Quote:
Originally Posted by vfx
I had not heard this one before:
ELON MUSK: That actually is faster than any Aston Martin or any Ferrari currently in production. And that understates the acceleration of the car because a gasoline car 0 to 60 is measured from when the wheels start moving. The wheels only move after you've engaged the clutch. In our case there's no clutch. So if you were to measure a green flag to 60, we'd probably be apples to apples about a quarter second better than an equivalent gasoline car. So our 3.9 is probably like a gasoline car's 3.6.
from here:
Extended Interview: Tesla Motors Chairman Elon Musk | Online NewsHour | June 25, 2008 | PBS |
When I heard that on the video I wondered what he meant when he said the Tesla was faster than any Aston or Ferrari. The F430 can get 0-60 in 3.5, the Enzo in 3.14. Evenwhen I heard it, without the exact numbers, I knew the Enzo & F430 was at least in the mid 3s.
I think what Musk means is if you start the time at when you start engaging the clutch, then a gasoline car that can get 0-60 in 3.6, when measured at the wheels, will probably take 3.9 seconds. Maybe he is talking about reaction time in drag racing, not that sure, since I'm not a drag racer.
Edit:
Reading more into it, in drag racing you can jump the gun a little by starting earlier than the green light so that the reaction time is minimized even with the clutch engaging. He does have a point about how 0-60s are measured from when the wheels start moving up to 60, but in racing there is the reaction time from the green flag to getting the car moving, which the clutchless Tesla probably minimizes. But since 0-60 is still traditionally measured from when the wheels start moving, the number should stay.