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Tesla Roadster Breaks Distance Record For Electric Car
An anonymous reader writes "The CEO of an Australian ISP has driven his Tesla Roadster into the record books, completing 501km on a single electric charge in the 2009 Global Green Challenge — beating the Roadster's official specifications, which rate the all-electric sports car as being capable of a maximum of 390km per charge. The previous record was held by another Roadster in the 387km Rallye Monte Carlo d'Energies Alternatives in April this year. In a race specifically designed for alternative energy vehicles (such as hydrogen and electricity), the Roadster was the only vehicle to complete the entire course. Though to be fair, that race course was a mixture of twists, turns and hills."
This is why I think Tesla should market to Europe more - smaller countries, smaller distances driven, and far more green-friendly governments and policies.
Also you would hope that the GPS would be linked to capacity and tell you if you can make it, and where recharge stations are en-route.
However I'm a fan of having an on-board small-capacity traditional engine that is used solely as a generator rather than being tied into the complexities of the car propulsion system. If that would generate enough charge to let me limp those ten miles it might be okay.
And in ten years, when the technology is affordable, hopefully the technology will have matured to a point where none of this is an issue. Even to the point of solar roofing options for trickle charging during the day (and simultaneously keeping the car cool inside). Not that this option would help me in Britain...
one option would be to put induction cables into the road, so that the car can be charged while driving.
hell, add a data channel so that the car knows what road its on, and what direction, and it could practically drive itself with the right navigation system installed.
comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
one option would be to put induction cables into the road, so that the car can be charged while driving.
I think you'd find the effect on steel car chassis to be very "exciting" (sorry for electric motor field winding pun this early in the morning). That would apply to any "mostly iron" chassis, no matter if IC or electric powered, or even semi and RV trailers...
Seriously though, although turning the road into a giant linear induction motor sounds very amusing under normal circumstances, it would be a bit wasteful in stop and go conditions and very dangerous in low traction situations.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
I have just passed the 15,000 mile mark in my 5 month old Tesla Roadster. My commute in it is almost 100 miles a day. People who claim that the Roadster is not a viable car due to range concerns have never tried to use one. I drive more than anyone else I know, and will likely put 35,000 miles on it this year. The Roadster is a blast to drive, and is definitely up to the task. The convenience of always having a full tank when I get in it in the morning is far better than doing the same commute in my previous car where each day I had to check to see if I had to stop by a gas station. It is true that I cannot easily take it for cross country roadtrips - but any 2 seater roadster doesn't lend itself for long family vacations. I have a second car for that. Just like I plan to take an alternate vehicle to Hawaii, I am content to take another vehicle on the occasional long trip. "Oh noes! Why would anyone buy that Toyota - you can't drive it across the Pacific!"
No, heat engines are limited by the Carnot efficiency, which depends on the temperatures of the hot source and the cold sink. This is because entropy changes are associated with heat transfers, and entropy of a closed system can't decrease.
Hmm, if you could get the energy out of the fuel without burning it, you may even be able to get over 100% efficiency. The entropy of the products is higher than the entropy of the reactants at the same temperature. So it would be thermodynamically valid to extract a certain amount of heat from the surroundings at the same time and convert it to work.