TTAC Tests Tesla, Talks Turkey on EVs
When I go to the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), I like to get downtown early, around 7 AM. That way I don’t have to wait in any lines for credentials and I can get my favorite free parking spot about a block from Cobo Hall. While waiting for the press conferences to begin today, I stopped at the Tesla booth to say hi to Rachel Konrad, head of communications. Tesla first appearance at NAIAS consists of a small booth next to the Lotus display. Tesla’s displayed a naked Roadster chassis, which laid the car’s Lotus roots bare. But Konrad was emphatic: only a small percentage of components are shared with the Elise. She said that 150 not-Elise Roadsters have been delivered. They’re completing 15 vehicles a week, with 1100 people on a waiting list. Their facility has an ultimate capacity of 40 cars a week. With production proceeding, albeit at a relatively slow pace, Tesla has grown their company beyond Tucker stage (50 units built). It remains to be seen if they surpass Bricklin (2854 SV1s) and DeLorean (~9000 DMC-12s). In the meantime, they’re building real cars. I know because I got to drive one…
In addition to the chassis, Tesla had a deep red Roadster on the stand. They were preparing to take it downstairs to Cobo’s Michigan Hall. With six automakers pulling out of the NAIAS this year, there was a lot of empty space in the basement. So the Michigan Economic Development Corp. sponsored what they called the EcoXperience. It’s a 700′ track laid out in a winding loop around a park like setting. Public show goers will get rides in the latest hybrids and alternative propulsion concepts. The track was also available for test drives during the media preview.
Apparently, the U.S. State Department had organized a meet and greet for international journalists with top Tesla executives (go figure). Tesla decided to give the journalists a spin in the Roadster. Konrad said I could tag along. I checked my schedule and decided that a drive in a $100k electric sports car was more important than the introduction of the Lincoln MKT crossover.
While waiting for everyone to show up, Mike Donoughe, Tesla VP of engineering and manufacturing, was running laps at a pretty good clip– considering it’s an indoor, one lane track. I’d estimate he was doing about 20 mph; faster than the suggested 10 mph limit. Later when I asked him, he said it was probably closer to 25. When the VIPs queued us up, I was second in line. I had jokingly suggested to Konrad that they put the Roadster on “valet” setting to keep the journalists from testing the 0-60 time, but the car was on standard settings.
Getting into the Tesla Roadster is not an easy task because of the wide stepover shared with the Elise.I was pleased to discover, though, that it’s much easier to access and exit a Tesla than the Lotus. That’s because it has sills that are 2″ lower than those of the Elise.
Brief instructions: foot on brake, release handbrake, shift from neutral to drive, foot off brake and on accelerator. Obviously, a low speed drive around an indoor course isn’t going to tell you much, but I had a blast. Between the torque and the Lotus derived handling, it was just a question of how fast I wanted to take the turns. Complete assurance that the car will go where you want it to go.
The Roadster is also remarkably quiet, with little noticeable whine or hum from the drivetrain. While the Tesla is surefooted, I was surprised that the steering felt a little heavy, a slight lack of feeling. The polished cement floor might have had something to do with that, or maybe it was the Roadster’s extra weight vis a vis the Elise.
Like I said, you can’t tell much from a “test drive” such as this. But the Roadster seems well screwed together and feels solid. The motor controls give a very normal pedal feel. This is a car not a golf cart.
Tesla used the NAIAS to announce the $128,500 Roadster Sport. The extra $28,500 gets you .2 seconds off the “normal” car’s 0 to 60 mph sprint, from 3.9 to the 3.7 seconds. It comes with a hand-wound stator and increased winding density for lower resistance and higher peak torque. In addition to Yokohama’s Ultra High Performance tires, the Roadster Sport has improved suspension with adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars, tuned to the driver’s preference.
Tesla came to the NAIAS to prove that they’re a serious player in the automotive world. Fair enough. This year’s NAIAS was “electric.” Almost all the manufacturers featured production or concept vehicles using electricity for propulsion.
Toyota introduced the third generation Prius and the Lexus HS250h Lexus derivative. GM devoted an entire press conference to battery news. Ford, fresh on their boost from the EPA rating the Fusion Hybrid at 41 mpg city, announced their own electric vehicle plans, including a battery electric commercial van, a battery electric small car to be jointly developed with Magna and their next generation hybrids.
Chrysler showed their version of an electric Lotus (the Chrysler Circuit), a Jeep Patriot range extended EV and the Chrysler 200C concept, also with a range extended EV powertrain. Even Tesla’s former consultant and litigant Henrik Fisker was at the NAIAS to show the production version of the Karma and a concept of its two seat retractable hardtop variant.
Who knows? Maybe next year the NAIAS will have quarter mile electric drag races down the main aisle in Cobo.
Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, the original 3D car site.
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I don't recall the source of the information, but I do remember reading recently about Tesla being in line for a Department of Energy loan this fiscal year. They basically are massaging and juggling their current pile of liabilities in anticipation of that loan keeping them afloat. Factor in Uncle Obama's impending arrival and his promise of eleventy billion green collar jobs in three weeks or whatever, and Tesla's prospects for more sugar look even better. Also, Tesla is a Silicon Valley darling amongst the Beautiful People like George Clooney, and as we know the Beautiful People want to help save the planet with their superhero, Al Gore. Tesla's actual HQ is maybe a hundred clicks from Nancy Pelosi's own district. More I think about it, Tesla has their cards lined up more than any other alt.green outfit for access to the vast and impending pile of sugar that will be ushered in as the Robin to Obama's Batman. When the White House becomes Uncle Obama's Cabin, Tesla should be able to clean up at Sugarloaf Mountain like no other Grapenuts start-up can. All the while they are getting subsidized they also are bringing their costs down. Wouldn't be surprised to see a hard-ass (when you really get down to it) like Elon Musk showing people the back door while doing a press-con in the lobby to talk about some green-collar job action. Its even more fitting because Elon Musk's other money-pit - SpaceX - just got the $1.6 billion dollar contract to launch TV dinners at the ISS while NASA endures the down-time between the Shuttle getting put on ice and their (now delayed and over-budget) successor rocket program. Elon scored this contract on the sheer merit of blowing up three rockets to get one in orbit. Elon obviously knows how to get around a Senate committee or several, and has the lawyer-power to get at Uncle Sugar. Stars are lined up for Tesla this year, no doubt.
@CarnotCycle: While I know most of the SpaceX bits of your post were more for colour than anything else, I will point out that none of the SpaceX rockets exploded - only one that failed to reach orbit had a real payoad, and that SpaceX, while playing with these things, is now the worlds second largest provider of rocket engines now, (second only to Russia) and the only company to have designed a new solid-fuel rocket engine since the Apollo program. They actually DO have a real and viable product. If anything, it's sad that the other US engine producers spend so much making so few engines that a little startup like SpaceX can step in and outstrip them in production in only six years.