Those red cars are green... and GO!

News Feature

Tesla's chief technician for the Asia-Pacific region, Rudi Tuisk is competing this year's Targa Tasmania, with co-driver Michael Harris calling the pace notes. We asked Tuisk what it's like to race the unique electric sportscar.

Q: Are there any benefits to driving a vehicle like the Tesla in competition?

A: There are some beautiful things about driving an electric car and one is you only have one gear so you have full torque from one rpm through to 14,000rpm.

From a driver's perspective, you can meter out exactly how much torque you want and you never run out of a gear in a corner. So if you want to power slide out of a corner, you've got the ability to lay down as much power as you want to get yourself out of a corner, and that's key.

The other interesting thing about the Tesla is it has a power regenerator so immediately you take your foot off the torque pedal you'll experience up to 0.25G of regen that not only stabilises the car but also captures that energy and puts it straight back into the (power) pack. It's like engine braking.

Q: You call the accelerator the torque pedal?

A : Absolutely. That car has one of the most refined torque pedals in the world, it meters out exactly what you want and will give you a serious punch when you need it as opposed to an accelerator pedal where you have to wait for the acceleration.

Torque is immediate, whereas the Tesla has a very low response time -- a lot faster than a normal car -- and when the average person drives one they realise how slowly their traditional ICE is responding to gas. The Tesla is immediate, precise and has lots of torque.

Q: With all that torque, is it easy to fry the tyres?

A: No, you have different modes. In a competitive stage we're in Performance mode with full power and response and for transport stages we drive in Max Range, which dulls things down. And we use the cruise control, it's very accurate.

Q: What's the balance of the chassis like?

A: Beautiful. With so much torque and a responsive pedal it results in beautiful handling. It's got a 35/65 weight split and it's really a car that you can drive on the rear wheels.

>> Sales and marketing manager, Jay McCormack, is an enthusiastic promoter of electric vehicle technology; he explains why Tesla has entered Targa.

Q: Why have you entered Targa? Is it just a flag-waving exercise?

A: It's a history defining moment in Australia. It's not the first time we've participated in a road rally; we currently hold the record for the EV Challenge in Monaco (with Rudi driving) so Targa is not too dissimilar to what we do daily.

The great thing for us is it's Targa's 20th anniversary and it's the first 100 percent green event, worldwide. So it's fitting for us to enter the world's only production electric sportscar. We have two cars here, one in the Touring category and one competing in select Targa stages to demonstrate electric vehicle technology an also to define and understand Targa stages for a new EV class in time.

Q: How do you think the car will go on the competition stages?

A: Targa is similar to Monaco, which was held on Monte Carlo Rally roads that have a lot of climbs and descents and Targa stages are not too dissimilar. A lot of Targa stages are point and shoot and Rudi is very confident that the Challenge car will do well.

We haven't gone to any lengths to set the car up any differently apart from tyres and brakes. Interestingly, the car we're driving in Touring is our Roadster Sport with 400Nm of torque and Rudi is driving is our Roadster 2.5 with only 370Nm.

Q: Can you give us a quick overview of the Tesla's technology.

A: It has an energy storage system (battery pack) with 6831 Lithium-iron batteries packed into cases then into sheets.

We have a power and electronics module, which is the brains of the vehicle, and every electron passes through that and it regulates the supply and flow (of power) and charging. It has a single-speed gearbox and a 375-volt AC motor that can push up to 750 amps.

The pack, which includes batteries, gearbox and AC unit weighs 450kg and the total weight of the car is 1235kg and every panel is bespoke and carbon-fibre.

Q:   How fast is a Tesla and how far can it go on a charge in competition?

A: The top speed is 215km/h but it's more efficient between zero and 150km/h and very quick corner to corner.

On Touring stages or normal road driving, the Roadster can do between 380-400km but 360km is the figure we like to communicate. In a competitive stage it's closer to 260km but just like with an internal combustion engine, economy is balanced with the right foot.

But the beauty of Tasmania and renewable energy is that there are a number of businesses here that are more than happy to supply power for us. So we plug in and demonstrate how electric vehicles are now in mainstream society.

Q: Is there a lot of interest in Targa back at Tesla HQ?

A: Very much so. For us, history-making world firsts are us. Obviously, being a Silicon Valley technology company and a start-up company, everything we do is first time ‘round and being able to conquer things like an eastern seaboard tour of Australia -- one of the longest distances travelled in an electric vehicle -- and entering Targa is a big thing in the short time we've been in Australia.

On Targa we've been met with keen interest from other competitors who are interested to see how we go on stages. Electric vehicles definitely have a future at Targa.

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