Showing posts with label tesla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tesla. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Forza Motorsport 6: Back for more?

challenger

Last time, I managed to get behind the wheel of Dodge's ultimate masterpiece, the Challenger SRT Hellcat, and when compared to its superior stalwarts such as the new Ford GT and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the Challenger Hellcat, despite its high power output, got left behind at Laguna Seca.

challenger (2)

So the main question is, why did this Hellcat back for more? Something tells me that the Challenger Hellcat isn't the only Hellcat offered in Forza Motorsport 6. In fact, it forewarned me of another Hellcat coming out in the world of Forza via DLC.

charger

Oh, that explains the scenario right now because thanks to the game's Top Gear Car Pack, the all new Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is here, completing Dodge's Hellcat duo and they all share the almighty supercharged V8 engine that will make Europe's finest bow to their knees...or so I thought.

charger (2)

But first, what's it all about this four-door monster saloon? Following the unveiling of SRT's ultra-powerful Challenger Hellcat, its four-door equivalent, the Charger Hellcat was unveiled as part of the recently-facelifted Charger lineup for the 2015 model year.

This ultra-powerful saloon inherits the same Hellcat 6.2L HEMI V8 engine as the Challenger, resulting to 707HP of power output, making it the most powerful four-door saloon ever made. With this power, the Hellcat-powered Charger is able to do an NHRA-verified quarter mile time of 11 seconds and 204mph of top speed.

Just like the Challenger Hellcat, the key to unleash all that power is via the red key fob because it comes with two key fobs; the black key fob which restricts the Hellcat's engine power output of just 500HP, and the red key fob which lets all the power output from its V8 engine unleashed. The Charger Hellcat is mated exclusively with an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

charger (3)

So, any further explanation why we need another Hellcat in the game? No one knows why but because this a 707HP V8 saloon destined to unleash a coup de grace to European super saloons, it's no wonder why the Charger Hellcat makes a wondrous addition to the roster, despite being a four-door relative to the Challenger Hellcat. Sure, I can compare that to the old, aggressively-styled Charger SRT8 to see how much it improved but this isn't a time for that because while I am not here to bow down to the four-door Hellcat's temptation, I came here to expose its weakness just how I did to the Challenger Hellcat a while back. Sure, it may be a track-honed V8 monster that can roar away the Europeans but it's somewhat too tricky to tame the feral beast of a saloon. Despite being heavier than the Challenger Hellcat, the Charger Hellcat sure is a quick car that can shred both the track and the tires, whichever comes first.

Having spent a few minutes with the four-door Hellcat, I'm still trying to find its secret weakness and that brought me an idea. Sure, I can invite some European sports saloons but because of the Charger Hellcat's 707HP power output, everyone in the world backed down...except for one.

model s

Well, this is an unexpected turn in development. This is an all-electric Tesla Model S, with the ludicrous P85D variant equipped with four-wheel drive that transformed into an all-weather zero-emission sports saloon that makes a silent getaway from points A to Z. This could be an interesting comparison because what we have here is a ferocious beast up against...a ninja assassin. Gasoline power versus electric power, all for the entrustment of the future of automobiles...whatever that is. Anyway, let's get this show on the road.


Oh, snap! The duel between two different powerplants made it into one of the most exciting comparisons I've ever made and it's a good thing why I played this game for so long, just for the love of cars. Anyway, after a lap around Laguna Seca, the Charger Hellcat did it in 1:49.561 while the Tesla Model S, in its ludicrous P85D model, did it in 1:48.430, a second quicker.

The Model S's electric powertrain results in less wheelspin rather than the Charger Hellcat. Less or no wheelspin start at all means quick getaway from the starting line, making it a quick advantage, but because of the Model S's extensive use of batteries, it's heavy to handle through the corners even if it has four-wheel drive, meaning the Hellcat can catch up within a split second. It's amazing that despite a second gap, both of America's super saloons managed to do similar results around Laguna Seca and it's clear that no matter the powertrain, it's the skill that counts to master these super saloons.

I have high respect for Tesla's Model S because of its technological advancement only Silicon Valley's finest thought but the Charger Hellcat is an all-round saloon that managed to handle big power in a convenient package. Sure, it may be lost to a zero-electric saloon made by nerds but there's a lot in store for the Charger Hellcat.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

The car that caused Top Gear the subject of legal proceedings for defamation and malicious falsehood

Tesla vs. The Stig

This is the car that caused Top Gear the subject of legal proceedings for defamation and malicious falsehood brought by Tesla Motors Ltd and Tesla Motors Inc against the BBC. It's called the Tesla Roadster. It was an electric sportscar produced from California and it was based on the Lotus Elise. Overall it looks good but Tesla said it was nippy. When this one was featured on Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson on it, this single-gear EV roadster armed with just an electric motor with the size of a watermelon trounced the petrol-powered Lotus Elise on the straights, when suddenly the car's batteries are running flat after 55 miles of heavy use. What is it then this Tesla Roadster?

Wave good-bye to dial and welcome to
the world of Broadband motoring!!!

Tesla Motors was established in California's Silicon Valley in 2003 and this car was made as an announcement back in 2006 that shocked the world where electric cars went through its knees. The first time it was featured was on the 2006 San Francisco International Auto Show held since November 2006 and soon it gained recognition in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Frankfurt. The first Tesla was delivered in 2008 to the brand's co-founder, chairman, and product architect Elon Musk. They produced about 500 units through June 2009 and on the following month, production for the 2010 Tesla Roadster commenced.

Jeremy Clarkson told us that a normal G-Wiz (the one that is slower than a table) comes with old-fashioned batteries that has a speed of a horse but the Tesla is powered by a battery that comes from a laptop. About 6,831 laptop batteries that Clarkson once said. We kinda refer it to the Lithium-ion battery and a three phase AC motor. That motor generates 245HP of power and 198.9 ft-lb of torque. It will do 0-100kph in about 3.7 seconds and top speed limited to 201kph. A fully charged Tesla takes about 3.5 hours long using the High Power Connector which supplies 70 amp, 240 volt electricity; in practice, recharge cycles usually start from a partially charged state and require less time. A fully charged ESS stores approximately 53 kWh of electrical energy at a nominal 375 volts and weighs 992 lb (450 kg).

Jeremy Clarkson told us that it would took about 16 hours when it was charged at the 13 amp socket, which nuclear power generated this. What's the point of this? Perhaps I have no idea that the libel suit by Tesla really pierced through the BBC even though as of now, the High Court in London rejected Tesla's libel claim.

Volt-head vs. the Petrolhead!

Despite all that battle between Tesla and Top Gear, I was kinda more than happy of taking part of the Tesla Roadster, the only electric car that is definitely fun to drive even though it's a RWD. With traction control off, this is so completely bonkers to drive, even in Gran Turismo 5. The sound of sporty silence really broke my silence when my foot is on the pedal of the Tesla and it converted me from petrolhead to volt-head. No wait, make that BIRIBIRI!!!!