10
December
Tesla Roadster: driven to make hybrids obsolete
m
N icholas A rntz __________ _
co-Editor-in-Chief
With all of the debates
over gas mileage today,
what ultimately will be
the solution? Toyota, for
example, boasts one of the
most fuel efficient cars on
the road, the Prius, yet two
months ago they argued in
a California court against
the proposed bill to raise
the minimum gas mileage
in that state. W hy would
the leader in fuel efficient
and low emissions cars risk
their reputation in such
a manner? Because their
new trucks do not meet the
proposed minimum gas
mileage. We need more than
just hybrids. We need an
automotive company that
is truly dedicated to going
green. The answer: the Tesla
Roadster, a 100% electric two
door sports car, powered
from 100% renewable energy.
Founded last year, the
Tesla Motor company
has created a car that will
revolutionize the auto
industry; a car that will
reduce our dependence
on foreign oil, and a car
that will be better in every
way possible. "Tesla" is
the brainchild of Croatian
inventor, electrical engineer
and scientist, Nikola Tesla,
who created the induction
motor and alternating-
current power transmission.
M ost electric car concepts
have failed. Among the
common complaints was the
lack of power, acceleration
and safety features... not
to mention style. The same
complaints have been made
about modern-day hybrids
such as the Prius, which
takes a full 10 seconds to
reach 60 mph and lacks any
sort of track-ready handling.
The Tesla Roadster, on the
other hand, has a 0-60 time of
under four seconds; the same
time as the Lamborghini
Murciélago and Porsche
Carrera GT, which both
cost around $300,000 and
only achieve nine mpg in
the city. Even though the
Tesla doesn't run off of any
gasoline or motor oil, Tesla
tension on the cord, it stops
charging immediately and
disengages for maximum
security.
Besides the common
m odem day safety
equipment, such as a four-
wheel Anti-lock Braking
With absolutely no emissions and an engine running off 100%
renewable energy, the Tesla Roadster is revolutionizing the automotive
industry. The Tesla has the performance of high-end super cars, but
costs about one third the price and achieves a comparative 15 times
the fuel economy.
Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors
Motors claims the Roadster
to obtain the equivalent of
135 mpg.
The car has no exhaust
pipe because it has
absolutely zero emissions.
There is also no clutch
pedal, only two gears (first
and second, with reverse
the backwards motion of
first gear), no motor oil,
belts, filters or spark plugs.
Surprisingly, the car's torque
starts at zero rpm and
continues through 13,000
rpm. With a "w aterm elon
sized" rear wheel drive,
three-phase, four-pole
electric motor creating 248hp,
the Tesla can hit 125 mph.
With a cost of less than
two cents per mile, the Tesla
Roadster can travel 245
miles on one charge, and
with a charging time of only
three and a half hours, it
can charge overnight and be
ready to go. M odem safety
equipment protects against
any faults and immediately
stops charging if a fault is
detected. Plus, if there is any
System and traction control,
the Tesla Roadster has a
windshield that completely
blocks all UV rays and
reduces infrared rays by
30%. It also comes standard
with a customized PIN that
is unique to each customer.
Without entering the PIN, the
car will not start, eliminating
any chance of hot-wiring.
Plus, when put in "Valet
M ode," until the PIN is
entered and Valet Mode is
turned off, the car will limit
the rate of acceleration, mile
range, and speed, so there
w on't be any repeats of the
famous scene from "Ferris
Bueller's Day O ff."
The electric power that the
Tesla Roadster is powered
by can be generated from
"natural gas, coal, solar,
wind, hydro and nuclear
sources," according to Tesla
Motors. The whole concept
of the Tesla Roadster is a
car that puts nothing into
the environment. Almost
everything in the car can be
recycled, even the battery,
which lasts 100,000+ miles
and is 100% recyclable; a
refreshing change.
