Tesla-Powered Cobra Racer

[cycleguy55]

Interesting!

"...this Cobra replica is powered by an electric motor sourced from the headline-making Tesla P85, but there’s much more to the story than that. Some serious engineering and fabrication has gone into making the Cobra rip around the track, and it goes beyond the electric motor."

"The crew started ... by designing a chassis for the car on Solidworks and testing it with FEA (finite element analysis)."

"...all of the chassis elements were custom designed for the project, aside from some C5 Corvette suspension components."

"The Tesla Model S power plant, a four-pole AC induction motor capable of 416 hp (310 kW) and 443 ft⋅lb (600 N⋅m), is located in the rear of the vehicle, and uses a single speed drive thanks its 16,000 rpm redline. With the instantaneous torque of the electric motor, the crew knew low-speed traction would be a concern, so a custom limited-slip differential was designed and manufactured by Quaife Engineering."

"A custom fiberglass Cobra body was laid up with front and rear clamshells for easy access the car’s not-so-mechanical mechanicals."
"The final product weighs just 1,950 pounds... and the Cobra’s performance on the track speaks for itself."

Video of car on track (included in linked story below):
https://youtu.be/onPaceYswN4

Full story: https://www.rcnmag.com/blog/tesla-powered-cobra-racer

[Bartruff1]

I would add this to the electric Harley as a couple things I have no interest in..

[Tommy]

Some years ago someone came to the forum to speak of plans for an electric powered Cobra replica. My comment then was to remember and save a couple thousand watts of power for the sound system to make it sound like a Cobra should sound. .... As for the car in this thread - its impressive. But if he redesigned the chassis and drive train, why stop halfway and make it look like a Cobra? Give it some modern aerodynamics and complete the package.

[DanEC]

20 minutes range on high power and 1.5 hours minimum to recharge. Gonna make for some lengthy pit stops.

[keezling]

About all it lacks is "Otto the autopilot" being "inflated" by a lovely pit crew member...

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by keezling

About all it lacks is "Otto the autopilot" being "inflated" by a lovely pit crew member...

"And don't call me Shirley!"

[Bartruff1]

My neighbor has a Tesla, dumbest car ever.....cost about $140,000 and you can't drive it 150 miles....his wife drove it ONCE, got stuck in traffic and the batteries went dead and she couldn't even get it to the shoulder of the road. She won't even ride in it..

They have very few dealers to service or repair or do recall work....if something is wrong it costs him $1000 to have it hauled to Seattle and then he has to figure out a way to get it home.

The depreciation is ridiculous as it is old technology and there is no market for used Teslas.

For the same money he could have bought a all wheel drive Porsche that could be driven from the Artic Circle ( Coldfoot Alaska) to Key West in any weather and in perfect comfort with the HVAC keeping the temp at 70 all the way..

The only thing dumber than the car is the stock.....the company loses about a billion dollars a year...;

[tortuga]

Just plain sacrilege in my opinion, the Cobra is meant to be loud, stinky and obnoxious...Like asking the Rolling Stones to play Chamber Music.

[jhv48]

Originally Posted by tortuga

Just plain sacrilege in my opinion, the Cobra is meant to be loud, stinky and obnoxious...Like asking the Rolling Stones to play Chamber Music.

I couldn’t have said it better!

[Buzz]

Originally Posted by Tommy

Some years ago someone came to the forum to speak of plans for an electric powered Cobra replica. My comment then was to remember and save a couple thousand watts of power for the sound system to make it sound like a Cobra should sound. .... As for the car in this thread - its impressive. But if he redesigned the chassis and drive train, why stop halfway and make it look like a Cobra? Give it some modern aerodynamics and complete the package.

I agree wholeheartedly. Developing an electric-tech race car wrapped in Cobra skin is questionable given what the Cobra represents.

As for the other stuff fearfully attacking the technology itself - not so much. It's crystal clear that with huge torque from 0 to 16000( ) RPM, electric performance cars are increasingly blowing the doors off their fossil-fueled counterparts. Range and recharging issues? No biggie at all - it's just a matter of time before battery tech, recharging setups and quick change battery modules (for race cars) make those non-issues.

As a lover of speed and acceleration, it's impossible for me not to be excited by the kind of performance potential these cars exhibit. I will always love my Cobras, but the impulse to defend their outdated technology will not close my eyes or my mind to this awesome new quantum leap in stretching the boundaries of automotive performance.

Would I have an electric powered Cobra? No - but a modern, well executed, high performance electric sports car? In a heartbeat!

[RodKnock]

You'll have to wait for my review until after he finishes the car. Did he run out of money?

And did Kelly Moore have a sale on house trim paint or something? Holy cow. The owner found the one color I hate more than beige. I like Porsche Viper or Signal Green, but that Cobra is painted a really horrible shade of green.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

The owner found the one color I hate more than beige.

Aw c'mon, there's bound to be more than just one.

[olddog]

Originally Posted by Buzz

Range and recharging issues? No biggie at all - it's just a matter of time before battery tech, recharging setups and quick change battery modules (for race cars) make those non-issues.

And it's just a matter of time until we figure out how to react anti-matter with matter and provide clean, cheap, abundant power for all. So why are we wasting time on antiquated battery technology?

