At Least The Yugo Was Cheap... (Tesla disaster)

Eric Peters Autos | December 10, 2015 | Eric Peters

[all the best]

Tesla has no more business being in business than Yugo.

Which isn’t anymore.

So why is Tesla?

Because political correctness, crony capitalism – and a hallucinatory desire to believe in a mirage; to refuse to admit that what you think you see in the distance isn’t actually there; that your mind isn’t playing tricks on you.

But then, the Yugo was just a bad car.

The Tesla is a bad electric car – and the electric part effaces the bad part. Electric cars can do no wrong – to an extent that is quite literally unbelievable. Unless you’ve seen it – and then you will believe.Weibull graph

I’m exaggerating?

Ok, how’s this:

An extremely embarrassing story broke the other day that two-thirds of Tesla drivetrains – their electric motors, specifically – are destined to require replacement before the cars reach 60,000 miles. This according to an independently commissioned Weibull Reliability Engineering Resources analysis of actual Tesla failure rates and customer reported problems to date (see here).

Two-thirds.

Before 60,000 miles roll by.

Let it roll around in your mouth for a little bit.

How’s it taste?

Lemony, perhaps?Tesla lemons pic

It is inconceivable that any normal car company could survive such a revelation. The likely – the near-inevitable – failure of the car’s very heart, the thing that makes it go? If a third of new Chevrolets needed a new engine before 60,000 miles elapsed, Chevrolet would not be selling cars at all.

But two-thirds of them?

People would be rioting.

And the government would be ululating the regulatory equivalent of allah akbar. Yet the government is silent. No outraged congress cretins are holding press conferences, demanding hearings.

Solely and only because these Teslas are a protected class of car, the affirmative action hires of the automotive world.

[Red Badger]

After doing THAT twice, I took the engine apart and found that the pistons were installed BACKWARDS. The cutouts for the valves were on the wrong side.................

[Rannug]

I had one of those damn things too. I had some kind of safety switch that wouldn’t permit it to start, even tho everything was ok. I take that back, it was an 128SL something or other. That was one sorry piece of European crap.

[SZonian]

The company is in good hands, courtesy of the “full faith and credit” of the USG...

[Moonman62]

The company is in good hands, courtesy of the “full faith and credit” of the USG...

...

That was definitely true for GM, but the shareholders still got wiped out. Have you got anything else?

[ozzymandus]

Egon Musk (SP?) reminds me of a Bond movie villain.

[ozzymandus]

Early GM diesels of that era were just converted 350 gas engines. The higher compression ruined them.

[Dr. Sivana]

Early GM diesels of that era were just converted 350 gas engines. The higher compression ruined them.

I'm pretty sure this car had the LT7 4.7 litre V6 engine, not based on the 350.

[Dr. Sivana]

I mean 4.3 litre.

[biff]

That is not the point. I was used as a test unit at my expense, that is the problem.

The Japs developed and perfected the cylinder cut out system for the U.S. Indy Car series to save fuel while under the yellow flag situations. They were allotted as much fuel to finish the race averaging 1.7 or 1.8 mpg on alky. But they could not use maximum allowed turbo boost and have enough fuel to finish the race. So they came up with the cut out system to cruise around under yellow getting 8-12 MPG and then when the green flag came out they could turn the boost up all the way.

I just say this because Cadillac did not develop it and they certainly could not perfect it, especially during that awful time period for them. Cadillac nearly folded over their stupid engine programs back then, but they did come roaring back with the really nice Northstar V8.

[SZonian]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2778565/posts

What? The current administrations full court press on “green” energy, electric cars, subsidies and tax credits aren’t enough?

How many more “green” companies supported through tax payer dollars (tax credits, subsidies, etc.) need to go under before we wake up and pull the plug on these leeches?

Even the LA Times is not “convinced”...

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-musk-subsidies-20150531-story.html

[ozzymandus]

I had an 81 Caddy with the 8-6-4 engine, it was a dog when I bought it, but it already had 100,000 miles on it. My 2011 Chevy pickup has a similar system on it, but works much better.

[dfwgator]

“....but they drove with pride....”

[US_MilitaryRules]

Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s they lasted a lot less! Muscle cars ring a bell?

[21twelve]

Could put together a 4x4 Tesla to bring that 0-60 number down.

[uncommonsense]

"I am surprised it does not snap a drive train or spin the tires off the rims at that torque."

I'll try to dig up the pic I took of the poster describing it. I'm not sure what the drive train was composed of because I was in too much "shock and awe" of the numbers. It seemed like it was direct drive but it must have had something to step up the ratio. I'm pretty sure the torque was over 1,800 ft. lbs. I was just shaking my head at the audacity of someone to make such a contraption.

Wait, what am I thinking - web search.... and.... viola

This Electric 1968 Ford Mustang Kicks Out a Shocking 800 HP!

there's a video here that shows it dragging a Tesla. The Tesla couldn't be fit into the video frame:

Zombie222 vs Tesla

The company's web site:

http://www.zombie222.com

[uncommonsense]

Check out my post #55 here:

The company that built the Zombie222 will build you an electric super car (how about 1,800 ft lbs torque!).

The company's web site:

http://www.zombie222.com