Busting some myths, Tesla VP debunks electric Elise meme
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors
One of the most common beliefs about the Tesla Roadster is that it's an electric Lotus Elise. The reality is that the Roadster is a descendant of the Elise but, as Darryl Siry so forcefully documents on the Tesla blog, it's a very different car. The Tesla used the Elise as a starting point because it's one of the lightest and best-handling sports cars in the world. The chassis of the Elise is made up of bonded aluminum extrusions and the basic design makes it relatively easy to modify for different applications. For an electric car with a nearly 1,000lb battery pack, minimizing the rest of the mass of the car was critical. By the time the electric powertrain and battey were added, few of the mechanical bits of the Elise were left. When I visited Tesla in January to drive the car they told me that about 15 percent of the Elise components were carried over with the rest being modified or all-new (mostly the latter). According to Darryl the number is actually be seven percent by part count. Regardless of the actual number, the fact is that this is a very different car although it does retain some of the character of the Elise, only a lot quieter. In spite of some "luxury" upgrades, this is still a pretty bare bones and hardcore sports car. Other than the Elise/Exige, you won't find a much more direct driving experience in a full bodied road legal car anywhere. It's not an electric Elise, but the heritage is there and nothing to be ashamed of.
[Source: Tesla Motors]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-04-2008 @ 4:43PM
Red said...
Huh, it's understandable that people confuse the Tesla with the Elise, given it's the same size, has similar lines, and does have the exact same dash, which means looking into the cockpit is a lot like looking into an Elise. It makes me wonder why they didn't modify this superficial but very visible piece to give it a more unique style.
- Red unstarved.com
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3-04-2008 @ 7:11PM
why not the LS2LS7? said...
Go sit in it some time. I have.
It's an electric Elise.
If you lift the trunk cover, it's clearly different. But anyone who doesn't do that and doesn't have an Elise right next to it to compare to will not notice the subtle differences and presume it's just a reskin.
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3-04-2008 @ 8:07PM
texmln said...
Here's a myth I'd like to see busted: The myth that Tesla will actually produce a car for sale to the general public.
I propose an AutoblogGreen embargo on all Tesla stories until they officially start selling cars to every Joe Schmoe. Until then, it's all BS from Tesla.
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3-04-2008 @ 9:21PM
Throwback said...
Frankly I would promote the Lotus connection more. Lotus has helped many car makers produce great handling cars.
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3-05-2008 @ 12:26AM
jake said...
@Throwback
That's not the problem; Tesla is actually quite proud to have Lotus help them out in the handling dynamic.
It's what "Red" and "why not the LS2/LS7?" mentioned; that they left the dash of the Elise in it (also left the windshield, front wishbone, and softtop, but those don't stand out much). This gives pretty much the knee jerk reaction that it's just a simple conversion with a different skin. In evitably people would ask why spend $50k more? The people wouldn't know the huge changes UNDER the skin, including the chassis, battery, and drivetrain. Most also neglect to account for the fact that the elise is slower in acceleration an has less power too. So actually the elise SC is a better comparison.
@Red
I'm thinking the decision to keep the dash has to due with crash safety, by keeping it, they can save some money on the redesigning the dash. The dash was also very functional by most accounts so they probably didn't feel they can provide extra functionality by redesigning it. The redesigning of the chassis and many of the other parts were pretty much unavoidable to accommodate the EV drivetrain and the lowering of the door sills was to make the car more easily to get in and out. Pretty much only the exterior panels, headlights, and tail lights were designed for asthetics. Everything else was pretty much form follows function (probably a big Lotus tradition too).
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