Photo: Evogreen on TMC
Electric vehicles may not invent the type of tuning that seeks to maximize a car's aerodynamic efficiency, but they will surely take it to a new level. Apparently, that new level has some things in common with a salad bar, though.
You've probably heard about the Model 3 Aero Wheels design, the standard configuration for any of Tesla's latest electric sedan which, the company claims, can increase the EV's maximum range by up to 10 percent or so. Make no mistake: that's huge. To get the same result from additional battery cells would put on considerable weight, not to mention hike up the cost.
Even if the ten percent is overly-optimistic and we're only talking about five percent, that's still over 15 extra miles you can drive in your car before having to recharge. Considering they also come without any added cost, it just makes lots of sense to go for them and not splash out on bigger, regular wheels.
The previous two models released by Tesla, however - the S and the X - did not come with similar options. That means the owners of the more expensive cars that like to take long trips can only look with envy at the Model 3's Aero Wheels.
Well, one Model S owner went a bit further than that and took the matter into his own hands, quite literally. He started a DIY project to create a cover for his standard Tesla wheels, and you can see the result for yourself.
Like most things DIY, this lacks the touch of an actual designer. The sheet of polycarbonate makes the wheels look like they are an exhibit at a museum or, as we've said, a set of repurposed salad bowls. Besides, even if, for some reason, you do think they look good, just imagine how quickly they would get dirty, and what a pain in the butt it would be to wash them.
Then again, wheel covers don't come completely closed for a reason: the brakes need some cooling. The Aero Wheels have the slightest cuts in their design, which we're going to assume allow just the right amount of air to go in, as prescribed by some engineer who studied the matter extensively. This solution, on the other hand, doesn't.
And don't imagine that, just because it's DIY, it's also cheap. Nope, Evogreen (that's the alias he goes by on the TMC) spent $1,250 on all the required hardware, making these very ugly transparent wheel covers quite expensive. But there's a silver lining to this: at least it means they're not very likely to catch on.
Even if the ten percent is overly-optimistic and we're only talking about five percent, that's still over 15 extra miles you can drive in your car before having to recharge. Considering they also come without any added cost, it just makes lots of sense to go for them and not splash out on bigger, regular wheels.
The previous two models released by Tesla, however - the S and the X - did not come with similar options. That means the owners of the more expensive cars that like to take long trips can only look with envy at the Model 3's Aero Wheels.
Well, one Model S owner went a bit further than that and took the matter into his own hands, quite literally. He started a DIY project to create a cover for his standard Tesla wheels, and you can see the result for yourself.
Like most things DIY, this lacks the touch of an actual designer. The sheet of polycarbonate makes the wheels look like they are an exhibit at a museum or, as we've said, a set of repurposed salad bowls. Besides, even if, for some reason, you do think they look good, just imagine how quickly they would get dirty, and what a pain in the butt it would be to wash them.
Then again, wheel covers don't come completely closed for a reason: the brakes need some cooling. The Aero Wheels have the slightest cuts in their design, which we're going to assume allow just the right amount of air to go in, as prescribed by some engineer who studied the matter extensively. This solution, on the other hand, doesn't.
And don't imagine that, just because it's DIY, it's also cheap. Nope, Evogreen (that's the alias he goes by on the TMC) spent $1,250 on all the required hardware, making these very ugly transparent wheel covers quite expensive. But there's a silver lining to this: at least it means they're not very likely to catch on.
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