Lengthy interview with Tesla Motors' Martin Eberhard part of video news feature on electric cars
NBC's affiliate in New York came to California to examine electric cars for a 2-part series, and a visit to Tesla Motors was in order. In addition to picking out a few seconds of quotes for the second part, the station is offering the entire 17-minute interview with Tesla CEO Martin Eberhard for your viewing pleasure. Anchor Chuck Scarborough asked Eberhard political as well as environmental and technical questions. The quote I liked best was used in the first of the two reports that offers an overview of electric cars in the U.S., focusing on plug-in hybrids. The manufacturers interviewed echoed earlier cries that battery technology is keeping them from offering plug-ins. But Eberhard says today's batteries are an "enabler" for him to create the Tesla Roadster. The three videos take up almost 25 minutes, so set aside a little time on your lunch hour.
[Source: Chuck Scharborough / NewsChannel 4]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ali 3:55AM (3/01/2007)
something i dont understand about electric vehicles if you autbloggreen editors can please answer me.. dreamlit@gmail.com is my email...
in electrics like the tesla... do u drive until your 250 miles are up.. or charge it back to full everyday? if u drove only 100miles and have 150 left can u not drive it for a week and still have that 150 left?? if the power deteriorates then... the aircar is better then any alternative right now! i need answers please!
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Manu Sharma 7:20AM (3/01/2007)
Ali, lithium-ion batteries (used in Tesla) are quite good at charge retention. So, yes, you'll still have 150 miles at the end of the week.
The same can't be said about lead-acid batteries which are used in your regular gas-electric conversions.
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Peter 11:50AM (3/01/2007)
Lithium ion batteries also have zero memory effect, so even if you only drove 20 miles that day, you can still plug in the car for the night and in the morning you'll have a full battery. There's no need to run it down to empty or to unplug it early to prevent overcharging.
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