Picture perfect install of a Tesla Roadster drivetrain
One of the good things of having the Tesla Roadster assembled close to at lesat some of its customers is that they can actually go to the factory and see how their car is being made. This is what Bill Arnett did, and he not only had the chance to see his Roadster's drivetrain installed, but also got permission from Tesla to take pictures of the whole process; watch along here. The rest of the car was assembled in the UK and shipped (by air). The photos were taken on Nov. 12th, and we can see how the ESS (battery), the motor and the PEM (Power Electronics Module) are all packaged into the Roadster's sleek package. Thanks for the tip, Doug! [Source: Bill Arnett via Teslamotorsclub]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeff 10:17AM (11/21/2008)
Whoa... rolling chassis shipped by air?? Say hello to carbon footprint!
that motor is nice and compact.
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Nicholas 10:38AM (11/21/2008)
Jeff you damn partypooper. Do you think EVERY single Tesla is shipped by air? Come on, don´t spoil his moment here.
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jeff 10:56AM (11/21/2008)
No I don't, cause the guy says so on his website that his was a special case. But seriously though, if you look at the impact on your personal carbon footprint of a single PASSENGER transatlantic flight, imagine what it would be for shipping a chassis, probably equivalent to transporting about 6 or 7 people. This guy will have to wait till he's driven this car for a couple years before it starts to do any good for the environment compared to a regular compact sports car shipped by normal means.
I'm all for driving electric, but come on! Have a little patience and wait the extra couple weeks to get your car shipped by boat!
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jharlan 2:28PM (11/21/2008)
Thank you Mr. Arnett for showing us how your very cool car is put together. It's a glimpse of the future for most of us, but you get to experience it now. Good for you!
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Doug 1:12PM (11/21/2008)
I think these pictures should be good PR for Tesla. I'm struck how clean the installation is and how simple and compact the components appear compared to an ICE. That motor with reduction gearing/differential is simply amazing.
http://www.emeraldsequoia.com/55guts/content/_MG_8093_large.html
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Bill Arnett 11:53PM (11/21/2008)
I didn't have any choice about the air freight. All of the first 100 cars are being shipped by air. After that most will be shipped the usual way, though air freight MAY be an option (a very expensive and probably highly deprecated one).
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