[GPS5441]

I believe that this would be the first article on Tesla PD 90 on Team BHP.

Before I share with you my experience a little bit about me. I live in Bangalore and have a total work experience of 17 years in Automobile, Financial services and E commerce industries. I have been interested in Automobiles since I was a kid and during those times use to buy every Automobile magazines every month

Now the car!

I would never have even thought in my dreams that I will see a Tesla in flesh and blood, let alone sit in one. My wife's sister lives in Washington DC, USA - both she and her husband are Dentists and run their own clinics. We had not met them for the last 14 years and decided that this year we will go to USA for our holidays and will also meet them. The days before we were to fly were very hectic with all the shopping and what not!

Our flight was BA from Bangalore at 7 am in the morning and after 24 hrs of travel, we landed at Dules airport at 8pm in the evening. Once out of the Airport we met my sister in-law and her husband and then after initial pleasantries we proceeded to the parking lot. The first car I see is a Mercedes Benz GL truck and we fill her up with our luggage. With car seats and kids onboard no space is left for me and then my brother in-law tells me to come with him in his car.

Initially I did not recognise his car since it was dark, but being curious about cars and checked further and lo & behold it’s a Tesla.

My impressions about electric cars was not very good and I used to wonder how people buy such cars. This I think primarily is build on the not so exciting and very limited electric cars we have in India.

The Tesla PD 90 is a full size car- very attractive, yet conventional to look at. It is slightly low hence getting in takes some effort but nothing to worry about. Once you are inside the legroom is impressive-my brother In law is above 6 feet.

The first thing which strikes you once you are inside is the big Tablet screen. Its massive. This is a super sensitive screen and is the command center of the car. You also can download apps on this tablet.

Driving impression

Once you start moving there is absolutely no sound except for a slight electric motor whine at low speeds. It is eerily quiet and initially feels very unnatural, specially when you stop at a traffic light with no sound of the engine rumbling under the bonnet.

The car is quick and nothing prepares you for it- two things - it is very very silent & has a slight whine of the electric motor when you push pedal to the floor. The other is the instantaneous torque which the car produces is mind-blowing. You have to experience it to believe it. The surge is seamless.

Refinement is also nothing I have seen in any of the cars I have driven or sat in so far.

Handling is very precise with almost zero body roll, the steering is light and weighs in as the speed builds up.

My brother in law had a Mercedes Benz 2 seater AMG earlier and he is so impressed by his Tesla that he has told me he will never go back to an internal combustion engine ever!

Range and Charging

You have the charging station installed at your home and can keep the car plugged in throughout the night. US has decent charging stations spread across; half an hour of charging gives you 60% of the range. The claimed range is about 520 kms which is quite reasonable.

Auto Pilot

One of the unique features this car is known for is the self driving capability and Tesla claims that all its cars are equipped with modern hardware and has substantially higher safe self driving capability than a human being. This is impressive!

I had a short experience on how it actually works. The system basically tracks the lanes on the road and uses these markings to drive on its own. In case you switch on the indicator and depending on the availability of space for the car, it will change the lane on its own. It also informs its driver when to take control if it feels it cannot handle the situation on its own.

On long drives and open roads, this is extremely convenient and auto pilot provides additional safety by preventing collision, especially rear ending. With advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning and other technological improvements, this might ultimately take over driving with minimum inputs from the driver.

What it cannot do now is that you put the destination and then it drives on its own to reach the set destination.

Other Interesting facts

1. The car has a massive 749 bhp. It is a supercar by any definition.

2. The car has two electric motors. The rear motor weighs about 100 kgs and produces 496 bhp powering the rear wheels, while the front motor produces 255 BHP.

3. It’s an all wheel drive car

4. Acceleration is insane-claimed and experienced at 96 km/hr in 2.5 sec!!!

5. The car has luggage space both at the front and back; this makes the car safer by providing a proper crash zone in the front.

6. It has only 18 moving parts compared to above 3000 in a normal internal combustion engine. Hence it is claimed that the car can run for a million kilometers!

7. Bio Weapon defense mode as claimed by the company - the car has medical grade HEPA air filtration system which removes 99.97% of the pollutants, allergens and bacteria and creates positive pressure in the cabin to protect the occupants.

8. The weight of the car is approximately 2200 kgs, the batteries alone weighing 700 kgs

9. Weight distribution is 51:49, Front:Rear

10. The car has a range of 520 kms if driven normally.

11. If you lift your foot from the accelerator and the car starts decelerating, it will start charging the batteries.

12. From standstill, it can show dust to a Porsche 911 turbo! Incredible

13. The car has a flat floor with no transmission tunnel.

14. The huge touch screen dashboard is very bright and responsive and you can split the screen into two.

15. The car gets wireless software updates like a smartphone.

16. P in PD90 stands for dual power batteries and D stands for Dual Motors.

17. If you charge the car for 8.3hrs, the cost is Rs 780 and the car will drive for 480 kms with average per km cost of Rs 1.5 only(Based on cost of electricity in US).

