The interview offers Richard and Mate’s versions of event, providing detailed analysis using exclusive images and data not currently in the public domain. This brand new data shows that the car reached a speed of over 210km/h during Richard’s lap and then traveled over 110 metres once it left the track. Both Richard and Mate agree that despite the severity of the crash, Richard’s injuries were minimal, highlighting the structural integrity of the car.
New photos of the Tesla Model 3 — the most anticipated electric car of the decade, if not all time — have been leaked by You You Xue, who claimed on Reddit that Xue came across the new model randomly in San Matteo, and “jumped straight out of the car and started snapping photos!” The car is due to be launched sometime this year.
Tesla Model 3.You You Xue @youyouxue/Reddit
Tesla has been extremely secretive about the project, going as far as to camouflage and cover the vehicle in every road test it has conducted to date.
Tesla Model 3.You You Xue @youyouxue/Reddit
The photos show us the interior of Tesla’s upcoming vehicle, including its dashboard with a 43-cm (17-inch) display, the steering wheel, charging ports, and wheels.
At this point, 2017 looks to be the year of Elon Musk, who is pushing the boundaries of almost any industry he enters: from space rockets, to solar panels, to autonomous vehicles — the sky seems to be the limit for the modern technological prophet.
In a trending video, a Porsche Cayman tries to follow a Tesla Model S in ludicrous mode, which can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds. The electronic stability control of the Tesla Model S is demonstrated here. The electric motor and differential immediately respond to variations in conditions much quicker than an internal combustion engine can.
Model S Traction Control is designed to ensure maximum contact between the road and the tires. Whether you are accelerating off the line, zooming along the winding roads of the Rockies or find yourself in a Gulf Coast rainstorm, Traction Control prevents loss of traction and maintains control. Stability Control reacts in moments of under-steer or over-steer by reducing torque and applying the brakes to individual wheels for enhanced control when cornering. -Tesla Motors
Learn Engineering recently made a very informative video about how an electric car works. It is pretty in depth, but you don’t need a physics or engineering degree to understand it. Electric vehicles are simple. They really only depend on a few major components less moving parts than and ICE engine. The video above details the main parts of a typical all-electric drive train.
1. The Telsa Model S has an induction motor with a stator and a rotor. The stator is the stationary part of an electric generator or electric motor. The non-stationary part on an electric motor is the rotor. The stator conducts and alternating current which creates a rotating magnetic field. This induces the rotor to rotate along with it. The frequency of the AC power supply directly correlates to the speed of the rotor, and thus the car. The motor speed can range from 0 to 18,000 rpm and the motor works efficiently at any speed range. An internal combustion vehicle produces usable torque and power at a limited speed range, which is why an IC engine needs a transmission. A piston powered engine also must convert linear motion to rotational motion therefore it also needs many components to convert and balance forces.
2. The inverter acts as the brain of the car because it is in charge of converting the direct current (DC) output from the batteries to AC output for the induction motor. The inverter controls the alternating current frequency, which, as you remember, controls the speed of the motor.
3. The battery of a Tesla Model S is a huge collection of tiny lithium ion batteries situated in “packs” lining the underside of the car. This aids in the vehicles low center of gravity. Tesla chose to basically just fill the packs with tiny cells rather than a few giant batteries because smaller cells can be more efficiently cooled. Heat is a major limiting factor in battery function.
4. The Tesla Model S uses a single speed transmission. Because of the nature of an electric motor, electric vehicles don’t require multiple gears to maintain torque. Also electric vehicles reverse by simply reversing the power phase of the AC current to the motor.
5. Like in most electric cars today, the Tesla Model S has regenerative braking. As soon as you lift the gas, the car will slow down as if by engine compression in an internal combustion car. But the key difference here is that energy is not lost to heat and friction, but recaptured in an electric car. The induction motor becomes a generator when the Tesla slows down. It accomplishes this when the rotor speed becomes faster than the rotating magnetic field. The generated electricity goes to the inverted and then the battery pack.
There you have it. The Tesla Model S follows the same basic setup as most electric vehicles, with its own unique, proprietary twists that have made it the most popular electric car out there today. With a few basic components, less moving parts, and less friction, electric vehicles are more simple and reliable than traditional internal combustion autos. They are also better suited for future automation capability and, of course, better for the environment, especially as cities move to low carbon electricity generation. Some day the internal combustion vehicle may become like the mechanical watch in an Apple Watch era.
As sustainability becomes increasingly important to car owners, more and more people are exploring purchasing an electric vehicle. As a result, EV sales in the U.S. are soaring. In week’s episode, we explore the electric vehicle sales market, including its overall change, plugins vs. batteries as well as the Model 3 and Tesla overall.
Diving into the data, electric vehicle sales were up 47% in Q1. This is a big leap for electric vehicle sales, especially when you compare it to overall vehicle sales – a market that isn’t doing so hot. This suggests a tread towards more sustainable forms of transportation, including both plug-in electric vehicles and battery plug-in EVs, like a Tesla.
Tesla dominates the battery electric vehicle (BEV) category – accounting for half of all electric vehicle sales in Q1. From January – March, 40,7000 plug-in electric vehicles were sold in the US. These sales have been driven largely by longer range EVs coming to market, like the Chevy Bolt. With the release of the Tesla Model 3, the Nissan Leaf and similar vehicles coming to market, sales will likely continue to trend upwards, especially as affordability and accessibility also increases.
