Tesla Motors Club
Reading about last month's White Zombie vs. Mazda drag race, I noticed that the Zombie edged out the Mazda by a small margin, although the Mazda blew some sort of engine component at the end. This failure evidently happened after the finish line, and so didn't mean that the Mazda would have otherwise won.
The race brings up a question that has gnawed at me for some time, however. Just what sort of driving will cause an electric car to fail? I realize that the fewer moving parts should make for less maintenance, but there must be a failure point. Does hard driving increase the chance of such a failure? Could I expect the Roadster's motor to last ten or twenty years if I floored it every time, from every stop?
I read something about AC Propulsion having motors going on several hundred thousand miles. I'm not sure, however, how they were driven.
Perhaps these questions will only be answered by time and experience.
The race brings up a question that has gnawed at me for some time, however. Just what sort of driving will cause an electric car to fail? I realize that the fewer moving parts should make for less maintenance, but there must be a failure point. Does hard driving increase the chance of such a failure? Could I expect the Roadster's motor to last ten or twenty years if I floored it every time, from every stop?
I read something about AC Propulsion having motors going on several hundred thousand miles. I'm not sure, however, how they were driven.
Perhaps these questions will only be answered by time and experience.