Tesla batteries power Acciona Dakar rally vehicle - will be see Tesla entry??

[Peter Egan]

Tesla batteries power Acciona Dakar rally vehicle. Will we see a Tesla Dakar car?? No other race would better demonstrate Tesla technology.

http://www.accionadakar.es/en/the-vehicle/vehicle-2015/
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CHARACTERISTIC
CATEGORY: NRJ OPEN
ENERGY SYSTEM: 200 KM OF AUTONOMY IN RACE
BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEMS HOUSEHOLD OUTLET (220 V), INDUSTRIAL CONNECTION (400V)
THROUGH THE MAINS: AND FAST CHARGING SYSTEM (50 KWH)
TOTAL LENGTH: 4.60M
OVERALL WIDTH: 2.00 M (2.20 M MAXIMUM FIA)
WHEELBASE: 2.90 M
HEIGHT: 1.80 M (VARIABLE DEPENDING ON COMPRESSION DAMPING)
MAXIMUM WEIGHT: 2,100 KG
BODYWORK: CARBON PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS INCORPORATED
ENGINE: 250 KW POWER
TORQUE: 800 NM
BATTERIES: TESLA HIGH PERFORMANCE 150 KW, QUICK CHARGE IN 60 MINUTES
PHOTOVOLTAIC PANEL: CARBON FIBER INCORPORATED INTO THE BODY
MAXIMUM SPEED: ELECTRONICALLY TO 150 KM/H SELF-LIMITED
ENERGY CONSUMPTION (KWH): 20 TO 45 KWH/100 KM (DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF TERRAIN)
CO2 EMISSIONS IN THE RACE: 0 GR.

 

[Yggdrasill]

Tesla is too busy making production cars to work on stuff like this.

Most likely the batteries are from a Model S, B-class or RAV4 EV.

 

[Jason S]

50KWH is about right for a Rav4 EV, right? And maybe they just used that chassis?

 

[Patrick W]

Tesla is too busy making production cars to work on stuff like this.

Probably true but just think of the positive media buzz Tesla (and electric vehicles in general) would get out of winning Dakar on just electrons.

 

[ecarfan]

No, Tesla will not get into racing in any form for the foreseeable future. Elon specifically stated that at the 2014 shareholders meeting in response to a question from the audience. He said racing programs are simply marketing to boost demand and Tesla is production constrained.

 

[scaesare]

150KWh of batteries in a 4600 lb car?

 

[bonaire]

They have units wrong twice on their web site and if fast charging is 1-hour and their battery is 150 kWh and their charging rate is 50 kWh then either the batteries can be charged on 3 separate 50 KW chargers or something else is wrong with the math.

[FONT=bebas_neueregular]
DOMESTIC SUPPLY (220 V), INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY (400 V), AND FAST CHARGING ([/FONT][FONT=bebas_neueregular]50 KWH[/FONT][FONT=bebas_neueregular]) (should be 50 KW)[/FONT]
[FONT=bebas_neueregular]TESLA [/FONT][FONT=bebas_neueregular]150 KW [/FONT][FONT=bebas_neueregular]HIGH PERFORMANCE, FAST CHARGING IN 60 MINUTES (should be 150 KWH)[/FONT]​

 

[Peter Egan]

They have units wrong twice on their web site and if fast charging is 1-hour and their battery is 150 kWh and their charging rate is 50 kWh then either the batteries can be charged on 3 separate 50 KW chargers or something else is wrong with the math.

[FONT=bebas_neueregular]
DOMESTIC SUPPLY (220 V), INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY (400 V), AND FAST CHARGING ([/FONT][FONT=bebas_neueregular]50 KWH[/FONT][FONT=bebas_neueregular]) (should be 50 KW)[/FONT]
[FONT=bebas_neueregular]TESLA [/FONT][FONT=bebas_neueregular]150 KW [/FONT][FONT=bebas_neueregular]HIGH PERFORMANCE, FAST CHARGING IN 60 MINUTES (should be 150 KWH)[/FONT]​

Definitely something wrong with the units. Considering the average stage is 700 km, it must be 150 kWh. A Model X P90D is rated with a 402 km range, 150 kWh would give it a 650 km range on bitumen. It might be only 500 km on a typical Dakar off-road course. Stages range from 400 km to 930 km - it would need to fast charge once, or twice, on the stages.

