Washington Post reviews the Roadster

[doug]

Warren Brown - A Jaw-Dropping Ride, Batteries Included - washingtonpost.com

A very positive review from the Washington post with an associated video. I have a few issues with it. The author starts with a geometry/physics lesson that's slightly off. In the video, the reviewer doesn't quite connect the charging cable properly, but no matter. The video is shot in one of the nicer DC suburbs, on a sunny winter day.

 

[TEG]

That motor, which provides the gasoline-engine equivalent of 248 horsepower and 276 foot-pounds of torque

I don't think we have to say "gasoline-engine equivalent" for HP and torque... They are what they are either way. Perhaps this "equivalent" phrase got used because of the talk of "miles per gallon equivalent" which does make sense because BEVs don't store gallons (of gasoline).

The Tesla is built for one purpose and one purpose only, which is to go as fast and as far as possible on battery power...

If true it would look (and handle) at lot more like the Aptera. The Roadster was built to be very sporty and sports car stylish as well. It was built to take on sexy street legal supercars, not be the ultimate in efficiency or top speed.

Would you like to know what smooth, nearly instant torque feels like? Wheeeeeee! Drive a Tesla, even if you have to fly to Tesla's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, to get your hands on one for a day.

I think policy is test drives only for depositors (and selected press), so I hope he doesn't disappoint some that flock to Menlo Park only to be given a "look don't touch" experience.

 

[doug]

Yeah, the guy didn't appear to quite know what he was talking about. But he seemed to like the car anyways.

 

[TEG]

I like his driver's seat commentary more than the printed article.

 

[vfx]

It looks orange.