Congrats to Bill Dube and Scotty Pollacheck for their new NEDRA world record last weekend at Bandimere Speedway !!!
They are using a Zilla Z2K controller.
Power of DC AutoCross 2009
Video montage from Power of DC autocross 2009 which happened last weekend…
Tesla Roadster vs Tesla Roadster drag racing 8/7/09
Tesla Roadster vs Tesla Roadster at Pacific Raceways 8/7/09
The EV Juice Bar (aka John Wayland’s house)
The Wayland Invitational IV: recharging at the EV Juice Bar before heading to the track Saturday July 25th.
Tesla Roadster Sport NEDRA record 12.643 at 1/4 mile
Wayland Invitational IV
Scotty Pollacheck, the rider for the Killacycle, had some free time late Saturday evening and was driving the yellow Tesla that DaveD owns (181). He did 13.000 seconds with a Tesla Roadster 2008 that was not fully charged.
So I offered Scotty Pollacheck my new 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport (553) with about a 75% charge and fully warmed up in Performance mode.
Scotty is a lightweight (135 lbs) professional driver/rider. I let him do two runs in the Tesla Roadster Sport and he promptly set the new records.
12.643 and 12.715. You have to do two runs within 1% of each other. If you have it, then the lower of the two counts as the record. We submitted the record to NEDRA (National Electric Drag Racing Assoc) for the SP/A3 class, which is where the Tesla Roadsters are classified.
Record run at 12.643
Backup run to confirm the record at 12.715 (against a Tango)
Tesla Roadster Sport 553 versus another Tesla Roadster
Drag Ticket Tesla Roadster Sport vs Tesla Roadster at the Wayland Invitational Electric Drag Races 7/25/09. My reaction time was really good at .014 with a 1/4 mile time of 12.82 seconds
Tesla Roadster Sport 553 versus another Tesla Roadster
Here is the video of me driving the Roadster Sport 553 (right lane) vs another Tesla. My personal best was 12.82 seconds. I was just doing a regular acceleration without holding the brake and loading the acceleration pedal. I tried that once and got a horrible time, so I stopped trying to be cute. I still managed 12.82 to 12.88 on a regular basis with approx 75% to 80% charge levels. Once I figure out how to properly launch, my times will come down. I am a total novice at this.
Tesla Roadster Rally 40+ Cars
The first ever Tesla Roadster Road Rally.
This was a great video showing a huge number of electric cars travelling together.
Imagine just happening to see this during the day while you are out and about.
2010 Tesla Roadster VIN #501 with Executive Leather
VIN #501 2010 Tesla Roadster with Executive Leather
Here is the first picture snapped of the interior of a 2010 Tesla Roadster.
This particular Roadster is VIN #501 and it has the Executive Leather interior.
VIN #501 is going to be an engineering Roadster and is not a customer car.
When this picture was snapped in Menlo Park a few days ago, it was only a glider waiting for the drivetrain.
Notice the contrast stitching, the console in the center of the car, push button shifting, glove box, etc.
Project Better Place is going to be a financial train wreck
Project Better Place just released this video demonstrating a battery swap station for an EV.
First watch the video, then below I will explain why I (and others) believe that this will be a financial disaster.
This is a financial disaster waiting for any company that actually thinks this is a viable business model.
Much like hydrogen, the more you look at Project Better Place, the worse it appears.
If I start every day with a full battery from my garage 110 volt or 220 volt outlet, I would need a battery swap about twice per year, if that. With a range of 200 miles, I doubt I would ever need a battery swap.
These swap stations would be so rarely used that I doubt it will ever justify the cost of the land, building, machines, inventory, etc.
For a battery swap network to be viable, it would need to be as common as the current gas station. That is a massive cost for something that will be rarely ever needed by an EV owner.
Manufacturers would all have to either make their batteries identical (or just use one of a few variations), or the PBP stations would have to stock multiples of all different sizes/shapes/brands of battery. Can you imagine the confusion if there are 20 or 30 different battery styles, you pull in expecting your battery to be replaced, but then they’re “out” of your particular style/brand? What do you do then. Can you imagine the dissatisfaction?!
And Project Better Place keeps referencing the cell phone model. Every phone brand uses a different battery, voltage and socket/plug. Even within a single brand.
Oh, and The “J” charging plug that was just approved as a standard has been in the works for 10 years.
Do we really think a standard battery could be agreed upon faster?
The battery technology is improving so fast that it is likely impossible to even have a standard battery size or specs. And as they improve, the swap station would still have to stock the older batteries for older EVs on the road.
I think Project Better Place needs to invent a new reason to exist. I appreciate that they have sparked a discussion on what is possible and they are getting politicians to think about EVs. But their business is a disaster financially.
(the information above has been gathered from many posts on TeslaMotorsClub.com that I used to summarize my own thoughts on this topic. I borrowed a few quotes directly word for word.)
Peak Oil Garage 