Toyota working on Tesla-based electric car

excellent!

 

I just KNEW that's why they clunked down all that $$$ ... even in the middle of financial hard times! oh yea ... I can't WAIT!
:rockon:

.

 

well this should be fun. Thank You Nissan for making this interesting!

 

After seeing the weight of the PHV Prius battery pack, I was not impressed.

Tesla battery pack (to be used in Model S) has more energy (129 wh/kg) per weight than Nissan Leaf (80 wh/kg). Tesla pack has liquid cooling thermal management but the Leaf does not. At the cell level, 237 wh/kg for Tesla and 140 wh/kg for the Leaf .

A combination of carbon fiber (like 1/X concept) and Tesla battery pack would be a killer combo.

 

Perhaps, based on the Tesla Roadster?

Supra/FT-86 electric ?

Or, a new high-volume Lexus based on the Model S ?

Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Lotus buy 1.8 liter ICE from Toyota. Tesla buy laptop battery cells from PEVE (majority owned by Toyota). Tesla buy roadster chassis from Lotus.

If partnerships are to be formed, it would make sense for these 3 companies to work together to create an affordable mass-produced fun to drive electric car.

 

Tesla really has come up with a really good battery pack. Not only can they they use "commodity cell's" that they can purchase from multiple companies but they get more power from the same weight by using cells that are not normally automotive use rated. They probably pay less per cell on top of all of those other advantages though the pack system may cost more to build in small quantities.

Yes, I do know that Tesla is currently buying cells from PEVA/Panasonic but they do not have to. The design of the pack is quite flexible. If someone comes out with a cheaper/higher density cell in the common 18650 format they should be able to use it after extensive testing and calibration

 

I understand what you are saying, but I don't think Toyota sees anything to gain from letting Lotus in on things. Tesla has something to offer for Toyota. But what does Lotus have to offer for Toyota (other than competition) ?

 

green.autoblog.com claims the prototypes are a RAV4 and a Lexus RX.

 

Model S ? I guess vaporware is always lighter.

 

Faster and cheaper too!

 

Model S is faster but not cheaper than Leaf.

 

vaporware is free unless you buy stock

 

Oh, I see his point now. Evan who has deposit for model S would disagree.

 

I don't think Tesla's using Lotus anymore. They did the initial body work and fab for the Roadster, but Tesla's planning on building the model S all themselves AFAIK...

 

It was the Lotus Police car design:

(Lotus advocates noise generators.)

Bob Wilson

 

We were just being funny.... the vaporware comment doesn't mean that the model S won't exist at some time in the future... just that it does not exist now, so we don't really know what any of the specs will really be (Look at how the Volt specs started and what it has become for an indication of how this stuff works). The Leaf, in contrast to the Model S, is being produced NOW.

I have great confidence in Tesla to produce the S... but until it is produced, it is vaporware. The Leaf is just now turning the corner.

 

And back to the subject... Toyota has now announced that one of the first EVs they'll make will be the new Rav4. Amazing. Can they really pull it off in 1.5 years? What about bringing out that great FC car they've been working on for 15 years?

Discussion:
http://www.plugincars.com/interview-toyota-talks-about-electric-rav4-plans-49716.html

Press release:
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/tesla-motors-and-toyota-motor-163915.aspx

 

I saw them testing this. The car was coming down the street with the speaker blaring. Blind folks were running away in all directions. Some were bleeding from the ears, but hey its just a prototype. But then it happened. They never should have removed the light bar from the top of the cruiser. A deaf man stepped off the curb right in front of the car. He was hit at full speed and sent spinning crazily down the sidewalk taking out 5 of the fleeing blind folks in the process. It was horrible. Oh the humanity.