Tesla shifts gears

The road to success is littered with bum trannies. Transmissions, that is.

Tesla Motors found that out the hard way, promising big things of its highly anticipated all-electric $100,000-plus Roadster over the last several years, only to find out that the original two-speed gearbox wasn't up to the special needs of a high-torque, high-rpm electric motor. As a result, Tesla was forced to put in a stopgap transmission that only had one gear and significantly slowed the car's 0-60 acceleration, pushing it to 5.7 seconds (as fast as a Toyota Tundra) from a clean 4 seconds (as fast as a Porsche 911 GT3).

The transmission hitch was a source of criticism of Tesla, and worried some who feared the troubles hid other woes. It even led to lawsuits.

Today, Tesla tells us that such woes are totally unfounded. The company had promised purchasers of Roadsters with the interim transmission that it would be changed over for free, and now it's ready to make good on that vow. According to Tesla, the new transmission -- dubbed "powertrain 1.5" in typical Silicon Valley fashion --  will "achieve the original performance spec." According to Tesla spokesman Darryl Siry, that means the gearbox, built by giant supplier BorgWarner, will finally get the Roadster's acceleration down to that Porsche 911 range.

In addition, the new transmission will increase the car's range to 244 miles per charge, from 220 miles, and increase torque to 280 pound-feet, from 211 pound-feet.

Powertrain 1.5 will still be a single-speed transmission, though. The Roadster was originally designed with a two-speed transmission in mind, before it was abandoned due to reliability problems (12,000 rpm is hard to handle).

To date, 27 production Roadsters have been delivered to customers with the interim transmission and, according to reports, another 11 will be delivered in coming weeks with the slower guts. Although much of the assembly is done in England, the transmissions are installed at Tesla's San Carlos headquarters. Beginning the third week of September, new Roadsters will receive the new tranny, and in October, current Roadster owners can take their cars back for a part swap free of charge.

One person who doesn't have to wait: Tesla Chairman Elon Musk. He received the first Roadster off the line, and, Siri says, he already got the first new transmission. "He's the boss," Siry explained.

With literally hundreds of enthusiasts eagerly awaiting delivery, Tesla promises to ramp up production to 40 Roadsters a week by early next year.

--Ken Bensinger
Photo of Tesla gearshift courtesy of Tesla Motors

Comments

[Ida Tolliver]

I really find this fascinating. Tesla's making a car that goes 240 miles on a charge for $100,000 while GM is feverishly working on its Volt that will go one-fourth the distance on a charge but will likely cost one-third or even half the price of Tesla's. What's the argument for consumers to shell out for that Chevy? If GM had devoted some of its precious resources to finding and hiring some good engineers, rather than pumping it into its bloated PR department (have you seen that pathetic myths web site?) and into attrition programs, Michigan might not be in the serious financial straits they're in now. Food for thought? I'd say so.

[Tom G]

Can I get Tesla branded solar panels for my garage roof?
PSST-
If you have a home based business (deductions) and good sun exposure on roof or yard, PV is something you should jump on.

[Manjoor]

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