Qui ci sono le immagini esterne http://www.teslamotors.com/styling/body.php
Qui le immagini dell'interno http://www.teslamotors.com/styling/cockpit/cockpit.php
La storia del progetto http://www.teslamotors.com/styling/cockpit/cockpit.php
Sotto la pelle http://www.teslamotors.com/styling/under_the_skin.php
I colori http://www.teslamotors.com/styling/colors.php



How fast is it?
Zero to 60 mph in about 4 seconds with a top speed of over 130 mph*. But this is not the whole story. Because it has no clutch and a very wide, flat torque curve, the acceleration of the Tesla Roadster is much more available to enjoy: just step on the accelerator and go - no matter what speed you are driving, no matter what gear you are in, the acceleration is instantaneous.

How far can the Tesla Roadster drive between charges?
Range depends on driving style and conditions. On the EPA highway driving cycle we expect 250 miles on a charge.

Where can I see the car?
Starting in early 2007, we will begin hosting a series of events in our key markets, where you can see the car and meet with Tesla Motors Customer Care specialists. To learn of events in your area, register with us, and visit the events page. http://www.teslamotors.com/learn_more/events.php

When will the cars be available?
For customers in Northern and Southern California, the cars will be available in the summer of 2007. Chicago will follow with a delivery date in the fall of 2007. The cars will then also be available in New York and Miami probably beginning in late 2007.

Why does the Tesla Roadster have a two-speed transmission?
The Tesla Roadster has a two-speed transmission to maximize acceleration, while also allowing a reasonably high top speed. First gear gets you from zero to sixty in about 4 seconds, while second gear takes you to above 130 mph.

The gearing of the Tesla Roadster works together with the shifter and the Power Electronics Module to provide familiar driving behavior. First gear has strong "regenerative braking" that recharges the battery during deceleration and feels like engine braking in low gear on other sports cars. Second gear has less regenerative braking, and feels like 3rd or 4th gear on other sports cars. The Tesla Roadster needs only two gears because the motor delivers high torque over a much wider range of rpm's than any gasoline engine. No reverse gear is needed; the motor runs backwards for reversing.

If you do not feel like shifting, you can drive entirely in second gear: acceleration even in second gear is remarkably fast.

How long does it take to recharge?
That depends on how far the battery has been discharged and what source is being used to charge the batteries. A full charge using the home system can be achieved in as little as 3.5 hours.

However, an electric car is a bit like a cell phone: it does not matter how long it takes to charge as long as a charge lasts all day. You plug it in when you get home, and unplug it when you leave in the morning. This is why the 250-mile range of the Tesla Roadster revolutionizes EVs: you just don't need to think about charging up at Costco, Fry's, or at work.

How do you recharge it?
Unlike EVs of the past, the Tesla Roadster has a built-in battery charging system that can basically plug into any outlet. The car ships with a particularly easy to use connection system that is installed in your garage by a qualified electrician. There is also an optional mobile charging kit that allows you to charge from any available electrical outlet (110V or 220V) wherever you happen to be.

How long do the batteries last?
Li-Ion batteries are good for 500 charge/discharge cycles. With 250 miles of range this works out to 125,000 miles, but our estimate is a conservative 100,000 miles. However we believe that we will get better life from our batteries due to temperature control of the batteries and intelligent charge/discharge cycling.

Where is the car made?
Components and subsystems for the car come from a variety of sources all over the world. Final assembly for the Tesla Roadster is at the Lotus factory in the UK.

What is your relationship with Lotus?
Lotus Cars is assembling the Tesla Roadster under contract to Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors has also hired Lotus Engineering for certain design and engineering tasks. The Tesla Roadster style was developed in Lotus Engineering's design studio - Lotus Engineering won a design contest where several design firms submitted proposals. Lotus Engineering supplied the initial chassis which was significantly modified by Tesla Motors engineers.

Technical Specs

Tesla Roadster Technical Data
Motor  Type designation  3-phase, 4-pole electric motor 
Max net power  185kW 
Max rpm  13,500 
Efficiency  90% average, 80% at peak power 
Torque  see torque curve chart 
 
Transmission  Type:
2 speed electrically actuated manual transmission with final drive; constant mesh gears and inertia lock key type synchromesh 
Gear Ratio Overall
First 4.20 : 1 14.3 : 1
Second 2.17 : 1 7.4 : 1
Final Drive 3.41 : 1 
Reverse reverse direction of motor
 
 
Front Suspension 
Type: independent; upper and lower wishbone; co-axial coil spring/telescopic damper unit; anti-roll bar 
Rear Suspension
Type: independent; upper and lower wishbone; co-axial coil spring/telescopic damper 
Brakes  Type  
Cross-drilled 300 mm front and 310 mm rear discs with curved vane ventilation; AP Racing Two piston Aluminum fixed front calipers; Brembo Single piston sliding rear calipers 
Disc size    
front & rear: 11.3 in / 288 mm 
Operation   
Vacuum pump driven Servo assisted with 4 wheel ABS system 
 
Wheels  Type  Forged Anodized Light alloy 
Size - front  5.5J x 16 
Size - rear  7.5J x 17 
 
Tires
 Type  Yokohama Neova AD07 LTS 
Size - front  175/55 R16 
Size - rear  225/45 R17 
 
