So, I got to test drive the new Tesla today in Maryland - holy shit, it is a fun car.

0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. 1 gear that can turn 14,000 RPMs.

My uncle just bought one and it is a lot of fun to drive. Tiny car for a big guy like me to get in/out of, but super bad ass.

4/23/2011 11:31:44 PM

i assume that's neither you nor your uncle...also, that's not maryland

Quote :

"1 gear that can turn 14,000 RPMs."

also also...CVT? i realize i could google, but why bother?

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 7:48 AM. Reason : .]

4/25/2011 7:46:43 AM

no... electric motor... = flat hp "curve" and declineing torque to redline...

amps*volts*.001341/5252 = ft-lbs of torque

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 8:16 AM. Reason : .]

4/25/2011 8:16:06 AM

^^CVT. Huh?

4/25/2011 8:42:27 AM

Quote :

"i assume that's neither you nor your uncle...also, that's not maryland "

but the guy in the pic does look like a Douche Bag

4/25/2011 10:17:57 AM

Quote :

"CVT. Huh?"

i know very little about such things, but i thought that a CVT could be considered, for all intents and purposes, a single gear and so my question was whether or not it was an impressive CVT

*shrug*

4/25/2011 11:58:18 AM

yeah its not really a single speed transmission as much as it is a complete lack of a transmission in a tesla.

4/25/2011 12:16:30 PM

so how does it work? i understand how a traditional geared transmission works, and how a continuously variable transmission works, but not how these electric cars' transmissions work

4/25/2011 12:33:35 PM

I want a Model S... bad

4/25/2011 1:06:57 PM

4/25/2011 1:14:00 PM

an ncsu grad started a rental company where you can rent a tesla recently

http://evxp.com/

4/26/2011 3:56:36 AM

souns like a good idea but 10/mi is a bit steep. I hope they are located right next to a racetrack of some sort, because at those reates I's like to start enjoying the car right away. Website doesnt really say anything about where you would pick the car up.

4/26/2011 8:37:23 AM

$500 for a half day? I don't see his business going very far.

4/26/2011 8:52:11 AM

In DC they rent for more per day. Some people would pay that to drive their dream car for a day.

I drove it...I would pay some real money to enjoy it for a weekend...I agree that is steep for only 50 miles...

4/26/2011 9:44:53 AM

lol, dream car? These people need to raise the bar.

Quote :

"i know very little about such things, but i thought that a CVT could be considered, for all intents and purposes, a single gear and so my question was whether or not it was an impressive CVT"

I couldn't tell if you were suggesting that it had a CVT. To answer your question it's nothing like a CVT. It's very similar to a regular transmission, except it only has one gear. Since the electric motor can spin very fast and has a lot of torque at low rpms it is possible to just have one really tall gear. However this is also why it has a (relatively) low top speed of 125 mph.

4/26/2011 10:45:17 AM