Why'd they push that Tesla into the garage? Top Gear responds
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The internet was abuzz after Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson performed the British show's first test of the Tesla Roadster. As expected, the video was full of beautiful images and that distinctly British form of humour. Tesla Motors response to Top Gear's review once again sent the interwebs aflutter, after it was revealed that the TV show may have taken a few liberties with the Roadster's facts, notably when suggesting that the electric car suddenly ran out of juice while racing around the test track, which prompted a truly memorable scene involving the Top Gear crew pushing the Roadster back to the garage to recharge. According to Tesla, the car didn't run out of juice at all. TG, you've got some 'splainin' to do...
According to a statement, Top Gear claimed that it wanted to show what would happen - you knew this was coming, right - IF the Roadster's battery actually had been depleted. Notice, we capitalized the if... 'cause that's one big IF, right? Further, "Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla's performance on the day it was tested," said the BBC. We wonder if the term "a fair representation" means something different across the pond, 'cause filming a fabricated scene that puts the Roadster in a negative light doesn't exactly fit our known definition of "fair." Regardless, the flick remains a fun one to watch, and Tesla's probably never gotten more press than it has received from the TG crew's review. Thanks for the tip, Doug!
[Source: Register Hardware]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Praeliber 3:04PM (12/22/2008)
Will they star pushing every ICE cars to show what will happend if you ran out of gas to?
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Mike Z 3:18PM (12/22/2008)
Actually on several occasions they featured cars running out of gas.
Clarkson's review of the Ford GT for example.
Also, an episode last season shows Clarkson with a tank on E, where he used a small gas can to refuel.
Epyx 3:47PM (12/22/2008)
I think he point they were attempting to make is that if an ICE runs out of gas and a EV runs out of juice the ICE driver can call AAA and have a gallon of fuel put in the tank and they are on there way (possibly filling up completely at the next station) while the EV driver has to get a hotel room for the night or be towed (or pushed) home to recharge overnight (or 3 hours with a quick charger). The point being that this is still a problem that needs to be overcome for EVs to be a no-compromise alternative. I am sure a solution will eventually come but right we are not there yet.
kert 4:26PM (12/22/2008)
Actually, having a AAA vehicle come and charge your batteries from portable genset or simply inverter with high amps for a few minutes so that you can go these 10 miles is completely doable as well.
Epyx 4:34PM (12/22/2008)
Does that exist? Also, what do you do after the ten miles? The ICE car has a full tank and can continue for another 300 miles. The EV still needs to be charged for at least a few hours. This is still a stumbling block for EVs, it should be overcome eventually but it IS still a huge drawback. The Volt and Fisker present a nice solution. Maybe someday we will have swappable battery packs but right now it is just wait and charge.
meme 5:05PM (12/22/2008)
The AAA truck gives you enough power to get to a charging station, preferably a rapid charging station. Duh.
As to "whether they have them" -- whether they have what? Generators? Yes, generators exist. You can buy them in practically every podunk town in the planet and carry them in the bed of even a small pickup. Have any other questions you'd like Captain Obvious to answer? Or are you asking as to whether AAA currently carries generators around with them at all times for the US's current fleet, which is about 0.001% electric?
It's an obvious solution that will obviously be implemented whenever there's any relevant amount of EVs on the road. And even when it's not implemented, you can *rent* generators, so just tell the tow truck operator (or any local hick with a pickup) that you'll pay them to do so.
jake 5:05PM (12/22/2008)
@kert @Epyx
Even better is a small trailer you can tow behind the car which can give you extra range as long as the gas tank is filled. It's called a genset trailer. So it's like a Karma or a Volt except you don't carry the "range extender" with you all the time, you only have it when it's needed. You can probably even use it at home as a backup generator when it's not being used for the car. They experimented with this idea before the CARB NEV program got canceled.
Derek 6:25PM (12/22/2008)
That "rapid charging station" still takes 3.5 hours out of your day. Not good...
tankd0g 9:53PM (12/22/2008)
You guys are idiots. AAA doesn't not carry around generators, nor are there any fast charge stations to tow the Tesla too. Get a grip.
meme 11:20PM (12/22/2008)
> That "rapid charging station" still takes 3.5 hours
> out of your day. Not good...
Um, no. That's a non-rapid charging station you're referring to. How fast a rapid charging station can charge is limited by battery chemistry, of course -- 1 hour for old-school li-ion, 30 minutes for NiMH, 15-20 minutes for PbA, 10-20 minutes for phosphate and spinel li-ions, and 5-10 minutes for titanate li-ions.