This is my big problem with proponents of electric cars. They always claim this new battery technology is just around the corner. They also quote these wild claims of being able to charge these miracle batteries, that will run 500 miles, in 5 minutes. When you do the math (and I have but I not going to today), you have to have a several thousand amp battery charger to pack that many KwH of energy into a battery in 5 minutes. Do you have any idea the heat that would generate at just 1% inefficiency?

You have to perfect perpetual motion machines long before you can design a battery that can put out more energy than is put into it. It is not going to happen in our lifetimes. Short of an intervention of God, it isn't ever going to happen. Period.

Rant over. Electric technology has its place and uses, but let's not ignore it has to be generated from another energy source.

Edit:
Buzz this is not directed at you. You just stepped on one of my pet peeves.

[Buzz]

Originally Posted by olddog

Buzz this is not directed at you. You just stepped on one of my pet peeves.

No worries, my brother in Cobras! Nothing wrong with some spirited debate.

I don't think we'll be seeing 5 minute full recharges any time soon, but I'm certain we will see progressive improvements. I'm betting there's a reason lot of people and companies are investing in this technology, and contrary to what's been posted in this thread, Tesla Model S owners largely state they'd never go back. It also gets good write ups and the performance is truly astounding. Not too shabby for a propulsion technology that, although not exactly new, is still in the very early stages of it's mainstream deployment cycle.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by olddog

This is my big problem with proponents of electric cars. They always claim this new battery technology is just around the corner.

So true - the first electric cars in the late 19th to early 20th century frequently had ranges of 35 to as much as 150 miles. Granted they weren't fast but even with all the modern battery and motor technology range has barely increased from way back then.

Overview of early electric cars (1895-1925) - LOW-TECH MAGAZINE

[rms427]

Originally Posted by Bartruff1

My neighbor has a Tesla, dumbest car ever.....cost about $140,000 and you can't drive it 150 miles....his wife drove it ONCE, got stuck in traffic and the batteries went dead and she couldn't even get it to the shoulder of the road. She won't even ride in it..

They have very few dealers to service or repair or do recall work....if something is wrong it costs him $1000 to have it hauled to Seattle and then he has to figure out a way to get it home.

The depreciation is ridiculous as it is old technology and there is no market for used Teslas.

For the same money he could have bought a all wheel drive Porsche that could be driven from the Artic Circle ( Coldfoot Alaska) to Key West in any weather and in perfect comfort with the HVAC keeping the temp at 70 all the way..

The only thing dumber than the car is the stock.....the company loses about a billion dollars a year...;

I have to disagree. I have a P85D and really enjoy driving the car. It's by far the quickest car I have. It ran 11.3 at 118 in the quarter and handles well for such a heavy car. Has an extremely low center of gravity because the battery is under the car. My car is rated at 250 mile range but depending on a lot of factors can be much less. The new P100D has a 300 mile range. Did a 4,000 mile trip in it and only had one time when range became a problem. It was 30 degrees into a 20 MPH headwind driving between 75-80 mph and I only got 180 miles. Except for trips just plug it in at night and it's ready to go in the morning. You do have to plan trips but I actually enjoy doing it. If you run out of juice while just driving in town you're just not paying attention. You are correct if you do run out of juice you're screwed. My wife uses it as her car but says she doesn't like it.

[Tommy]

As a result of years flying thirsty aircraft back before computers did most of the work, I routinely calculate in my head miles and trips remaining before refueling and compare that with weather forecasts to decide when to stop. However, I am a rare exception among the people I know. Most of them, particularly the women, get gas either at a set point on the gauge or when the low level light comes on. I can see where a car with less than common range and limited refueling options would not be comfortable for a lot of people.

[dallas_]

I love my loud smelly cobra and expect I always will.

But I am interested and curious about EV technology and am thinking of doing some kind of EV project in the future. I probably won't use a cobra body for that though.

[Buzz]

Originally Posted by DanEC

So true - the first electric cars in the late 19th to early 20th century frequently had ranges of 35 to as much as 150 miles. Granted they weren't fast but even with all the modern battery and motor technology range has barely increased from way back then.

Comparing the range of the old cars that clunked along at a snail's pace to a car with the capabilities of a modern electric car like the Tesla is way beyond a ludicrous stretch!

A big, heavy, luxurious 4 door sedan that would blow the doors off any gas guzzler from the muscle car era - including the awesome 427 Cobra - what's not to like about that?

Wait - let me answer for you:

1. It's not a Ford
2. It doesn't burn gasoline
3. It only has a range of around 200 or 300 miles.*
4. It isn't loud with a lumpy idle.
5. They're coming to take our Cobras away.
6.

* How far could a 427 powered anything from the 60's go on a tank of gas again?

EDIT: I imagine the gripes in a thread about them new horseless carriages on the world's largest unbiased mustang (the horse) forum in 1885 would sound a lot like some of the posts here.

[Ron61]

Lots of arguments around here about the pros and cos of electric powered cars. We had a business here that converted cars to electric but they didn't last long. Even the new 500 mile claimed range ones don't do well here in the mountains. And most of the motels won't allow anyone to plug a car in to charge it. I have talked to several people who have bought electric cars of different makes and they all got rid of them as the range was about 1/4 of what they were rated for, but again the mountains here come into play. Not everyone can drive on perfectly flat land and stay at 50/65 miles per hour all the time.

Ron