Chuck, that's a good point. I like to let my car run down to empty, if I am in an area with lot's of gas stations, becuase it will get slightly better mileage toward the end of the tank. Another thing to note is the difference weight of the engines. I don't know what the Tesla S engine weighs, but I was told that the Tesla Roadster engine weighs only 70 lbs. Add to that the fact that there is no transmission, and the S engine has to weigh a lot less than the 550i engine.
One thing this makes clear is that when comparing two very different technology systems one has to consider more than the core part of the system. In this case the motors are vastly different and just comparing them would leave you to believe that the electric car should be lighter. Add in the energy storage system, and you come up with a very different story.
Nice new picture, by the way, but they cut off the top of your head.
You're right, Naperlou. You are essentially saying that the specific energy of gasoline is far higher than that of a lithium-ion battery. And, yes, that's a drawback. It's also a drawback when the battery's charge is depleted. The 900 lb battery still weighs the same. It still has to carry its own dead weight, whereas the weight of the gasoline in your example has gone from 73 lbs to zero when the gas tank is depleted.
Cap'n, I read this article with interest. While doing so I looked up a number of things. What I found was suprising. One comment you made was the search for a $5K battery pack that got 300 miles of range. Tha is a long way off, as you mention.
With a gasoline engine at 23 mpg (see below), the 300 mile range translates to 13.04 gallons. The weight of the gasoline is 72.88 lbs. Tesla claims that range for their Tesla S with the 85 kW-h battery. The weight seems to be about what the roadster's is at a minimum. That would be 900 lbs. The ICE gets 0.26 lbs./mile, while the Tesla S has a rating of 3 lbs./mile. So, the first thing that needs to be addressed is the weight of the battery. The Tesla S battery has density of 94.44 W-h/lb. This is at the high end of the range you quote for current batteries (note the unit difference).
What is even more interesting is that the curb weight for a Tesla S is 4,647.3 lbs. That's a lot. The roughly equivalent BMW 5 series sedan (which Tesla is targeting with the S) is the 550i sedan. The power output is similar, The BMW weighs 4,365 lbs. I find this very interesting for both given all the articles and discussion on weight saving, etc. that the car manufacturers are supposedly working on.
Using almost 200 light-emitting diodes in the front and back of the new 2014 CTS, Cadillac designers are showing how LEDs can change the character of a vehicle.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
1 