Not only will the
Tesla driver be saving
the environment, they
themselves will be saving
money with tax incentives
in certain states, and other
“Once Upon a Mattress" brings laughs
a
K ira M atsuoka _____________
Staff Reporter
Talent abounded in the
Theatre Arts musical "Once
Upon a Mattress" which
ran Nov. 2-10. Based on the
fairy tale "The Princess and
the Pea," it is the story of
Prince Dauntless played by
Michael Busch, senior, who is
searching for a princess.
His controlling mother,
played by Georgina Cohen,
passes the test. Sturtevant
turned in an exceptional
performance. Not only is
she a solid actress, she has
the ability to take a song and
make it her own, displaying
passion and a unique
connection with each note she
sings.
Cohen's manipulative
acts and domination over
the king caused the audience
to break into laughter
Controversy over mascots continues
jjjraggjg___________________ |
continued from page 4
The main reason a
school chooses a mascot is
because the animal or person
embodies a trait or traits that
the school wishes to project.
A butterfly is known for its
grace and beauty, traits that
would not be intimidating on
the football field.
In West Linn's case,
Lions are ferocious, brave
and strong. The king of the
jungle, they are respected by
all other living creatures. This
is the reason we use the Lion
to represent our school.
Native American symbols
such as Warriors, Braves,
or Chieftains are chosen
as mascots because they
too represent ideal traits
for a sports team. These
include bravery, teamwork,
brotherhood and honor. Now
I may be wrong, but these
are things that I wouldn't
mind being used to represent
a group of people. When
the mascot for a team is
chosen based on positive
characteristics, I feel that the
argument carries no weight.
In almost all cases, the Native
American mascots do not
belittle, but instead promote
positive values and a positive
image of the entire Native
American culture.
conveniences including
"single-occupancy access
to carpool lanes (in some
states), free parking at
charging stations at LAX
and other airports, discount
electrical rates for recharging
and/or on the charging unit
(available in some states),
and no parking meter fees
in an increasing number of
major metropolitan areas,"
according to Tesla Motors.
In the beginning, Tesla
Motors did not expect to
produce its prototype,
but popular demand at
auto shows resulted in the
production of the stylish
Tesla Roadster. Although
the revolutionary car starts
at $98,000, a price very few
of us can afford, Tesla is in
the middle of introducing
a $50,000 four to five seat
sedan, and, hopefully, a full
line of electric cars in all
price ranges in the future.
With demands for higher gas
mileage, and the roadblocks
put up by big corporations,
the Tesla Motor company
could be the answer we're
looking for.
Princess Winifred, played by Andra Sturtevant, junior, is attended
by Ladies in Waiting Whitney Finnerty and Casey Crawford, juniors.
The musical was a mix of comedy, drama and song.
Photo submitted by Jon Ares
senior, puts Princess Winifred,
played by Andra Sturtevant,
junior, to a test with the hope
that she will fail, but she gets a
big surprise when the princess
numerous times and kept
me smiling. The king played
by Avik Bandyopadhyay,
did an exceptional job while
"miming" his role since he had
an evil spell cast upon him
rendering him mute.
The theme of love and
friendship showed not only
in the musical's plot but also
in the actors and actresses.
Without knowing the actors
and actresses personally, I
could sense a connection
throughout the cast that I
believe was necessary for their
success.
This was especially
apparent in the scene with
Bandyopadhyay and siblings
Elise Biancardi, the jester,
and Michael Biancardi,
the Minstrel. It was such a
delight to see the talented duo
perform together. It appeared
they were having a really great
time. *
With a mixed genre of
comedy and drama, the
musical appealed to a great
spectrum of students, friends
and families who came to
support the theatre arts
program. It was refreshing
when the musical called for a
break in the dramatic climaxes
to throw in a joke or two,
proving that life, with all its
drama, can be fun.
The performances by the *
cast exceeded my expectations
and the quick, quirky humor
was well acted. It was a very
enjoyable performance and left
me thinking, no matter what
obstacles are thrown at you,
with love, you can succeed.