Roadster on Top Gear

[TEG]

Maybe this will help:

Urban Dictionary: taking the mickey

Home page | Ofcom
"...Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services..."

 

[dpeilow]

On Planet Clarkson, the real world has an unlimited supply of hydrocarbons, is a bit too chilly and you can legally outrun bullet trains...

Unfortunately there are a worryingly large number of people that think he has a PhD in everything and is the perfect role model.

 

[dpeilow]

Thanks TEG - saved me some typing :smile:

 

[graham]

Rachael is the ANTIKENT!

Or the Anti Finkenbusch... whatever happened to that guy, anyway?

 

[JRP3]

Or the Anti Finkenbusch... whatever happened to that guy, anyway?

Shhhhh, I think he's still around here somewhere....

 

[graham]

Rachel's rebuttal picked up by AutoblogGreen and Planet Tesla. I hope it gets wide dissemination!

Tesla clarifies some of Top Gear's "mischaracterizations" - AutoblogGreen

Top Gear track test update; Top Gear skimped on truth in shock horror revelation - News - PlanetTesla

 

[dpeilow]

I'm getting quite a few comments on my Youtube TG video page now. If they are representative of the rest of the audience, then I am quite surprise by the number of smart people out there. Perhaps this will backfire on TG afterall - or perhaps it is just the people that can be bothered to search Youtube for the segment...

 

[vfx]

Sometimes it a matter of timing, The word is out on the car and if TG had reviewed it early they would have established the negative talking points.

Seriously, 90+ percent of people who drive the car love it and the driver's reviews reflect that. Having that kind of performance out of an eco neutral vehicle embraces the desire to also give it a break.

Tesla has built the car of hope.

 

[dpeilow]

Top Gear Hails Hydrogen Over Electric | EcoGeek - Clean Technology

 

[graham]

Wired gets Rachel Konrad's rebuttal:

Tesla Cries Foul On Top Gear's Test | Autopia from Wired.com

As for the breakdowns, well, Clarkson engaged in a bit of hyperbole. At one point in the segment, Clarkson is shownn behind the wheel of a Roadster that comes to a halt because, he said, the engine overheated. That followed a brake failure in the other Roadster.

Konrad says the brake failure was nothing more than a blown fuse that was promptly replaced. "The Roadster was back up and running literally within minutes," she says. "They were never without a car, and the Top Gear testing did not put the Roadster's reliability or safety in question whatsoever."

Konrad didn't know the story behind the overheated engine -- Clarkson did flog the car mercilessly -- so she referred our question to UK sales manager Don Cochrane because he was present for much of the Top Gear filming. We'll let you know what he says.

She is everywhere, and my new hero! :smile:

 

[dpeilow]

Wired gets Rachel Konrad's rebuttal:

Tesla Cries Foul On Top Gear's Test | Autopia from Wired.com


She is everywhere, and my new hero! :smile:

May have also been due to someone posting her Dvorak post in the comments there... :wink:

 

[vfx]

There was a good comment on the ECOGEEK James May FCX video:

************
telling
written by al , December 16, 2008
The telling think for me on the hydrogen front is that top gear already did this. About 3 years ago they had the GM hyline another prototype hydrogen car, they drove it around and it worked, yet you no closer to buying it know then 3 years ago. But you could buy a useable electric or plugin from a major manufactoring soon, I think that says it all

*********
So compare that to where Tesla was three years ago. Company size, cash flow, prototypes, etc...

 

[graham]

May have also been due to someone posting her Dvorak post in the comments there... :wink:

Ha! awesome!