18. Eight airbags for driver and passenger heads, knees and pelvis - plus two side curtain airbags.

19. Servicing the car is very easy and takes very less time provided there is no replacement of parts. Most of the diagnostics happen over the internet and usually, you do not have to visit the service shop. In case you visit, the time taken is less than it takes you to finish your coffee. You can also schedule your service through your touchscreen dashboard.

Future of Automobile Industry

I believe what Tesla has done is revolutionary and is going to disrupt the Auto Industry. The reason is plain and simple - they have created a product which is leagues ahead than tradition products in the market.

A report published by Stanford professor Tony Seba predicts that traditional automobile industry and technology will vanish in less than 10 years. Having experienced Tesla first hand, I believe he will be very close to his prediction give or take a couple of years.

He also predicts collapse of the current Automobile and petroleum industry with electric cars being much cheaper to own and use. The cars will have a life of 10 lakh km compared to 2 lakh km of the traditional internal combustion engine. He even predicts mass stranding of traditional vehicles by 2024.

With the launch of Model S at an expected price of $35000, the penetration is bound to grow.

Some Photographs of the Beauty


The Grin says it all! My Brother In Law Dr Toussant Crawfort



Beauty from the side



Eyes to die for!



The sexiest back I have seen so far!







Beautiful wheel rims



Nice Looking Dashboard



Massive Touchscreen



Front display-Mirrors the Car and shows which doors are open or closed



Drivers seat-Very Comfortable



Massive door for entry



Comfortable back seat with decent space



No Engine-Front Boot!





Thats my family





Meeting my friend Tanu after more than 20 years



Thats Me!

[GTO]

Many thanks for sharing! Here is another BHPian's report - link.

[sgmuser]

Nice Post. Rated five stars!

Two observations:
1. The period between major paradigm shifts are shrinking!
2. Mostly the market leader in a tech never managed to keep that position or mostly disappeared from there! Many examples starting from Xerox, HP, Kodak, Nokia, MS (Soon Google!) and many more.

This is due in Auto industry. Most of the top players are very lethargic and monopolistic! Toyota is adamant and Ford is clueless. Rest all struggling for survival. Tesla is good for the earth in many ways. 10 year forecast could be too much! We never know! There is a boom waiting to happen in Battery Tech. Once that hurdle is passed, first thing, the oil companies (mafia, can I say?) will disappear in no time. Then the traditional auto companies. Later a new comer will come and take over the world of Electric Auto, it could be Tesla or some one else! Next 15-30 years are going to be exciting not just for Auto industry but for the whole world! Wondering what will happen to the oil economies! :-) poor guys!

[StepUP!]

Thank you for sharing! What do these Tesla cars require for charging? Is it regular 230 V AC current that charges its batteries? I can see the Kodak moment coming soon for IC engines. And that makes me sad. I love IC engines over electric motor.
Time to invest in battery manufacturing companies!

[dileepcm]

Good one.
I have been following Tesla and EV developments for a couple of years now (After effects of living in Europe). If you have strong interests in Teslas or EVs, my first pointer is Bjørn Nyland's YouTube channel. He is a legend when it comes to living with Teslas. He has owned a model S that covered more than 200k KMS. He currently owns a Model X that has done 100k in a year's time.

https://www.youtube.com/user/bjornnyland

[GPS5441]

Thank you GTO, sgmuser, StepUp! & dileepcm happy and encouraged you have liked the post.

StepUp!
Tesla can be charged through normal household socket and you can also get the special plumbing done.
The difference is that with a normal house hold socket the charging will be slower approx 29miles per Hr while in case of special set up for charging it will be 52miles per Hr

dileepcm
thanks for sharing the link will watch the video

sgmuser
I totally agree with you auto industry is going to change and for good.

[2000rpm]

Visited the Tesla showroom in Lausanne. The model X absolutely bowled me over with the doors and the interiors. In addition, also enquired about the Power wall which I think will be very useful in a country like India. 2-3 powerwall setups with the solar panels can do so much good in every building.

[torque!!]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

Thank you for sharing! What do these Tesla cars require for charging? Is it regular 230 V AC current that charges its batteries?

Tesla has different types of chargers available. Here in the US, we have 110/120v and 220/240v at home. Almost 99% of stuff at home is powered by 110v. But we do have 220v circuits for things like Clothes Dryers or large AC units.

