Tesla expands in Australia – and video of Model S thrashing Dodge Hellcat

Chadstone - P85+ Display Vehicle
Model S in Chadstone

 

Tesla is carrying on with its expansion into Australia with the opening of a centre kiosk in Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre. A service centre will also be up and running in the not too distant future in Richmond, conveniently positioned next to the Monash freeway.

rsz_screen_shot_2015-01-28_at_14529_pm
Tesla’s projected supercharger network for Australia. The dark area shows the range for 60kWh battery vehicles while the pale band shows the battery range for 85kWh vehicles. Claire Reilly/CNET

Tesla has already released its plan for a super-charging network on the east-coast of Australia which will begin rolling out this year, with all major cities on the east-coast to be connected by 2016.

Each station will be situated around 200km apart, allowing for those on the entry level model S with a 300km range to travel when fully charged.

Recently in Australia, orders for the next generation of Tesla, the CUV,  are now open, with first deliveries expected in early 2016.

 

 

 

Meanwhile..check out this clip of a Model S demolishing a Dodge Challenger Hellcat.

Granted that the driver of the Dodge wasn’t the best, but would it really do much better even with a pro at the wheel?

And on the subject of performance, Tesla also announced a battery upgrade for the Roadster 3.0, its first vehicle.

The upgrade includes a new cell in the battery allowing for 31% more energy output than the original Roadster cell. New aerodynamics with a 15% improvement on the Cd (drag coefficient). A 20% improvement on the rolling resistance of the tyres is also part of the upgrade.

Heath Walker from Tesla notes: Combining all of these improvements we can achieve a predicted 40-50% improvement on range between the original Roadster and Roadster 3.0. There is a set of speeds and driving conditions where we can confidently drive the Roadster 3.0 over 400 miles.”

Tesla will be demonstrating this in the real world during a non-stop drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Comments

18 responses to “Tesla expands in Australia – and video of Model S thrashing Dodge Hellcat”

  1. lifeboatman Avatar
    lifeboatman

    What was all the noise about? All grunt & growl and no go! Tesla shows the way of the future.

    1. Jim Young Avatar
      Jim Young

      A properly driven Hellcat ran 10.8 sec @ 126 mph, though I don’t know what tires they used. That said the Tesla, with all wheel drive, will let less capable drivers actually use most of its power (and be less likely to get drivers in way over their heads). The Hellcat might make a great drift car, intentional or unintentional, but I’m not that into drift cars on the street, very quick and very competent will do it for me.

      Past experience was back in the 60s with a Hot Rod 39 Chevy, 389, 4-spd, that would run 12.64 sec @ 126.4 mph. Unfortunately, it could sometimes surprise you by jumping a lane to the side on a hard shift to 2nd. New cars handle very much better, but there are a few with so much power that let you get into a similar “surprise” situation (as endless videos can show).

      1. Chris Fraser Avatar
        Chris Fraser

        Maybe they could try a Tesla S – one forward gear no surprises.

  2. Warwick Avatar
    Warwick

    In actual fact the Dodge should be faster at 11.2 (http://www.carscoops.com/2014/07/707hp-2015-dodge-challenger-srt-hellcat.html) so yes, a better driver would make all the difference. Nonetheless, it’s a great example of electric performance.

  3. Chris Fraser Avatar
    Chris Fraser

    My goodness .. whether the Tesla got the jump on him or not … that’ll get credibility with the musclecar enthusiasts.

  4. Southernfink Avatar
    Southernfink

    Hellcat previously set a record of 10.8 for the 1/4 mile — on the day it did a measly 17,4 seconds so yes it could have done a lot better.

    Tesla did 11.4 on the day which is not bad for a electric vehicle – a fully tricked up electric vehicle can do much better.

    The important thing is to get away from hydrocarbons and make the switch to transportation systems that are free from pollution or we might as well go back to pedal power or horses which is a lot more fun.

    1. Jim Young Avatar
      Jim Young

      Don Garlits (82 back in May 2014) quickly got his electric dragster to 7.258 seconds at 184.01 mph, after an earlier pass limited by tire shake. On the record run, though, the chute didn’t open so he went off the end of the track (unhurt). I don’t know about the dragster, though, and haven’t found anything on runs since then. See http://www.nhra.com/story/story.aspx?F_y=2014&F_m=5&F_d=2&CustomURL=garlits-electric-vehicle-record&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

      Garlits was always one of the more cost conscious racers, not willing to spend stupid amounts of money, instead, using ingenuity to trump those who just threw money at the problems. According to a friend, Garlits loved to get around town in a little Dodge GLH Twin-stick (8 fwd speeds, 2-reverse).

