Top Gear team builds EV, shows how complex car production really is
By Vlad Savov 
posted November 26th 2009 10:06AM
posted November 26th 2009 10:06AM
posted November 26th 2009 10:06AM
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Who's the random guy in the still picture?
@HaZaRd - probably the reviewer from Autocar... I was thinking the same, don't worry!
@HaZaRd Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar is the name of the person driving that car if I remember correctly
@HaZaRd Looks like the director of Top Gear, Chris Donovan to me.
You can see him in the "Behind the scenes" for TGS14:
http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/tg14-behind-the-scenes-part-one#/uk/videos-by-category?VideoCategory=BestOf
@HaZaRd He is one of the fine folks from top gear that built that metallic turd...
This was the funniest Top Gear ever. You have to watch.
@(Unverified) Not a chance!
@(Unverified) which season is this from?
@(Unverified) It's the newest episode from season 14
@(Unverified)
I'm sorry but anyone claiming this is the best TG ever obviously hasn't been following the show very long. I've seen every ep of TG at least three times which I believe makes it alright when I say this: this was a shitty episode except the road test. Worst episode in years. Many years.
@(Unverified) Just to make it clear, I love Top Gear, and I'm a subscriber, but the new series definitely has lost the old touch. Didn't really make myself clear in my first post. Last Sunday was better than the first episode in the series, but a long way behind series' of past.
@(Unverified)
Series 14, episode 2. (S14E02)
It was indeed hilarious, but I think there were other epic episodes as well. I doubt any of us have forgotten the one where they went "caravaning"...
@(Unverified)
"...fizzing sensation somewhere behind my penis..."
Best line from this week's show.
@(Unverified)
Why cant we get the unadulterated UK version of Top Gear in the US? Who cares if they never feature cars Americans will never be able to buy. Bring Clarkson, May, and Hammond to the US and big ratings will follow.
Man i was pissing my pants watching this episode :D
@gargle i was laughing my ass off reading the post
@gargle I lost it at the very start when Richard went "tuo kool!!!!"
@gargle HAHA! WOW. WOW. WOW. TUOKOOL!!
When the sun hit the aluminum on Geoff, I lost it. OMG. Too funny.
complex?..... Gosh. I can see certain need for technical knowledge but complexity? there was a lack of.
It was very funny and it was.... unique.
I kept thinking one could possibly cook something while the diesel generator is on, no? Or perhaps even diesel-smoked salmon....
@darkmax I have one of those generators, they are a chinese knockoff and pretty crude. I doubt you could cook anything as the mechanics are all enclosed, with the exhaust poking out the side. Yes, they do smoke that much, you certainly wouldn't want to eat anything that had been in the way.
@darkmax
yes u call............ -_-
Top Gear actually is the only program on TV for which I clear my schedule... it was a great epp.!
@(Unverified)
Clear your schedule? What work are you normally doing at 9pm on a Sunday night?
@ScottishDan Some people have lives outside of work.
they should have put the batteries in the front. it would have evened it out and made the handling and steering and balance better. it's no surprise the brakes suck, they were from a lightweight convertible.
@Robert Harrold If they are from the original chassis, they should have been very good. The batteries could have sat in the place of the original engine, but it looks shorter than the TVR would have been.
@Robert Harrold The lack of ABS probably explains why the bakes suck...and the skinny tires.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYOXUpNIi_c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJiHWBjHSdc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldk_AgQoR2w
Full Top Gear Electric Car challenge. Its in 4 Parts.
@kris120890
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CNf23g9Bd8.
@kris120890
only fools watch whole shows on youtube, normal people download it from the regular places, or watch it on iplayer (if not british via a proxy)
I hear there are idiots who watch(ed) whole movies on youtube, in small segments, man people can be daft
@kris120890
Not that I don't appreciate the thought and the effort, kudos for that
@Wwhat
Agreed, however there are basic internet users who don't know where to find BBC programs for download nor know how to use a proxy. These are the people likely to watch these split part shows on YouTube.
Also, there's a Greasemonkey script called YouTube Stitch (http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/32755) which loads other parts and plays them back to back as if they were one
Why is kinetic not used more, except F1 when it is working ...
The Electric & Kinetic Powered Vehicle
http://www.thekpv.com
Non-profit entity working towards a better humanity
@thekpv because it is no good. Even the F1 teams have agreed not to use it next season. It just adds to cost. The weight it adds and the cost of developing it is too much for the little benefit it provides. In road cars it may be more useful (longer battery life, environmental benefits) but in motorsport it is pretty much a waste of time and money.
Id buy it
Ehh. WTH? The whole point of the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust was to "compete" against G-Wiz, a really shoddy plastic EV in UK. The aim was to create a simple EV, under the prize of G-Wiz. It was NEVER going to compete "real" cars like Volt... Little bit accuracy to the articles, plz.
G-Wiz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REVA
@crappish
Exactly what I was going to say. You couldnt compete with the volt for under 10k. But it probably lasted as long in time as the volt does.
@Rory
In Autocar's text test it was actually rated as better than the G-Wiz, so, in spite of being dangerous and looking like a shed after a wind storm, it was actually a success.
@crappish
Yea. No kidding. How can Engadget do a blog post on a show that they haven't seen? I don't think they mentioned the Volt at any time during the show.
I'm pretty sure they built it as a competitor to the G-Wiz? That's what they tested it against...?
This is the backup BatMobile
its a beauty aint it!
Batman, its a piece of shit!
its a beauty aint she
grrr
Hahaha.. Top Gear on Engadget.... never thought i'd see this
+1
@(Unverified)
It's certainly not the first time. See:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/05/man-sticks-jet-engine-in-kayak-somehow-survives/
http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/22/top-gear-builds-launches-space-shuttle-car/
Building an EV is not as complex or hard as Top Gear implies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUzPzX9A4lw
Top Gear intentionally builds obtuse and crappy cars for entertainment, not information.
Indeed it's all about entertainment, and that's underscored when they do a million silly car vs X episodes where it's always a photo finish, which is such obvious BS.
So yeah you should see it as entertainment.
Tried to watch that vid, failed, I think the host died 2 years before the making?
@(Unverified)
I nearly fell asleep listening to that guy
@(Unverified) That dude started with a real car.
The seats simply made my morning complete.