 0-60 in 3.7sec that is faster then the tesla.
also the 2008+ Porsche GT2 goes from 0-60 in 3.4sec. again faster then the tesla.
and the 2004+ GT2 does 0-60 in 3.9sec. the same as the tesla.
the 2010 porsche GT3 RS does 0-60 in 3.8 sec.
the 2003 Porsche Carrera GT does 0-60 in 3.9 sec.
so there are 5 porsche’s that the tesla is not faster then.
there are more then that even but you start getting into the super rare, like the
1987 Porsche 959 Sport that does 0-60 in 3.7sec
Is it too much to ask for TTAC to place the price of the car as tested right next to the name of the car so I don’t have to search for it?
Just to inject a real-world data point into this discussion. My Tesla recently passed 10,000 miles, and after 10 months of ownership, I’ve been incredibly pleased with the car. I didn’t expect it to become my daily driver, as I regularly do the 160mi (260km) roundtrip between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, but it has. The official range of the Roadster (on the EPA driving cycle) is 244 miles; I regularly get 180+ miles on a charge, and can easily stretch that to 200+ by driving a bit slower.
In 10,000 miles, I’ve had only one significant problem with the car; in an apparent manufacturing fluke, a bolt in the battery pack worked itself loose, which pinched a wire and caused a fault, but it was quickly and easily fixed.
I have the 3-hour fast charger at home, though only on a couple occasions have I needed the full-speed charge. Usually I have it dialed down to half-power, which puts less stress on the batteries. My Roadster’s full charge capacity has decreased about 2% in nearly a year, and I’ve only dipped into the lowest 10% twice (and that barely). At this rate, the pack should be good for 5-7 years, and then I’ll swap it out for a higher capacity one.
So, to summarize: it really works, and I’m not giving it back. I wish Tesla all the best with the Model S, and think they’ll do very well.
I wish people that have never driven (or probably even seen) a Tesla would keep their speculative bad-mouthing comments to themselves. If you have no experience of something please SHUT UP with your “this is shit and it’ll never work” derogatory comments !! It really is very tedious.
Discovering electro-thrust is truly a real life Eureka style moment. If you are a petrol head, trust me, it will be the biggest auto-related eye opener you will ever have. Period. It is truly awesome, fantastic and at the same time a bit surreal as there is so little aural drama when accelerating. So much so, I put my V6 350Z up for sale and now ride a bike while I save up for a brand new electric car :)
Google “Tesla test drive monaco” for my lap around the Grand Prix circuit at the supercar show last year (unfortunately only slowly round the circuit as the road was open to public still…)