Acciona are performing poorly in the race. We need a team with technical support from Tesla to showcase what an electric vehicle can do. I would like to see a Dakar entry with two of the Tesla high performance rear motors (400 kW, 650 Nm) and transmission, each with their own 90 kWh battery pack - perhaps 600 km range on a typical Dakar stage with maybe 900 km on an easy stage. Cannibalise two Model X for drivetrain components, lights, and other useful gear, build them into a Dakar off-road vehicle, tweak the software to match the new spec (Telsa help needed), upgrade a pair of supercharger units to at least 200 kW, hire drivers and support team and we are racing. Perhaps we will see a team do this in next years race, with or without Tesla assistance. Ironically, the support team will need a several trucks with a diesel generator that has an output of 500 kW for mid stage fast charging in the middle of nowhere and at the nightly camp.

 

[GoTslaGo]

Acciona are performing poorly in the race. We need a team with technical support from Tesla to showcase what an electric vehicle can do. I would like to see a Dakar entry with two of the Tesla high performance rear motors (400 kW, 650 Nm) and transmission, each with their own 90 kWh battery pack - perhaps 600 km range on a typical Dakar stage with maybe 900 km on an easy stage. Cannibalise two Model X for drivetrain components, lights, and other useful gear, build them into a Dakar off-road vehicle, tweak the software to match the new spec (Telsa help needed), upgrade a pair of supercharger units to at least 200 kW, hire drivers and support team and we are racing. Perhaps we will see a team do this in next years race, with or without Tesla assistance. Ironically, the support team will need a several trucks with a diesel generator that has an output of 500 kW for mid stage fast charging in the middle of nowhere and at the nightly camp.

Hopefully when the Model 3/Y become successful, Tesla will be able to start to work on the off-road market. Success in the off-road/long-range categories would really build marketing cred for EVs. This could move some more traditional pick-up/jeep customers into EVs. Besides, if Musk is serious about colonizing Mars, he's gonna need to bring transportation. Last I checked, there are no roads there.

 

[David99]

Not sure spending money and valuable engineering resources on a rally like this isn't going to help Tesla sales. Gas vehicles still outperform EVs in races like these. How much of a marketing value would it be if the car needed two large generator trucks to charging in the desert. The press would show photos of the car charging and the generator blowing smoke stacks into the sky while others pass them. Silly headlines: where are your solar panels? Aren't we in the desert with plenty of sun? And then they would still not be able to beat the time of any ICE power vehicle.
Tesla is doing the right thing. Staying out of races they can't win anyways. They focus on where EVs can beat ICE cars easily: acceleration.

 

[Peter Egan]

The Acciona Dakar was disqualified on the 10th stage having completed 75% of the 9237 km route due to reasons outlined below. There is nothing to stop Acciona buying 2 Model S P85 cars second hand and cannibalising them for parts. Tesla should work with Acciona to supply them with their best new hardware.

The ACCIONA makes history at the Dakar Rally
01/15/2016
After completing ten stages at the 38th Dakar Rally, as well as each and every one of its more than 700 way points, the ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered bids farewell to the toughest test in the world.

The ACCIONA was disqualified from the race yesterday due to a delay at the starting line of the special phase of the tenth stage. This delay was due to a necessary battery recharge following the epic Fiambalá stage, and to ensure the pilots' recovery after tremendous wear the night before.

We are going home sad for not having completed the thirteen stages in their entirety, but we are also proud to have once again left an indelible mark with the only electric car to compete in the Dakar Rally. Ariel Jatón and Gastón Scazzuso, pilot and co-pilot, are exhausted but also more than satisfied with the results obtained, and for having completed more than 80% of the race. Their work has been exceptional, and from ACCIONA we would like to thank them once again for agreeing to pilot the EcoPowered. Of course, we would also like to extend our gratitude to the entire team of more than 20 individuals including engineers, mechanics, logistics managers, and drivers, who have made this feat possible.

Finally, we would like to thank the thousands of followers that have shown their support and given us energy during the competition. We knew it was possible and, although we fell just short, we have shown that you can compete at the highest level of motorsport's most demanding competition without emitting a single drop of CO2 or using fossil fuels.

We are sure that in the very near future, the automobile industry will echo our initiative, adding more 100% electric vehicle participants on the road to the future that we have pioneered.

 

[Olle]

Not sure spending money and valuable engineering resources on a rally like this isn't going to help Tesla sales. Gas vehicles still outperform EVs in races like these. How much of a marketing value would it be if the car needed two large generator trucks to charging in the desert. The press would show photos of the car charging and the generator blowing smoke stacks into the sky while others pass them. Silly headlines: where are your solar panels? Aren't we in the desert with plenty of sun? And then they would still not be able to beat the time of any ICE power vehicle.
Tesla is doing the right thing. Staying out of races they can't win anyways. They focus on where EVs can beat ICE cars easily: acceleration.

While I agree its unlikely Tesla will be involved in this, the team could have 200 kWh worth of Tesla powerpacks on a Truck at the charging stops. Charging truck could have PV panels on the roof for dramatic effect