A 'Quick' Exam Get Inward A Tesla Model Sec P85+
Earlier this calendar week EV News had the chance to exam drive a Tesla Model south P85+ to a greater extent than or less the streets of Sydney. It was alone a really brief experience compared to the calendar week long test drives we've had alongside most other EVs, but it was long plenty to confirm that Tesla Motors brand electrical vehicles that are inwards a league of their own.
The showtime affair you lot honor close the Model south is that it's a large car. All dimensions including wheelbase together with rails are larger than a full-size machine similar the Outlander PHEV SUV nosotros tested a few weeks ago.
For such a heavy machine the weight wasn't noticeable piece driving, although I am familiar alongside driving total sized cars together with the exam route didn't let for whatever high speed loaded cornering. In acceleration the P85 Model south is stunning! Unlike all other EVs I've driven which select synchronous BLDC permanent magnet motors, the asynchronous air-conditioning induction motor inwards the Model south actually gives a kicking inwards the dorsum off the line. So much together with hence I'm thinking mayhap Elon Musk should consider issuing Tesla reps alongside cervix braces for exam drives.
The BMW i3 I drove inwards Munich before this twelvemonth was, upward until this week, the fastest EV I had driven. I noticed from a standing start, total off the describe of piece of job acceleration inwards the i3 didn't actually come upward on rigid until over approx 25 km/h, on it's agency to 100 km/h inwards vii seconds. With 310 kw together with 600 Nm tiptop torque from cipher RPM, the three stage air-conditioning induction motor launches the P85 Model south from a standing start to 100 km/h inwards simply four seconds. That's faster than your average Porsche. As alongside all EVs, mid-speed acceleration was equally good impressive but alongside the Tesla, heed blowingly so!
One of the reasons I've been together with hence groovy to sample a Model south is because on newspaper it is the alone EV broadly comparable to my electrical flow daily driver, which has 255 Kw / 475 Nm alongside a 1600 kg chassis. The 5.7 Lt four door sedan does 0-100 km/h inwards to a greater extent than or less v sec which is faster than both a criterion 85 (5.6s) together with the lx version (6.2s) Model S. I've clocked upward a few hundred G kilometres inwards this machine together with hence am really familiar alongside it's above-average acceleration, yet the Model south P85 absolutely kills it!
Ever since the Tesla exam drive I've been trying to instruct my caput to a greater extent than or less how the Model south P85's mid-speed acceleration could experience twice equally fast equally my ICE car. Multiplying the Tesla's 600 Nm tiptop torque yesteryear the 9.73:1 reduction gear ratio gives 5,898 Nm at the raise wheels. Divide that yesteryear the 2,100 kg kerb weight together with the Model south has 2.8 Nm /kg. Running the same numbers for my Corvette engined menage unit of measurement sedan gives 4,476 Nm (in showtime gear only). Divided yesteryear 1,600 kg kerb weigh surprisingly results inwards the same 2.8 Nm/kg figure (not accounting for transmission losses).
So why does the P85 experience twice equally fast at mid speed? The three stage AC, copper rotor, induction motor's torque bend gives a apartment 600 Nm betwixt 0 together with 5,000 rpm. As alongside all EVs this wide torque bend allows the Tesla to select a unmarried speed transmission. With the gear ratios unremarkably used inwards EVs, they're effectively inwards the equivalent of showtime gear all the time. So piece my ICE powered machine has approx the same torque to weigh ratio inwards showtime gear, the V8 engine doesn't achieve tiptop torque until 4,000 rpm (which accounts for the extra minute 0-100) together with raise cycle torque reduces alongside every up-shift of the gearbox until give gear where maximum torque is downward to 'only' 1,000 Nm. By comparison, the Tesla has approx 6,000 Nm available on-demand from standstill upward to seventy km/h. Above this speed the electrical motors torque starts to decrease but at 120 km/h the Model south P85 nevertheless has 3,405 Nm at the wheels.
The bottom describe of piece of job is, from a standing start the Tesla has total torque almost straightaway (see dyno nautical chart below) together with at mid-speeds, due to the payoff of a permanent depression gear ratio, the Tesla has upward to 6x to a greater extent than tiptop torque available at the motion-picture exhibit of the trammel pedal compared to my reasonably powerful internal combustion engine equipped car. There's no waiting for auto gearbox kick-down, or engine rpm to increase, the Model south simply delivers immediate tiptop torque at whatever speed. The results are... absolutely devastating acceleration at all speeds together with an almost permanent 'Tesla grin'.
When a start-up companionship similar Tesla Motors tin execute a novel luxury machine alongside such startling performance, 500 km make together with running costs that are 1/10 th that of equivalent ICE cars, It's no surprise that Mercedes, Audi together with BMW are already working on their ain versions of the Model S. I don't intend it's much of an exaggeration to tell this machine is revolutionary!
The Model south P85+ equally driven was priced to a greater extent than or less $190k. H5N1 basic P85 selection parcel alongside the total 310 kw / 600 Nm together with 21" wheels is $130,600. Unfortunately luxury revenue enhancement together with other authorities charges add together some other $25k bringing the total cost to $155k inwards Australia.