Derek 8:08AM (12/23/2008)
Meme: that would be the fast charger that doesn't exist yet? Tesla says you can use a 220V outlet to charge in 16 hours, or their special station to charge in 3.5. Just checked their website, no faster options are presented.
The 3.5 hour charge takes a 70A socket. To do it in one hour like you claim would take 245A and in 10 min would pull 1470A! I can see upgrading a house to a 300A service (to allow for AC, fridge, etc), but over 1500A is ludicrous! Unless you intend to switch to 480V or higher which starts to get pretty dangerous.
kballs 4:04PM (12/23/2008)
Your numbers are wrong. It takes 16 hours on a 110v 15amp (1875watt) outlet... 3.5-4 hours on a 220v 30-40amp... for a FULL charge (unless you drive away from home until it dies, you don't need a full charge to get back home to your regular charging location). Most of the time daily recharges will take less than 1 hour. A special quick charging station (they exist at airports and warehouses that use electric fork lifts and other equipment - using capacitors to act as a buffer so you don't need to pull 100 kilowatts directly off the grid) could charge many modern batteries to 90% in 5-10 minutes.
Don't worry your pretty little head, nobody is forcing you to get rid of your gas guzzler for long road trips... and you don't just drive EVs until they die, you plug them in every night at home so they're always full for the day. 20 years from now they'll also have EV batteries capable of going 1000+ miles on a full charge (using nano materials to increase charge-holding surface areas of the anodes/cathodes).
Standard response of so many: "oh my it's new/different and I don't really understand it so I don't trust it and it sucks, existing/old technology is sooo much better"
tambers hall 2:28AM (12/27/2008)
Everyone chill.
Yes this is an issue.
Considering that they are taking EV car tech from no tech to functional tech comparable with gas power in a few years is still quite an accomplishment.
Better, more efficient batteries are being created as we speak, and they will continue to do so.
Look at the big picture: global warming and what EV cars really indicate - moving away from a self destructive and world-harming paradigm to something better. We can all get around that.
The Tesla is not for the regular person. At 92K pounds, who's paying that for a car. There are alternatives - at 30K + US dollars. Still not good enough in my opinion, but getting there.
If we all work together towards a brighter future then we can make a difference.
Peace.
Scott K. 3:08PM (12/22/2008)
Are we surprised? Really? This is Top Gear after all. I'm a big fan of TG (best car show EVER), but I go into each episode expecting that they will add drama/humor/ridiculous situations wherever they see fit.
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Snoopy 3:56PM (12/22/2008)
As much as I like Clarkson's over the top antics when it comes to his reviews, I think lying goes a little too far.
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andrichrose 3:58PM (12/22/2008)
It just shows how biased and in the pocket of
the british government the BBC is , In fact I think
I should stop paying my licence fee!
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gorr 4:05PM (12/22/2008)
The problem with a battery car is that the meter that show the state of charging is not working and will never work because a battery work and then stop to work when depleted and it's impossible to know at a given instant when you gonna be stuck on the road. Battery are almost impossible to monitor. So you cannot use your range completelly and go back home before it's depleted. Nothing is better in battery only car except pollution. It's like the guy that been stuck with his vectrix while the indicator was showing half depleted. It will be the same thing with all battery car so a theoritical specification of 200 miles will return you in real world to 100-130 miles, no more or maybe 2 hours recharge time just to get back home, LOL. It's the end of the world as i know it. Your almost useless on all counts. Battery loving is like living one single life alone without forever friends after the corpse( battery) is finnish.
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Epyx 4:38PM (12/22/2008)
Ok, lots of that was scary and weird but I get your point.
EVs are cool but they do have many stumbling blocks before being ready for prime time. There are many compromises you have to accept. Charging time is a huge problem. If it is ever possible to charge in about the time it takes to refill with a tank of gas, then we will truly be able to drive pure EV cars. In the meantime, they have a niche but it is not a universal solution. But 1 of many ways forward. The example used in the video was a way of showing this, not really a cut on Tesla.
kert 5:17PM (12/22/2008)
Okay, you need to read up on the fast chargers that TEPCO is installing in Tokyo/Kanagawa in partnership with government and Mitsubishi/Subaru EV development programs.
They do something like 80% charge in 10 minutes. Its been on ABG, search for tag "r1e"
tambers hall 2:34AM (12/27/2008)
That barely makes any sense. Your premise is not supported by substantial arguments.
The problem you are espousing is easily dealt with one additional battery not tied into the main system. And I'm not even an engineering guy but even I can come up with that.
Electric power is the future - get used to it.
In 10 years if you are still driving that gas guzzler, you'd better be in the military.