Worldwide the overall growth of electric vehicles sales was 72%, with China leading the way with a 140% jump in EV sales. While the numbers in the US aren’t as strong, the significant jump in Q1 shows the increasing desirability of electric vehicles in the US.
The Tesla Model 3 has a lot to do with EVs popularity in 2017. EV Volumes are predicting that 50,000 Model 3 will be delivered in the US this year. From a production standpoint, Tesla recently reported that they’ll be producing approximately 5,000 per week – putting them in good shape to meet the demand.
A big question about the Model 3, and one that you’ve asked me, is: what about the tax credit? According to Clean Technica, it’s likely that anyone who purchased a Tesla this year will receive the $7,500 tax credit. But it’s important to remember that after 200,000 Teslas are sold, the phase out begins. I dove deeper into the electric vehicle tax credit in a previous video, you can learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWHgB…
As I previously mentioned, Tesla dominates US electric vehicle sales. When you combine the Model S and Model X, Tesla accounted for nearly 48% of US BEV sales. This is huge! There isn’t really any other industry where one brand dominates the market so highly. And looking forward, while the other players will make an impact, Tesla is likely to continue ruling the electric vehicle market.
In the past 20 years, most American cities have added sustainability departments to their city government offices. These councils generally think of ways to reduce the city’s carbon footprint, ecological impact, and save money by using energy more efficiently. You might curse them when your main streets dedicate lanes for bicyclists or carpoolers, but these regulations are paved with good intentions.
Vox has been producing really fascinating content on a number of global issues and innovations in sustainable policies recently. Their episode on the Superblock policy of Barcelona is definitely worth 10 minutes of your attention.
It all started in 2014, when Barcelona failed to meet EU air quality targets. Studies showed that air quality was causing about 3,500 deaths per year in the region. Not only that, but noise pollution was also causing negative, stressful effects. So they developed an Urban Mobility Plan which included the concept of Superblocks.
These Superblocks take nine square blocks, which are literally square in Barcelona, and close off the perimeter. Within the Superblock people are free to walk, bike, and jog around without being exposed to the city traffic pollution that plagues most of Barcelona.
In the main Superblock at the city center, pedestrian space increased from 45 percent of the total surface area to 74 percent. With so much less traffic, noise levels dropped from 66.5 dBA to 61 dBA. Most impressive of all, there was a 42% reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions and a 38% reduction.
This also helps the small businesses as people are more likely to stop by storefronts if they are walking or biking, than if they are driving.
This got me thinking, how can this idea be implemented in America? American cities and states are interconnected by a network of streets and highways designed in the 20th century for the internal combustion vehicle. Mega-malls used to be a very big part of the American landscape, however lately, many of them have been shutting their doors. With the growing behemoth Amazon spreading its tentacles across the nation, gobbling up Whole Foods this month, allowing it to deliver groceries, books, and drones to our doors, not only are mom and pop stores shuttering, but large big box superstores and malls are leaving abandoned lots across America. The mall as we know it from the 1980s and 1990s is simply not built for the “4th Industrial Revolution” with automation and online shopping dominating the market. In fact, there is dead mall series on YouTube, documenting the downfall of these antiquated structures, as entire malls are being abandoned and sold for as little as $100. It makes you think, what would you do with a middle America mall, if you bought one for 100 bucks?
The superblock idea, and integration of residential, commercial, and recreational areas might be a great way to utilize the massive amount of real estate malls take up. America needs more recreational playing fields, parks, and jogging tracks, which could be built in place of parking lots. The malls themselves could be opened up to allow more natural sunlight and greenscaping, re-imagined to include office, residential, and commercial spaces. This would logistically make it more sustainable, as everything people need would be on the mall property. And possibly, being able to walk to a store and get something will be competitive with a few clicks and waiting for Amazon to deliver to your door a few days later. Just a thought, but it would be complicated by government regulations on commercial and residential space zoning.
The community of Cupertino will revitalize the failing Vallco Shopping Mall into a vibrant, sustainable, walkable and safe new neighborhood with a mix of retail, dining, entertainment, recreation, offices, housing, open space, and public amenities…
In place of the existing 1.2-million-square-foot mall, Sand Hill Property Company and its design team will build public parks and plazas; educational, retail, office, and entertainment space; and up to 800 residential units. Atop the modern and sustainable buildings, the world’s largest green roof will provide over 30 acres of public park with a 3.8-mile network of walking and jogging trails, meadows, vineyards, orchards and organic gardens, children’s play areas, and a refuge for native species of plants and birds. It will be Cupertino’s largest park when complete – and entirely open to the public. The rolling shape of the green roof mimics the forms of the foothills surrounding Silicon Valley and provides privacy for residents of an adjacent neighborhood from the public uses planned for the new development.
Pretty cool right? Hopefully we will see these types of projects not only in the tech savvy innovative communities in California, but also the Rust Belt and Midwest where failing mall blight and suburban sprawl is a big problem.
The interview offers Richard and Mate’s versions of event, providing detailed analysis using exclusive images and data not currently in the public domain. This brand new data shows that the car reached a speed of over 210km/h during Richard’s lap and then traveled over 110 metres once it left the track. Both Richard and Mate agree that despite the severity of the crash, Richard’s injuries were minimal, highlighting the structural integrity of the car.
