The Tesla electric car is the way of tomorrow, in use today. Though they are currently on the pricey side, costing upwards of 70,000 dollars, there are plans to mass produce them and drop the price to the more affordable 40,000 dollars, which is just above the average price of a new car. The real value comes from the money you save never going to the pump. The average price of gas is $2.20 a gallon, now imagine how much you would save never having to fill up again. Tesla Motors is the brain child of Martin Eberhard ad his business partner Marc Tarpenning. The Tesla electric car can be broken down into two parts the electric motor that propels it and the lithium batteries which power the vehicle. The idea behind the electric motor used in the tesla electric car is pretty simple, rotational motion is created by switching the polarity on a rotor or axle that is suspended within an electromagnet. To simplify the magnetic poles on the rotor are being continuously attracted and repelled by the poles on the electromagnetic. The power for the motor is supplied by set of batteries called the Energy Storage System. In lieu of a gasoline pump you must visit a charging station or charge it at your house. There are typically three levels of charging: AC Level one is 120 volts, which charges about 2-5 miles per an hour of charging, AC level two is 240 volts and charges at about 10-20 miles per an hour, and DC charging, which is the fastest, flows at about 480 volts, replenishing 50-70 miles in about 20 minutes. Most of the charging stations work like the wall sockets at your house providing alternating current or AC, which is converted and stored in the electric car as direct current or DC. The cool thing about the stations is that as the battery fills up, the flow of electricity is lowered to ensure that the battery gets every ounce of electricity. The Tesla super charger, the quickest charger, uses several smaller chargers simultaneously to fill the battery. Additionally there is a system in the electric car that allows the kinetic energy produced when braking to charge the battery. The only downside is that the higher the level of charging the harder it is to actually find a charger. Level 1 chargers take long periods of time to charge but they can be plugged into regular wall sockets. Level 2 are the chargers that are usually at rest stops and must be professionally installed if you would like to charge at your house. The DC chargers are scarce, the closest free one in the near the Boston area is in Dedham. That being said a Tesla electric car
would be a sound investment, the money you save in gas would pay off the car in time, and soon the Tesla will be more affordable.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tesla-roadster.htm
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/motor1.htm
http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/516961/how-tesla-is-driving-electric-car-innovation/
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tesla-roadster2.htm