Martin Eberhard lends his new keys to a fan
Click above for more shots of TEG's Tesla drive
There's a new Tesla Roadster review making its rounds on the interweb. So, what makes this particular review special? After all, it's not like we haven't read numerous reports from those lucky enough to find themselves in the drivers seat of the stunning electric roadster, including one from our very own Sam Abuelsamid. This particular ride report comes courtesy of Mr. Martin Eberhard, who just recently got the keys to the Roadster he'd been waiting to receive seemingly forever. The lucky driver goes by the name TEG, and it sounds like he very much enjoyed his time with Martin and the brand spankin' new EV.
Not everything with the car is perfect, of course, with entry and exit being the main usability complaint. Also, Martin's car is still fitted with the first-generation drivetrain, meaning it only has use of second gear in the two-speed transmission. Production Tesla's will get what's known internally as drivetrain 1.5, which features a single gear with a slightly more powerful motor. Check out the entire story here, and feel free to watch a quick video of the encounter after the break.
Gallery: TEG drives Martin's Roadster
[Source: Tesla Founders Blog]
Video:
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joseph 10:07AM (7/26/2008)
"Production Tesla's will get what's known internally as drivetrain 1.5, which features a single gear with a slightly more powerful motor"
Why do you put an apostrophe?
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tankd0g 10:14AM (7/26/2008)
So what's the actual 0-60 time on these cars with the 1.5 drivetrain, did they manage to keep it the same?
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Kardax 11:01AM (7/26/2008)
Supposedly, the new drivetrain delivers the same 4-second 0-60 time, a quicker quarter mile time (thanks to the removed shift) and a slightly lower top speed (methinks around 120).
Chris H. 11:29AM (7/26/2008)
tankd0g,
there is some speculation that the 1.5 drivetrain may offer even better 0-60 mph acceleration (better than 3.9s), but I don't think that it's been officially measured yet. Some of the VPs have been retrofitted with the new drivetrain, but no production Roadsters have yet been built with it.
So, I guess we just have to wait a bit longer to see what the new numbers are. My guess is 3.7s, but we'll see...
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Chris H. 12:46PM (7/26/2008)
Correction:
I think Jeff Skoll's car (P2/VIN003) was upgraded to the new drivetrain 1.5 already...
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Joseph 8:06PM (7/26/2008)
Chris H.
Where did you get that info?
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BlackbirdHighway 9:51PM (7/26/2008)
I'm glad TEG didn't have any mishaps behind the wheel. There seems to be a flurry of Tesla accidents.
By some accounts this link is actually the third Tesla involved in a traffic accident of some kind:
http://www.hey.com/2008/07/25/worlds-first-tesla-crash-in-san-francisco/
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Chris H. 12:30AM (7/27/2008)
Joseph,
which part?
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Joseph 3:56PM (7/27/2008)
Where did you get the info. that Roadsters (specifically P2) are already being upgraded with powertrain 1.5. That's a pretty big deal.
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Patrick L. 1:50PM (7/28/2008)
I love the Tesla Roadster, but primer gray with orange stripes?
Could there be an uglier color combination?
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