If you plunked down six figures and expected to be motoring around in your emissions-free Tesla Roadster by now, chances are there might be a few ants in your pants. The all-EV Tesla Roadster has hit a few speed bumps on its road to production, and in order to address these concerns, the fledgling automaker held a town hall meeting in San Carlos yesterday that was available to anyone who made a deposit for a car via conference call.
The skinny is that Tesla is having a difficult time developing a transmission strong enough to "survive the process of shifting gears while the motor remains at full torque", according to our own Sam Abuelsamid who has been following the Roadster's development from Day 1 and has actually rode shotgun in it. Two suppliers are currently working simultaneously to find a solution. Meanwhile, the company has gone ahead and built the first production model at the Lotus factory in Hethel, England. The first car belongs to Elon Musk, Chairman of the company and one of its initial investors. His car is fitted, however, with a transmission that he knows will fail in a few thousand miles.
Tesla also revealed that it is considering shipping some preordered Roadsters to customers early with similar transmissions that will be temporary and later replaced with the stronger transmission once it's developed. For those really eager to own a Tesla Roadster, this might be an option, but would you want to drive around a car with a gearbox that was guaranteed to fail after a few thousand miles?
Also of note is that the Tesla Roadster's range estimate has fallen a bit again from a previously reported range of 245 miles to something in the 220- to 230-mile range. Still impressive, but let's hope it doesn't fall any further.
Click here to read more about the town hall meeting over at AutoblogGreen.
[Source: AutoblogGreen]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
SPF @ Dec 13th 2007 2:39PM
So......, it wasn't even fully developed and thoroughly tested, but they were taking orders.... Doesn't make any sense.
I know I wouldn't put money down for anything if they tell me that I will get it sometime soon.
Bill @ Dec 13th 2007 2:45PM
Yeah but if your an actor/ anyone with an extra $100k lying around and you want to be the absolute first person to get one, you would throw down.
People do this all the time... from pre-ordering video games to putting money down on space flights.
If you absolutely have to be the first hippy/gearhead on the block to have one of these, then I guess that's a risk you're willing to take.
I would be more than happy to have a car with a temporary transmission that will be replaced later (for free), rather than having no car at all.
Essentially you're getting it before you should, which is a plus.
SPF @ Dec 13th 2007 3:18PM
I can understand that, but it's not the same thing as preorder video games which I know when I will get it.(The release day)
100K is still a lot of money, I can think of better way to spend it even if I have millions of dollars.
Carlos @ Dec 13th 2007 5:12PM
only 30-40k was needed for a pre-order not $100k
Plus if you pre-order you got a nice discount from the asking price.
If you have to be the first one on the road with this car the pre-order was a much better deal than waiting until its release and having to pay a premium on top of MSRP.
tankd0g @ Dec 13th 2007 2:44PM
They were taking huge deposts when this thing was little more than a model on someone's desk, so it's par for the course as far as their customers are concered. What would realy urk me is them saying for the last year that everything was on track and there were no expected delays. There's no way that this problem just came to light. No wonder they wouldn't let anyone drive one.
BigTeebo @ Dec 13th 2007 2:50PM
"His car is fitted, however, with a transmission that he knows will fail in a few thousand miles. "
No doubt of the car's British heritage.
Scorch @ Dec 13th 2007 3:22PM
Yeah seriously. If the transmission is expected to fail in a few thousand miles, I can only assume they are putting Range Rover transmissions in the cars.
mike @ Dec 14th 2007 7:19PM
Shouldn't that qoute be appended with, "if shifted at maximum torque"? I'm sure if you just cruise around in the car you'll never stress the transmission.
So, they're offering a car with a transmission so you can drive it, but not at full power yet.
Blair @ Dec 13th 2007 2:55PM
The 80's called, they want their DeLorean back.
Wally @ Dec 13th 2007 2:58PM
So it's a Chrysler?
Feel free to start flaming me you motards.
Eric Liberatore @ Dec 13th 2007 3:18PM
You beat me to the punch!
tanooki2003 @ Dec 13th 2007 3:30PM
LMFAO Motards! hehehe I like that one.
Jason Bird @ Dec 13th 2007 3:31PM
Who could flame you for speaking the truth? I think they must be using the Chrysler minivan gearbox with the nylon planetary gears in them. 70K and gone.
/seen them apart on a techs bench
//couldn't believe my eyes
iSpec @ Dec 13th 2007 2:59PM
Temporary tranny? I think they might have Tesla confused with Toyota (And don't start because these tranny issues hit close to home with my Sis's inferior Camry tranny. which spent a great deal of time in a Toyota bay. I had to look her car over to make sure it wasn't a Chrysler)
Pat Albrecht @ Dec 13th 2007 2:59PM
Why do electric motors need a transmission? Don't they have a flat torque output?
RealityCheck @ Dec 13th 2007 3:16PM
Yes they do but you stiil gain extra mileage by increasing gearing. If you don't then all that extra energy will be tured into heat with the extra RPM's. I would really be concerned with the fit a nonfinish! The gaps are an inch wide on the bumper.....
phil @ Dec 13th 2007 4:09PM
No. Look at torque-RPM curves for DC motors. All have a zero-rpm torque, and a no-load speed. The curve is linearly decreasing.
kballs @ Dec 13th 2007 6:36PM
They only use it so the car can have a higher top speed... it is a sports car, so people want a > 100mph top speed. Without the transmission the electric motor redline would limit the car's speed to probably around 90-95mph.
(personally I'd trade the mechanicals for that limitation if it meant more reliability, simplicity, and one less toxic fluid to have in the car, especially if it's just for use on public roads, not everyone wants a car to take to the track)
tankd0g @ Dec 13th 2007 2:59PM
Lets just hope said companies can design a transmission that still fits in the same hole and weighs roughly the same, or there's going to be some serious problems.
tankd0g @ Dec 13th 2007 3:01PM
Presumably it has a RPM limit, so to gear it for the claimed 4 second 0-60 it might top out at 60, so it needs a "high gear" for going above that.