Tesla Grand Opening

[ggzilla]

Tesla opened their fourth store this weekend, in Seattle.

 

 

Their Roadster model is worth buying: it's beautiful, zero emissions ... and HIGH performance. Friday and Saturday, some customers raced their Tesla Roadster at PIR (as part of the Wayland Invitational), including a reported 12-second quarter mile from the new Roadster Sport. The regular Tesla Roadster ran 13-second 1/4s.

 

The only street-legal electric car to beat the Teslas was the purpose-built drag racer White Zombie Datsun 1200 (world record holder).

 

Datsun and Tesla at PIR saturday

 

There is only one problem. The Tesla Roadster is $109,000. That's fine for some folks (they've already delivered 500 to customers) but not exactly Ratsun style. But we Ratsuns are not without hope: This kind of zero-emissions performance can be yours for maybe $10,000 if you convert a Datsun 1200, like Wayland has done. His 14-second Datsun EV powertrain can be duplicated for an estimated $5000.

Edited July 27, 2009 by ggzilla

[fastdadd]

definitely the best electric production car on the market my son has been following along with it since it debuted

[Figbuck]

Very cool. When I lived in the Bay Area, I used to hear things on the news about them as a start-up company. There was is a vid on YouTube where they tested an early production car out at Altamont Raceway. If I had money I'd be dangerous! Sign me up. I want one!

 

What is wrong with the the corporate auto companies! Tesla guys launched this thing with not that much money. Probably the marketing budget for Ford Motors.

 

I have been dreaming about finding an NL or a 520 in a barn, mostly intact, and put a hinge on the bed so I can locate the battery pack. Hey, it's a dream! In my dream, the truck is lowered with fat tires and looks like an old skool Nissan NASCAR Craftman Truck kinda thing. It has a starer motor out of a 747 and does ten second ETs.

 

I would Love to have an plug-in electric to drive to work and around town. It would only take about seven or eight grand with a motor controller and motor system, maybe a couple grand more for batteries. I'm sure with my mechanical and fabrication skills, I could build an electric car or truck. I know I have a step learning curve in terms of learning about technical info and general electrical and electronic information. But it looks like a bunch of different individuals have been building plug in electric cars for a number of years. If I had any money, I would convert my 620 to a plug in electric! If I had money I would e dangerous!

 

Here is some stuff I found a couple years ago:

 

http://www.evalbum.com/preview.php?vid=1524

 

http://www.evalbum.com/1366

 

There are all kinds of companies doing this stuff but these guys are twenty minutes from me:

 

http://www.metricmind.com/

 

More stuff to trip on...

 

http://www.evalbum.com/type/DATS

 

http://www.evalbum.com/type/NISS

[ggzilla]

Here is your Datsun 520 plug-in EV:

 

 

 

 

This one is pretty simple:

1. Bunch 'o batteries in the bed

2. Gas engine replaced with 8" electric motor. Uses stok Datsun transmision and driveshaft

3. Controller and switches

[angliagt]

We were diving up the road just West of the

Golden Gate Bridge a few weeks ago.I saw two Teslas

on the side of the road nose to nose.I couldn't stop,as

we were going the opposite direction.

A guy I work with asked me if I wanted to see a

picture of his step Brother's new car.Turns out it was

one of the two cars I saw.They were doing a photoshoot

for the company.

I also saw an article in the local paper.It seems that

there's a lot of fighting over who the founder of the

company is.Two guys are fighting over the bragging rights.

 

- Doug

[hughdogz]

Those Tango EV's (there was only a blue one) were also doing low 12's in the 1/4 mile at PIR this weekend.

 

It looks like it has a high CG, but actually all the batteries are down low. I heard it does slaloms @ 100 MPH :eek:

 

 

 

http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center-article_41/?p=2

[ggzilla]

Yes but they are sooo ugly...