Quote:
Originally Posted by robg
Those are pretty high expectations.... half the weight would be something like 2200 pounds and I don't think there any new cars sold in the US anywhere near that weight. And 3x the range would be like 600-700 miles which very few ICE cars come close to. I do think close to half the price, and some weight reduction will occur when they introduce the Model E however. But I'd expect the range to be no greater than the current 85 model.
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Why wouldn't the range be significantly higher if the same powertrain were offered in a car that was much lighter?
I haven't read my weight tables chart in CR since last April's issue, but there are cars at least under 3000 lbs - the nearer to 2300 - 2600 lbs (or so) figure would be some of the new mini cars like the Fiat 500 (base) and Nissan Note.
A car the size of the Tesla
could be made much lighter, but it would require more advanced materials and construction techniques - I'd love to see a changeover and commitment like this, but significant partnership between private and public entities would likely be required ... hard to see happening in today's political climate.
.... and then there's the steel industry to contend with.
As an aside, my 2000 E320 weighs in at 3700lbs, which is light for a car of its size (by today's standards) - it turns in decent mileage (I'm averaging high 20's thanks to lots of highway driving).
I understand the Tesla isn't about raw numbers at this point, but I wish there were more of a commitment to lighter weight via different materials, manner of construction etc. - the technology exists.