The Tesla Roadster Friday, May 23rd 2008 @ 7:38 AM    post viewed 936 times

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I forgot to mention that I do have quite a bit of money to spend -- assuming it is the right car and it is worth it.  Enter the hot Tesla.

I spoke with the sales manager at Tesla yesterday for a good 15 minutes.  You can hear the excitement in his voice -- they are certainly onto something huge there.  The waiting list is still 12-15 months, meaning if I made the purchase now I would only get to drive the car for a month or two NEXT year, before I had to put it away for the winter (not the best winter car).

I asked a series of questions that I could not find the answers to online.  Here are my questions with some of the answers:

1) What happens if the battery pack starts dying?  Do you start going slower and slower until you stop?

Apparently EVs do not work like batteries in a flashlight.  They do not start to dim over time until they die.  Even with a lithium-ion battery pack, you should not charge 100% and should not go to 0%.  Tesla has a "standard charge range" of 15%-90%.  This means, when you charge your battery it will stop at 90% to preserve the life.  Your car will then function 100% until 15% charge, when it will switch to a more conservative mode and warn the driver.  You will still be able to maintain highway speeds, but more like "valet mode" that some cars now have. What this means is really the effective mileage is more like 180 rather than the 230 that they advertise.  Sure, 230 is possible, but at a serious expense (killing your batteries).

2) Is the full charge time really about 3 1/2 hours?

Yes, with a specially installed charge kit.  If you use a high-voltage standard 220 outlet (like the one used for washer/dryer) the charge time is about 8 hours, which is fine, but if you use the portable charge until that plugs into a wall outlet... you better bring your sleeping bag and a few books to read!

3) Does it have a solar panel option?

No, but you can get solar panels installed in your house for the overnight charge unit.

I asked a few more questions, but nothing significant.

Overall, as much as I want it to, I do not think the Tesla could ever be anything more than a third car option for us.  Which is fine, but not exactly what I am looking for at this moment.  But maybe I will be in 12-15 months, so maybe I should commit now?  But first, I have more research to do!

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