Tesla has Level1/ Level2/ Level3 chargers.
L1 is standard 120v, 15-20 amps. It gives roughly 2 miles range per hour of charging. So an overnight charge is just about good enough for a short distance commute. It will probably take 4 days to charge Model S to its full capacity. This is an 'emergency only' type of chargers as it plus into any standard outlet.

L2 is 240v upto 80amps. There are different chargers available for 240v in a wide price range and power range. I guess the power delivery goes from 3.5kW to 17kW. So charge time vary widely from 6 to 30hrs for full battery on Model S depending on type of charger.

L3 is a super charger installed by Tesla at various public locations. It is 480v, 300amps, 140kW power. It can do 170miles in 30 mins. With good planning, one can practically travel the entire country in a electric car - stopping for supercharging the car and yourself every 200-300 miles (depending on your battery capacity).

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by GPS5441

You have to experience it to believe it.
The surge is seamless.
Acceleration is insane - claimed & experienced at 96 km/hr in 2.5 secs !!!

Yes, speaking from experience, the Tesla is definitely no Reva.

Originally Posted by GPS5441

The car has a massive 749 bhp. It is a supercar by any definition.
The car has two electric motors.
The rear motor weighs about 100 kgs & produces 496 bhp powering the rear wheels, while the front motor produces 255 BHP.

Let's not forget the 966 Nm of torque ( F : 330 Nm & R : 635 Nm ) !
The petrol-heads swooning over "Diesel Torque" haven't felt what real torque feels like, yet.

Originally Posted by GPS5441

It has only 18 moving parts compared to above 3,000 in a normal I.C. engine.
If you lift your foot from the accelerator & the car starts decelerating, it will start charging the batteries.
When you stop at a traffic light with no sound of the engine rumbling under the bonnet.

The limitations of the I.C. engine are many :
0) When it's not "motoring", it still needs to idle
1) We need a clutch because it needs to idle & cannot be started & restarted easily
2) The relatively narrow power & torque bands necessitate a transmission
3) The noise necessitates an exhaust system
4) The heat necessitates a cooling system
5) At best, it's efficiency is only 25% to 30%
6) And the worst one, it pollutes all the while it's working !

Granted, the I.C. engine has gotten us this far, but these days better technologies exist.

Originally Posted by GPS5441

From standstill, it can show dust to a Porsche 911 turbo !

It sure is capable of more than that, a few weeks back was at a drag-strip in a P100D which just wrecked a 2JZ Supra purportedly putting down 800 odd BHP.
Even the big V8s slink away from the Tesla at a drag strip, they would pull up to the line, & on seeing the Tesla, would roll away citing excuses ( yes even the raucous SRTs ).

Originally Posted by sgmuser

Most of the top players are very lethargic & monopolistic !
Toyota is adamant & Ford is clueless.

To be fair, GM did bring out the EV1 in 1996 & Toyota builds the half-breed Prius.
The world had to wait for the technology to mature & a bit of lateral thinking on Tesla's part in 2003.
Even in India, we had Reva give us the electric car way back in 1994, now, that's some foresight.
In my opinion, Reva's probably the most underrated Indian manufacturer out there.

Originally Posted by sgmuser

Wondering what will happen to the oil economies! :-) Poor guys !

Well, they've earned their money, built their ivory towers, & polluted the planet to boot, why worry about them ?

Originally Posted by StepUP!

I can see the Kodak moment coming soon for I.C. engines.
And that makes me sad.
I love I.C. engines over electric motor.

Can I ask, what specifically about the I.C. engine attracts your fancy ?
It's big, gets hot, is noisy, its tremendously inefficient - isn't "about time" a better way to signal its demise.

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

I think the Power wall will be very useful in a country like India.

Yes, you would think that the powers that be see the advantages of the technology & beat a path to Tesla's door.
All Govt. policy makers should be sat in a Tesla & shot down the quarter mile, only then will they see the light, I sure did.

Since 2009, the simple small-car rule has changed the 4-wheeler scene in India; imagine the scenario if EVs are not taxed, or there are no registration charges or no life-time taxes on them.
The Govt's policies can easily convince the manufacturers to switch to EVs by incentivising the technology, it's almost like selective breeding.
We've been behind in automotive tech for decades, forced to be satisfied with "hand-me-down" tech from the major manufacturers.
But we could get a "leg up" on EV tech & wean ourselves off of foreign oil ( & everything that it entails ) if only the policy makers & manufacturers see the very clear writing on the wall.
.

[feluda86]

Great experience I must say! Thanks for sharing.

