Recently, Larry Dighera posted:

On Tue, 09 Jan 2007 18:20:07 GMT, "Neil Gould"
wrote in
:

If the information suggested by James Robinson is accurate,

Assuming 746 watts / horsepower, and the Tesla Motor's ~56 kWh
capacity, Robinson's 75 Hp for one hour assertion seems accurate.

the vehicle will not achieve its stated performance or endurance
figures.

I don't know specifically to which figures you are referring, but the
Tesla roadster will probably easily meet it's acceleration figure.

For one thing, a 75 hp/hr. battery won't deliver 200 kW for very
long.

Perhaps the Tesla roadster doesn't need to develop 75 Hp during it's
entire run time, and there's the issue of regenerative braking,

I imagine that the average power consumption can exceed 75 hp/hr in
typical city driving, and unless the Altair battery is used, regenerative
braking won't provide much of a recovery.

but
these things are not germane to electrically powered aircraft which
typically must produce 75% rated Hp continuously in cruise flight.

True. I think there may be some solutions in the future, but I'm skeptical
that the Tesla motor is that solution.

Unlike automobiles, aircraft not only require motive power to propel
them forward, but they are not afforded the luxury of a roadway to
support their weight, and I would presume aircraft drag is
considerably more than an automobile.

I think aerodynamic drag is greater in an automobile than an airplane, but
much more of the auto motor's energy can be used for overcoming that drag
since it doesn't have to provide the energy for lift.

Neil