Hasta La Gadget!

NVIDIA’s been dabbling in the CPU space behind closed doors for years now, but with Intel finally making a serious push into the GPU realm, it’s about time the firm got serious with bringing the goods. BSN has it that the company’s next-generation GT300 will be fundamentally different than the GT200 — in fact, it’s being hailed as the “first truly new architecture since SIMD (Single-Instruction Multiple Data) units first appeared in graphical processors.” Beyond this, the technobabble runs deep, but the long and short of it is this: NVIDIA could be right on the cusp of delivering a single chip that can handle tasks that were typically separated for the CPU and GPU, and we needn’t tell you just how much your life could change should it become a reality. Now, if only NVIDIA would come clean and lift away some of this fog surrounding it (and the rumored GTX 380), that’d be just swell.

[Thanks, Musouka]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

NVIDIA’s GT300 specs outed — is this the cGPU we’ve been waiting for? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A 241 mile range may not sound like much–it’s about average for how far a Ford Mustang or small SUV travels on a single tank of fuel. But for an electric car, it’s pretty astonishing.

Gizmodo reports that a Tesla Roadster has completed the entire, 241-mile-long Rallye Monte Carlo d’Energies Alternatives course without draining its battery. In fact, the report said that the car’s on-board computer estimated that there was 38 miles of range left to go. Along the way, the Roadster beat out an electric (and very cool) RUF Porsche 911, along with several Mitsubishi electric concepts.

To be fair, the race course was no Mille Miglia. The average speed was just 28 mph, with a top speed of 56 mph in one spot. But it shows that an electric car can finally achieve a useful range on a single charge. Of course, it’s also cool that the Roadster also hits 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, but that’s another story.

If one drives the Roadster “as it was intended to be driven,” you’ll probably only get around 125 miles out of it before things slowly grind to a halt. If you toss on your economy shoes and take things a bit easier, it’s apparently possible to get well over 200 miles on a single charge. As the story goes, Tesla’s first all-electric whip managed to cruise 241 miles in a Monte Carlo e-rally, running from the town of Valance in France to the Principality of Monaco. Better still, the vehicle’s battery meter showed 36 miles left on the “tank” when it crossed the finish line, giving it a theoretical range of around 280 miles. If all these figures hold up under critical scrutiny, Tesla will set the world record for the longest distance traveled by a production EV on a single charge. Now, if only it could set the world record for most EVs actually produced by an EV company, we’d really feel the need to celebrate.

[Via Slashdot]

Filed under: Transportation

Tesla’s Roadster rolls 241 miles on single charge, annoys petrol pumps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With a promised price tag of less than $50,000 (after a $7,500 federal tax credit), the new Tesla Model S sedan is certainly a good deal cheaper than Tesla’s pricey roadster, not to mention its competitors, but according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it’s actually quite a bargain compared to your run-of-the-mill sedan as well. As Musk tells it, “the ownership cost of Model S, if you were to lease and then account for the much lower cost of electricity versus gasoline at a likely future cost of $4 per gallon, is similar to a gasoline car with a sticker price of about $35,000.” Musk further adds that the Model S would still be a bargain “even if gasoline were $1 per gallon,” saying that it costs just $5 to drive 230 miles. Of course, all of that assumes that you’ll actually be able to get your hands on the car one of these days, but Musk seems confident that’ll happen as well, saying that the company is “close” to receiving $350 million in loans from the U.S. Department of Energy, which would be used to build the plant in California that would manufacture the Model S.

Filed under: Transportation

Tesla CEO says Model S isn’t really expensive, when you think about it originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After a brief period of unofficial officialness this morning, Tesla has rolled out the Model S to a sea of eager photographers. The company’s also revealed specs for the EV: this seven-seater can go from 0 to 60 MPH in 5.6 seconds, boasts a top speed of 120 MPH, features a dashboard display and a 17-inch main touchscreen monitor. It’s fully 3G capable, sports HD and satellite radio, uses LED and neon exterior lights, smart-key power, and push button gear selector. While that $49,900 base price will get you a battery that’s good for 160 miles per charge, 230-mile and 300-mile range packs will be available. On a 220V outlet, the company says it’ll charge in four hours with a 45 minute “QuickCharge” option, and you should be able to swap batteries if necessary in under 8 minutes. Excited? Find a way to control yourself, this baby isn’t going into production in Q3 2011. Check out a brief glimpse of the interior after the break.

Continue reading Tesla Model S now official

Filed under: Transportation

Tesla Model S now official originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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