For those not in on the joke from yesterdays post in the comments:

Top Gear Flogs A Tesla -- And Breaks It | Autopia from Wired.com

From dvorak.org:
Rachel Konrad said, on December 15th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
For the record: Thanks to The Stig’s impressive turn behind the wheel.
...
Posted by: dpeilow | Dec 16, 2008 2:30:48 AM

Thanks dpeilow -- you are my hero, too :smile:

 

[dpeilow]

Thanks dpeilow -- you are my hero, too :smile:

:redface::redface:

 

[shark2k]

OK, so I just watched the segments on the Roadster and the FCX Clarity. I gotta say, while it was fun to watch the Roadster being driven, I really think they gave a really bad picture for the Roadster to the car enthusiasts who watch this show (and the casuals just flipping through). They did not make any mention of the faster charging at a higher amp(?) (of course I could have missed it, but I don't think I did). I know most of this was mentioned before, but I just need to rant . I also did not like how they made it seem like the car was not worthy for real road conditions by basing it off the way thy drove it on the track (I don't normally watch the show, so I'm not familiar with names). Obviously when The Stig was driving it, he was driving it to get a lap time so that would be expected to not perform well efficiency wise. The other guy though making it seem like it would only get 55 miles was crazy because he drove the car so hard.

I could say more about the Tesla segment but most has been said. The FCX Clarity segment though really got me. I'll admit that it would be nice to have an electric car where you fill up just like gas, except without the ICE. The problem I had with the segment was they really did not mention any of the negatives. Sure, they started to say how hard it was to extract the hydrogen, but they negated that fact by saying it is just as hard as drilling for oil. What? How can those be compared? I mean, it might be hard to find the oil, but I don't think drilling for it is comparable to separating hydrogen. If I'm not mistaken, I think I read that it takes quite a bit of power to be able to extract hydrogen. While it might be more efficient than gas or even refining gas, it is still more pollutant than charging an electric car.

Overall, I really think they put more of a negative "spin" on the Tesla segment and a positive "spin" on the FCX Clarity segment by not mentioning any negatives at all. A question for you in the know. Aren't hydrogen cars still just as expensive (if not more) to manufacture than battery powered electric cars?

-Shark2k

 

[graham]

Yes, current hydrogen powered cars are very expensive. Fuel cells are made from platinum. The high expense is one of the reasons no one yet sells a fuel cell car, they lease it instead.

 

[TEG]

Aren't hydrogen cars still just as expensive (if not more) to manufacture than battery powered electric cars?

First Generation:

...It costs about $1.5 million to build an FCX, so Honda doesn't sell them. To accumulate real-world miles, it leases them for a token $500 a month...

Second Generation:

...The company is still working on cost, but says the fuel-cell system in the FCX Clarity costs half of what the one in its previous FCX fuel cell vehicle cost...

(OK, so $750K now)

Bit unfair for Top Gear to say that they like the $750K car more than the $109K car.


I bet the FCX is more comfortable and practical than the Roadster, but probably very uninspiring to drive in comparison. In any case I would much rather hook to a plug than to a hydrogen line.

 

[shark2k]

Thanks graham. I think I might have read that somewhere, but if I didn't now I know. Kind of funny cause my check engine light came on and it was caused by the catalytic converter. My mechanic said if it came back on the cat would need to be replaced. He asked me if I knew what that was and I said yeah. He said, yeah, the the things made of platinum so they are expensive :frown:

Edit: Thanks for the link TEG.

-Shark2k

 

[dpeilow]

Top Gear Hands Tesla Another Controversy Earth2Tech

 

[dpeilow]

Hopefully everyone who wanted to see the video on Youtube did, because after 63,203 views the BBC got it blocked!

It was today's 81st most viewed video on Youtube



Here is the episode's comments page on Topgear.com: http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2008/12/14/the-last-one-almost/#comments

As expected, the vast majority of 'normals' swallowed the FCX Clarity line, but there are also quite a few good posts on the hydrogen issue from people in the know. A small, but significant, minority seem to have 'got' the Tesla on the back of this test alone, an encouraging sign. By the way, #65 is not me, but I couldn't resist a comment later on. :smile:


James May's 20th Century

At the start of the 20th Century there was no national grid, no agreed system of voltage and James discovers that in 1922 there were 22 different plugs used across the country. Until a Geordie electricial engineer, Charles Merz, came up with a master plan:

"The Merz mantra was unprecedented. One nation. One voltage. One plug."

The irony...


(Also by the way, their site doesn't seem to work in Google Chrome, had to revert to IE for it.)