      Elon Musk favors a quick and fast, very civilized car that sells in a new market sector, helping break down old barriers, and effectively field technologies that can then spread into more mainstream markets as the hardware costs come down. (Other parts of the world are more likely to grow the mass market so many others will benefit from, think “Honda 50,” with 60 million sold by 2008.)

      There are other electrics that may be faster than the Tesla S but none I know of as civilized and marketable. If I wanted something more to my taste (if not budget) than the S, it would probably be along the lines of the Capstone CMT-380, a turbine/electric.

      HFC (Hydrogen Fuel Cell) vehicles are becoming very much more practical, far quicker than I would have imagined, here in California. Musk apparently calls them Hydrogen Fool Cell vehicles since they are so far from the breath taking, sporty, performance that he has shown to break into a more realistic market (I was once surrounded by4 or 5 Teslas, a block and a half north of where Michael Hastings was killed near Hollywood, and have seen many as far away as Maine).

      I can’t afford a Tesla, but the Hyundai and Toyota HFC cars are projected to cost less (around $50k), way down from the $1 million and up development models I saw at the 2007 Shell Eco-Marathon, and we have the largest number of Hydrogen fueling stations in the US (Fleet operators such as waste haulers, delivery vehicles, and bus test fleets, I think).

      The mileage of the HFCs seemed far better than vehicles like the Mazda rotary that could burn regular fuel or hydrogen, I believe something even better than the Cal-Poly team’s conventional fuel entry that got 1,902 mpg that day, if memory serves. The trade off seems only in whether you want the lower peak performance of HFC or the steady, but less dramatic, super high mileage. I’ll take the later first, then consider the higher performance luxury performance “toys,” after I get my version of Garlits’ real grocery getter, Dodge GLH Twin-stick.

      1. Jim Young Avatar
        Jim Young

        Besides the update I included to the previous post (11,516 mpg), I should mention a friend’s Jet dragster that uses 40 gallons of fuel to do a few afterburner pops, then about a 200 mph 1/4 mile pass. Not exactly 160 gallons per mile, but you get the idea.

        P.S. Running the Jet car is much cheaper than running a Top Fuel Dragster, which is why some, like Tommy Ivo, switched to the more reliable profits from exhibition runs.

      2. Southernfink Avatar
        Southernfink

        I’ve never been to a drag race in my life – one has to move at least 30 km away in order not to be confronted by the noise.

        I like the idea of simple electric vehicles which always brings me back to the EV1 which was cheap and practical yet they ended up in the crusher while people were willing to buy them outright.

        That’s the direction where transportation should be going instead of these complicated highly expensive not to mention delicate.

        1. Jim Young Avatar
          Jim Young

          They use extreme versions to sell more of the ego boosting, over-stylized, but less utilitarian vehicles, because of the profit margins. I’m finished with such money pits, and prefer things like the Honda N600, and the 1994 Geo Metro Xfi I could squeeze 62.5 mpg out of. I’d like the smaller gas sipping European cars, but they have effectively kept them out of the US by making them meet the same low percentage of emission standards as our much larger engines, even though the total emissions from the engines a fraction the size of ours are far lower in every way except percentage.

          People like Senator Trent Lot said Americans didn’t want such small cars (actually, American car manufacturers don’t want to build, or compete with such lower profit margin cars), and sabotaged any chances to build them here or import them. If I wanted a sports car, for example, I’d pick the 660cc Suzuki Cappuccino, but it’s banned here.

          They seem to be doing as much, or more, to stop hybrids and electrics from getting too popular here.

          1. Southernfink Avatar
            Southernfink

            Hundreds of horse power coupled to several tons of steel appears rather excessive to move a couple hundred grams of brain around.

          2. Gina Avatar
            Gina

            If you want it direct proportional, I suggest some sandals.
            — NO, not for you! For them.

          3. Southernfink Avatar
            Southernfink

            Couple of horses right outside, they’re a little spoiled & simply not used to traffic.

  5. Ian Avatar
    Ian

    and the Tesla can be powered entirely by the sun

  6. Alan Dean Foster Avatar
    Alan Dean Foster

    Tesla rumor mill as of 1/28 has a forthcoming firmware upgrade allowing the P85D to do 0-60 mph in 2.7-2.8 sec.

    1. MorinMoss Avatar
      MorinMoss

      Seriously?? That’s about how long it would take to accelerate to 60 mph if you were free falling on Earth with zero drag.

      1. Alan Dean Foster Avatar
        Alan Dean Foster

        That’s the rumor mill. Official tweet from Musk only says another .1 sec., but we’ll have to wait and see.

  7. Alan Baird Avatar
    Alan Baird

    An interesting stream of thoughts…

Get up to 3 quotes from pre-vetted solar (and battery) installers.