All was well in Top Gear land for the review of the Tesla Roadster. Clarkson’s usual suspicious attitude was quickly wiped clean when he raced a standard Lotus Elise, as the little electric-that-could tore past the Elise in the straights, but like the stereotype of many American cars, took a crap in the corners. Then it lost battery power after 55 miles (of heavy track use) and would require 16 hours to recharge. A second Tesla Roadster was brought out and broke soon after with Clarkson stating the motor was overheating. Clarkson went back to the first car only to find that the brakes were busted. Things weren’t looking good for the Silicon Valley startup.
Tesla spokesperson, Rachel Konrad (as an aside we know quite a number of young lads who fancied Konrad during her time spent in Detroit) was more than a little peeved upon hearing the bad review and decided she needed to step in. Konrad states the lithium-ion batteries never lost their charge, and more specifically, neither car’s charge level dropped below 20 percent.
Konrad says,
“They never had to push a car off the track because of lack of charge or a fault and it isn’t clear why the segment included footage showing exactly that.”
Curious as to why Clarkson states that the Tesla needs 16 hours to charge, she says,
“The vast majority of people who have a Tesla in their garage have much faster systems that recharge from dead to full in as little as 3.5 hours (using the Tesla Motors High Power Connector).”
The issue with the engine overheating wasn’t addressed, but Konrad says that the brake failure in the first car was an issue with a blown fuse.
“The Roadster was back up and running literally within minutes,” she said.
Although Clarkson was his usual self, complaining about anything and everything, he did appear to enjoy the car, even calling himself a “volt head” during the first part of the segment. Clarkson’s voice carries weight the world over, but considering the little Tesla Roadster's current market — Silicon Valley execs with money burning a hole in their pocket and eco-freaks; Does it matter?
[via Wired]
Related posts:
- Citroen GT: Sleeky Muscled Racer
- Rumormill: GTbyCitroen could be built in limited numbers
- Four-Links – Michelin’s tire-testing rig, SASCO closing, Kirkland concours, MAX the 100 MPG diesel Seven
- CItroen To Build GTbyCITROEN? [GtByCitroen]
- Citroen HYmotion4: Hybrid Rallying