From my limited experience in a Tesla Model S, I did find the back seat ride comfort to be a notch below a car of this price - found the seat to be a bit too hard and the ride quality a little too stiff for my liking. Well, no one buys a Tesla to be chauffeur driven .

[StepUP!]

Originally Posted by torque!!

Tesla has different types of chargers available.

Thank you for detailed information!

Originally Posted by im_srini

Can I ask, what specifically about the I.C. engine attracts your fancy ?
It's big, gets hot, is noisy, its tremendously inefficient - isn't "about time" a better way to signal its demise.

Well what is noisy to you is music to ears to me! Can you beat R1's exhaust note or Mustang's exhaust note with those motors? NO. Never!

More than that, we all grew up fantasizing about IC engines. IC engines have propelled almost everything that moves, flies and swims! IC engines are manifestation of engineering excellence. Thousands of parts bolted, welded, casted, forged ; moving seamlessly together. F1 car's engine rotating at 18000 rpm is insane.

Electric motor? That's pretty boring!

[girishglg]

A very informative thread there of the the Tesla and as you said this car surely gets the world closer to the electric revolutions that is knocking at our doors sooner than later.

Every speck regarding the car itself is a wow and real drool worthy. Hope Tesla gets more competition in the days ahead so that we get better products and more choices to go for (just one option gets boring after a while).

Just adding one point and not necessarily about the car itself is that IMO true electric revolution would be when the automobile generates its own fuel say if we have a solar electric car, then it would be truly revolutionary.

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

Can you beat R1's exhaust note or Mustang's exhaust note with those motors ?

Yes, the I.C. engine panders to our atavistic impulses quite nicely.
They're salty, they're sugary, what's not to like about junk food too, right ?

Originally Posted by StepUP!

More than that, we all grew up fantasising about IC engines.

I was one among the petrol-heads too, I'm going to toot my own horn a bit here, but bear with me.
My poor little Alto's F10D engine has had untold things done to it in the name of mo'h powa'.
This very M16A engine, in this very tune, sits disassembled & in 4 boxes underneath my bed back home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMf-f73Gvsk&t=27s

It was slated for shoe-horning into my poor little Alto.
Right next to the M16A is a brand new F10D block which I was prepping for custom liners so that I could run 2.5 mm over-bore pistons in it.
I was a raging petrol-head, but I've convert to the other side now.

Originally Posted by StepUP!

I.C. engines are manifestation of engineering excellence.
Thousands of parts bolted, welded, cast, forged; moving seamlessly together.

Isaac Newton said "Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, & not in the multiplicity & confusion of things".
But Leonardo da Vinci said it best - "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication".

Originally Posted by StepUP!

F1 car's engine rotating at 18,000 rpm is insane.

Well, at their peak, I think they were red-lining at 22,000 ( I'm an F1 fan too ).
But honestly, at that RPM, they sound more like electric motors than I.C. engines, & if it's just RPM you want, electric motors have the reciprocating I.C. engine beat.
It's not just for the 'green' image that Ferrari, McLaren, & Porsche have their flagship super-cars with part-electric drivetrains.
The I.C. engine has some serious deficiencies & the electric motor is actually its salvation.
Railway engineers had figured this out a long time ago, why else did they come up with the diesel-electrics ?

Originally Posted by StepUP!

Electric motor ? That's pretty boring !

The electric motor can be, errr, how shall I put it, 'electrifying' too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqFWvAplIKc&t=1m30s

Peace out...

[sudev]

Originally Posted by torque!!

....here in the US, we have 110/120v and 220/240v at home. Almost 99% of stuff at home is powered by 110v. But we do have 220v circuits for things like Clothes Dryers or large AC units......

This is akin to single phase 220V and three phase 415V supply that we have in India.

The 220V in USA is three phase supply.

Moving on imagine when EV's focus more on mass small cars. Reva is step in right direction but needs to up it's game on range and performance. Use of alternate materials and technologies is going to be future.

Perhaps markets like India are just waiting for industry busting startup in this field! We have tremendous solar power potential too.

[GPS5441]

Update
Just got an update from Tesla

"New Features for Model S and Model X
Model S and Model X are the quickest and safest cars in their class and now include new standard features at no additional cost. Smart Air Suspension provides better handling, efficiency and ride comfort with automatic location-based vehicle height adjustments. In addition, new Model S and Model X 75 kWh vehicles received an over-the-air software update and now have improved performance, with the ability to accelerate from zero to 60 mph one second faster. We are also offering a new cream interior color.
Model X is now available in a new seven-seat configuration, with second and third row seats that fold flat for maximum cargo space"