Nikola Tesla Should Be Proud

Dear Santa...

These days, very little impresses me. In a world where PR manifestos can take the zest out of everything from water to travel destinations, very little filters through that is of worth. So many bad products are made to look good; the worse a product is, the more marketing and PR it needs - which means that within the public relations industry, the people who can sell the worst products rule the roost. How odd that Nikola Tesla faced the same problems within the War of the Currents, and many other projects, that he would have to sometimes translate poetry to make ends meet. Ultimately, he was a success - from the radio to the electric motor¹.

Electrical motors have a special place in my heart. I grew up with the smell of baking varnish in a workshop established by my grandfather in 1936², going to sites and seeing these motors do everything from pumping water in ships to crushing rocks. So when I see a review of the Tesla Roadster, I get excited. Sure, it's not some web technology or some new widget. It's not even the first electric car. Yet it bears a proud name, and one which I hope it can live up to. It's a homage to the man who started it all, and whose work - even now - has had a profound effect on the way you are viewing this very entry.

From the review:

...The Tesla's giant lithium-ion battery pack gives it the power to hit 60 in four seconds, to run 250 miles without a recharge, and to charge rapidly at its home charging base (a one-hour charge will take you 80 miles; it takes a 3.5-hour charge to go 250 miles). You can even plug into a wall socket at a roadside stop in a pinch. That makes the Roadster a viable commuter car and weekend day-tripper. The company claims energy costs as low as a penny per mile...

Having only one moving part in the 'engine' probably has a lot to do with it. A maximum power output of 185kW (248.0893 horsepower) with low energy losses³ and a range of 250 miles with 3 hours of charging. 0-60 miles per hour in 4 seconds. Heck, even Thomas Edison might want one⁴. Maybe.

The real trick in the car, though, is the lithium ion battery which packs the electricity for the powerplant to tap. That's what has been holding back electrical cars for so long. And to use it in a car like this leaves the competition in the... well, no exhaust, so no smoke...

Guess what I want for Christmas?

Yes. I want one. I can even work on the engine. :-)

They are sold out for 2007, but hey... maybe if I get lucky, 2008? Probably not.

¹It's no secret that Tesla is one of my major influences.
²Rampersad's Electrical, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
³Less moving parts than a Wankel engine.
⁴Thomas Edison never owned a car, stating that they 'made the air smell funny'. (Edison: A Biography) He was busy electrocuting animals during the War of Currents, but he might like this 3 phase 4 pole electric motor (AC}.