[jacquesm]

I don't think any car I've ever owned has spent more than a minute or two at its top rated speed. Even acceleration is only important up to a minimum to get along in traffic. Even in Germany where cars are allowed to go pretty quick in some areas hardly any of them go at or near their rated top speed.

[narrowtux]

True, because it takes long to actually get to that speed.

But imagine if you'd like to drive 160 km/h on the highway all the time, you probably need a car that has a rated top speed of at least 180 km/h.

[dx034]

Going 160km/h is easy with most cars. Problem is that it increases fuel consumption significantly so won't really be an option with an electric car (currently).

[sidcool]

Then you would also buy a high end car. Model S, perhaps??

[ferongr]

An 125HP car of normal weight (on American landbarge or anything) surpasses 180km/h and can easily maintain a cruising speed of 160km/h with tolerable noise, but mediocre fuel consumption.

[maxxxxx]

Most of the (gas engine) cars sold today can go 180.

[jacquesm]

Most of the high end cars will go 225 or 249 (legal limit enforced by the engine firmware, also related to what the tires the car is sold standard with can handle).

A small car doing 180 will not live long.

[maxxxxx]

I was taking golfs and fiestas to 180 all the time. Even faster downhill. Never any problems.

[ferongr]

You'd be surprised, here in the poorer European countries where high-power engines are taxed, and speed limit enforcement lax, you constantly see 100HP sedans with 4 people and luggage cruising the highways above 150km/h. Engines do not really suffer since you're not going flat-out all the time

[stcredzero]

I once had my little Honda CRX almost up to 110 mph on an empty highway one late night in Nevada. (I might've made it with a tailwind!) Pretty exciting. Not something I'd want to do for an extended period of time. Car journalist David E. Davis claimed he had fun driving the same car on the Autobahn, however.

[jacquesm]

CRX is a car that is quite frequently modded the crap out of because the engine is capable of substantially more HP than it puts out standard, you'll also find these engines in many other custom builds (super popular in souped up classic minis for instance).

They'll definitely go fast (even in the standard setup) but I'd really hate to have anything unexpected happen at those speeds. Even in a larger and more stable car that would be taking your chances but in a CRX you'd be in little pieces all over the road, just a deer would make you really wish you were somewhere else.

I've driven a little Daihatsu Copen (660 CC, 63 HP, a bit over 800 Kg), which was a ton of fun to drive and would go quite fast (on the GPS about 175), it's mere inches off the ground so it feels much faster still. But I always realized that I'm playing the lottery when doing that.

Coming back from Poland to NL one night through Germany I came upon a bunch kids in their CRX's going flat out on the autobahn, I could keep up with them easily because of the better handling of the Copen but on the straights they definitely had the advantage. Wicked fast for such small cars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daihatsu_Copen

[stcredzero]

Well, crap, TIL, Daihatsu made the Ford Ghia Barchetta! Jealous!

[Jakob]

This is a little different for electric cars, though. Have a look at their current top speeds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_electric_cars_currentl...

Many max out at only ~130 km/h (~80 mph), most don’t reach 150 km/h (90 mph).

The models described in the wiki table are also the maximum power versions of those cars. There are lower versions which don’t even get to this velocity.

[jacquesm]

130 is the maximum speed in most countries, Germany excepted in Europe, in most states in the US it's 55 Mph, 70 or 85 (Texas, the exception), so only in Texas or Germany would you run into the situation where your car can't go the legal limit, but it is still more than capable of achieving the minimum speed, and in fact that speed at which the vast majority of the traffic moves.

Slower than 130 km/h would be a problem.

[zeep]

but when the speed limit is 70mph, everyone goes ~80mph... and it is probably not a good thing to always go at your car's maximum rated speed, you can't speed up to pass someone for example... (Assuming that the model 3 would have a lower than 130mph limit to differentiate it from its more expensive siblings.)

[jacquesm]

The model 3 will have a top in excess of 140 mph according to 'reliable sources'. I don't think you're going to have issues trying to go 80 mph.

[Someone]

I don't think that matters much. 130km/hour is enough for top speed in most countries. With gasoline powered cars you simply need a higher top speed if you want the ability to swiftly accelerate to that 130km/hour.

[dx034]

Problem is that a 130km/h rated car will only get 110km/h uphill. That's when it becomes annoying.