When I was sitting in the driver's seat of the Tesla Model S show ---
Future work modelschic, fast-
Backup electric cars that Silicon Valley automakers now rely on--
I thought of all the electricity.
Auto pacifiers would be happy to make me the first person to drive outside the company.
This is a pleasant idea.
However, their jealousy is wrong.
This cute dolphin
In March 26, fashion design research reports released around the world were barely mobile-
It's more of a glorious golf cart than a pioneer in future technology.
The windows are fixed in their frame. The power-
Moaning to the motor.
The seating position and outward view of Lamborghini make you feel spacious.
The car's iconic design is booming-a 17-inch, touch-
Screen control panel with tactile feedback on the center console--
Tesla designer Franz von holzasson admits it may not even be able to get into production.
"The car is only about 90% outside and only about 40% inside.
"Still, gimpy, far-from-
For the company, a real fiberglass prototype is critical.
Holzhausen said the morale of employees rose sharply last fall after the company suffered a round of layoffs and closed its Michigan office.
More importantly, Tesla officials headed to Washington in early April to call for $0. 45 billion in loans, putting the Model S on the stage.
Tonight, the company's chief executive Elon Musk and the car will appear on "David Letterman late at night" as part of the intersection (Letterman owns a Tesla sports car)
National barnstorming campaign with Tesla to enlist public support for cars and loans
Parties were held in Chicago, Miami and Seattle.
"People are interested in the Model S, but they are more excited when they see the car in person," Tesla spokesman Rachel Conrad said . ".
Tesla's staff, she added, wanted the two sides to be able to produce some qualified leads.
"Tesla can move on even without government loans, but it will be much slower," says von holzasson.
Tesla's first sports car-a six-
The digital sports car built on the Lotus chassis, though impractical, is exotic-
It turns out that if you start with a great car and throw a bucket of money and batteries at it, you can build a suitable electric road car.
That is not easy, though.
As of the beginning of April, only about 300 sports cars had been delivered and hundreds of deposits had been delivered
Paying customers are still waiting for their cars.
Musk said he misjudged the difficulty and cost of starting a car company.
The model is designed to rival the traditional mid-range model
BMW and Lexus are ambitious in the car market. -
Some people say it's unlikely. -project.
The Model S, designed with a "clean screen", will be built in Tesla's own conference Hall (located in an undetermined facility in Southern California.
It will offer the choice of three gradually expensive battery packs, ranging from about 165 miles, 230 miles and 300 miles;
It will accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in 5 minutes.
6 seconds, with a maximum speed of 125 mph;
The basic price of the car is $57,400 ($49,900 if you include the federal tax credit)electric cars);
It will provide 7-
Passenger seats (which seems impossible considering the size and layout of the prototype and the increasingly strict federal rear --
Collision criteria) and all optionalwheel drive;
It will provide a quick replacement of the floor-
Installing the battery pack is a daunting technical challenge that requires the battery pack as a load
The carrying part of the structure.
Tesla is expected to produce 20,000 cars in the first full year of production.
Musk said all of this will happen 24 months and 30 months after the company receives federal loans, a bold timeline that has opened many eyes in the automotive industry.
Even people inside Tesla are skeptical.
"Elon likes to paint it all very simply," J. B.
Tesla chief technology officer Straubel.
"But there must be a lot of hard work from now until release.
"Tesla has had to abandon its claim for the vehicle's charging capacity.
The car will not be able to accept 440
Voltage current, which will allow it to charge within 45 minutes.
This charging cycle, in theory, is likely to make the car cross continuously.
Country, only briefly Park to plug in the car when passengers are resting.
As for the production of vehicles, this is well known: * Tesla is committed to using the same battery strategy as a sports car-
Use large liquid
Cooling package from off-assembledthe-shelf lithium-
Ion battery, so-called 18650-Battery size.
The packages are somehow caught on the floor of the vehicle. The quick-
Kurt Kelty, director of energy storage systems at Straubel and the company, said the replacement design was problematic and was the subject of a lot of "deep thinking.
"In any case, Tesla has no plan to invest in batteries --
Exchange infrastructure as part of a model business plan.
* The body structure can be either aluminum or steel or a combination, but the Model S will have a lightweight aluminum body panel.
Tesla wants to make its own "hard tool", an expensive stamping mold for the body panel.
Although Straubel and Kelty refuse to speculate, one possibility is that Tesla may be aligned with Alcoa, an aluminum company that works with Ferrari and other exotic companies.
Automobile manufacturers producing aluminumbodied cars.
* Tesla's target is 0.
The resistance coefficient of 25, which will make the car very effective in aerodynamics.
Ideally, the bottom of the car will be 7-
Angle, but the battery pack may interfere.
Even with the unknown, Straubel says, the model benefits from everything learned from the sports car project.
"The general DNA of the electric power system has been more validated," he said . "
In addition, thanks to the cache of the Tesla brand, it is much easier for suppliers to work with companies in the field of material testing and procurement.
"All these things are ready," said Straubel. "--dan. neil@latimes.