What makes Tesla cars so technologically advanced?
Thomas Chapman
Introduction
Under the ingenuity of CEO Elon Musk, Tesla cars have taken off in an enormous way. With almost no production in 2012, their cars have become some of the highest electrical vehicle sellers in 2021 (so far). As many as 4 different Tesla models appear in the top 12 most sold electric cars, of which, the Model Y and Model 3 are the most popular (White, 2021). What makes these cars so desirable is their huge range of advanced features. The three most noticeable include an ability to accelerate from 0 to 60 at faster rates than most petrol cars, an increasing battery life that allows one to travel larger distances without the issue of stopping to charge, as well as one of the most impressive features, its self-driving technology. In this essay, I aim to explore these features and to explain how they make Tesla cars so advanced.
Rapid Acceleration
The first feature to Tesla cars which make them so advanced is their ability to accelerate faster than most petrol cars. This is most noticeable in the Model S which can go from 0-60mph in just 2.07 seconds according to Christian Seabaugh (Seabaugh, 2021). Compare this to f1 racing cars, which are designed to reach incredible speeds and their 0-60 is slower at an average of 2.6 seconds (Duxbury, 2021). The reason for this is due to the engineering behind the induction motor, originally created by scientist, Nikola Tesla in 1887. The basic induction motor has two main parts which enables it to work. This includes the rotor and the stator ( Motors 101: How Do AC Induction Motors Work? n.d.).
Figure 1: rotor and stator ( AC Motor Diagrams - Basic Stator and Rotor Operation n.d.)
The stator is the stationary part of the induction motor, hence the name ‘stator’. As shown in Figure 1, the stator is formed by electromagnets in such a way that they create a hollow cylinder. The electromagnets are made from thin layers of steel or iron which are stacked on top of each other and wound in copper wire in alternating directions. By wrapping them in alternating directions, magnetic poles are introduced to the electromagnets.
When an alternating current flows through the coils, it causes neighbouring poles to pair up and alternate between poles (one north, one south). The current causes poles to switch every half cycle of the alternating current resulting in a rotating magnetic field.
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