Tesla Counters Top Gear's Claims & DOA Honda/Acura NSX
One memorable scene had Clarkson and the Top Gear crew pushing their first Roadster (they had two for testing) into the garage after apparently running out of juice. Or did they? According to Rachel Konrad, Senior Communications Manager at Tesla Motors, the car was most definitely not out of juice.
A second issue that Clarkson had with the Roadster is with the brakes. Apparently, all of that race track flinging managed to blow a fuse in what we're assuming must be the regenerative braking system. After the fuse was replaced, there were no more problems.
The last point Konrad makes is that the 16-hour recharge time quoted by Top Gear is an absolute worst-case scenario - sort of like filling your gas tank using a thousand Dixie Cups full of petrol. Anyone looking to purchase a Tesla should be aware that the car can take a much faster charge and that the appropriate equipment is available to do just that right from the factory. (~3.5 hours)
Source: Autoblog - http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/12/16/tesla-clarifies-some-of-top-gears-mischaracterizations/
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[Edit] it was pointed out that if a fuse was blown then Tesla isn't building the cars correctly.. also they didn't go into the car overheating. It's likely with a car this new that there are still some problems left that need to be addressed.
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Amidst a troubled global economy, Honda is actively scaling back its operations, and its performance programs are sadly bearing the brunt. After canceling its participation in Formula One and the AMA motorbike road racing series, the Japanese automaker has reportedly announced that it is nixing development of the next-generation NSX supercar.
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Honestly I wasn't sure the world really needs this car.. it's a 10-cylinder behemoth sports car from Honda.. I would much rather they A: refresh&tune the heck out of the one they already made - Carbon Fiber and a nice Supercharger goes a long way in a Type-R or B: Make an even better S2000 platform car with a small 4-cylinder engine but great handling/power-to-weight etc..
Anyway as a Honda/Acura fan.. ::Sadface:: :(