Dimensions  Overall length (in. / mm)  155.4 / 3946 
Overall width - incl. mirrors (in. / mm)  73.7 / 1873 
Overall height (at curb weight) (in. / mm)  44.4 / 1127 
Wheelbase (in. / mm)  92.6 / 2352 
Track - front (in. / mm)  57.6 / 1464 
Track - rear (in. / mm)  59.0 / 1499 
 
Standard features 
Twin airbag, seat belt retractors
4 wheel ABS
Traction Control
Cruise Control
Central door locking
Alarm & Immobilizer
Homelink® device
Electric windows
Air conditioning
Heated Seats
Radio + 4 speaker audio kit with iPod interface
Half leather trim
Full carpet set
Passenger Footrest
Black soft top
Sun Visors
7 spoke forged alloy wheels
Locking wheel lugs
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Tire Inflator
Cold weather ESS heater kit (sub zero charging)
Home based charging system (EVSE) with integral safety features
 
Factory-fitted options 
Satellite Navigation System
Satellite Radio
Hard top (body colored)
Metallic Paint
Full leather trim
 
Accessories 
Brand-embossed floor mats
Dust cape
Fitted luggage
Mobile Charging Kit
Additional Home based charging system (EVSE) with integral safety features
 

Performance Specs

Tesla Roadster Specifications*
Style  2-seat, open-top, rear-drive roadster 
Drivetrain  Electric motor with 2-speed electric-shift manual transmission with integral differential 
Motor  3-phase, 4-pole electric motor, 248hp peak (185kW), redline 13,500 rpm, regenerative "engine braking" 
Chassis  Bonded extruded aluminum with 4-wheel wishbone suspension 
Brakes  4-wheel disc brakes with ABS 
Acceleration  0 to 60 in about 4 seconds 
Top Speed  Over 130 mph 
Range  250 miles EPA highway 
Battery Life  Useful battery life in excess of 100,000 miles 
Energy Storage System  Custom microprocessor-controlled lithium-ion battery pack 
Full Charge  As short as 3.5 hours 

la voglio!
quanto dovrebbe costare?

Can I buy a Tesla Roadster if I live outside of California?
For those customers who live in an area where we have or will have a Customer Care Center by the end of 2007, we feel confident that we will be able to provide the necessary level of support. This would include customers in California, and the metropolitan areas of Chicago, New York City and Miami.

For customers who are still interested in purchasing a Tesla Roadster outside of those areas, we will be happy to sell you a vehicle but we will charge a $10,000 out-of-service-area premium to cover our costs for transportation of the vehicle to the nearest Tesla Motors Customer Care Center or any other related servicing expenses.

We will not sell a Tesla Roadster to anyone outside of the continental US.

How much does the car cost?
We?ll be posting pricing guidelines in the near future. Check back soon!

manca il dato più importante: la capacità delle batterie, è l'unico modo per estrapolare il consumo.

Be credo che l'importante sia sapere:

no invece, le batterie sono come dei serbatoi; è come dire: la mia auto fa 1000 km con un pieno, è un dato che non dice nulla sul consumo, devo anche sapere se il serbatoio è da 200 litri o da 10...

Ah be ok.
Però quel valore ti serve per confrontare il consumo con altre auto (ma sotto questo punto di vista ha poco senso perche non è paragonabile a nulla) o per vedere altro?

le 250 miglia di autonomia le intendono a velocità cosdtante oppure con variazioni ? solo pianura o anche percorsi ondulati ? percorso autostradale , percorso misto ? percorso cittadino ?
questi ritengo siano i dati fondamentali da conoscere. perchè se fa 250 miglia a 55 mph di velocità in autrostrada in pianura è un conto , se percorre 250 miglia in condizioni normali di uso allora potrebbe essere considerata qualcosa di più di un gaucho per adulti.
meglio la prius 10.000 volte.

Bisogna vedere quali sono questi parametri....

mi sembra un'affermazione un po' azzardata... la prius è meglio perchè esiste, questa finchè non sarà veramente in vendita non è altro che un bellissimo prototipo... esteticametne non c'è paragone, e a quanto pare anche dinamicamente. E poi la Prius è un ibrido che usa la solita vecchia benzina...consumando solo un po' di meno. Questa è un'auto elettrica, a inquinamento 0. Peccato che non ne sia prevista l'esportazione  chissà però quanto costerà...

parlano di highway driving conditions , quindi diciamo velocità costante limite negli states , 65 mph , 70 in alcuni stati , circa 110 km orari  , velocità costante.

le cose cominciano a chiarirsi. se fa 250 miglias a 60 mph e velocità costante in un uso quotidiano non arriva a 100.......

250miglia (400km) dichiarati seguendo queste condizioni
The EPA highway cycle assumes an average speed of 48 mph and a top speed of 60 mph. Many state highway speed limits are set at or above 65 mph. Government data indicates that fuel economy can drop by 17% for modern vehicles that drive at 70 mph instead of 55 mph.4 Even at 65 mph, fuel economy can drop by nearly 10% compared to driving at 55 mph.

Velocità media di 76km/h.
Velocità massima di 96km/h

Le performance sono un po' scarsine se l'auto non la si usa esclusivamente in percorsi urbani ed extraurbani (e quindi con medie piuttosto basse). In autostrada (da noi 130 km/h) si dovrebbe vedere quanto dura.
Credo sia perfetta come auto da città....naturalmente costi permettendo

è perfetta come auto da passeggio sul lungomare di beverly hills...spider, elettrica quindi alternativa / moderna / con coscienza ecologica... come la Insight sarà la preferita dei divi del cinema...