Petersen Museum

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This week on California Life, we take a tour of three new exhibits at the Petersen Museum in LA’s “miracle mile.”

Two of the new exhibits are about electric vehicles, while the third is about the Chip Ganassi auto-racing team. You can see these exhibits at the museum from Wednesday through Sunday. There is free admission for health care workers, first responders and their guests for 2021.

We begin with the alternating currents exhibit, which has a special appearance of a new Tesla Roadster prototype. The range of this Tesla is stunning, over 600 miles. This Tesla is race car inspired, as one can see by the wheel design. However, this car was only on display for two weeks. Nevertheless, it comes with three electric motors with a top speed of 250 miles per hour.

A 2008 Tesla Roadster first edition is on display as well, including a 2009 Tesla Model S, both of which are still on display.

Further, you can also see the Tesla battery pack and charging stations to learn how the car operates.

One of the world’s first electric cars is on display as well, a 1915 Detroit Electric Model 61. These cars were built from around 1907 until 1939, and were popular among women. Henry Ford Thomas’ wife, Thomas Edison’s wife, and other automative pioneers’ wives loved the car.

The GM Ev1 is on display, showcasing General Motors’ first attempt at an electric vehicle to see consumer interest. These cars were built from 1996 to 1999. This car was only available as a lease, and only sold in certain states. When the program was cancelled, most of the cars were disposed but one remained.

The next exhibit is titled “Building an Electric Future,” and it is sponsored by Volkswagen and highlights the development of the ID4 electric vehicle. You can see the body and chassis of the new ID3, alongside its battery components. To explain the design process, the museum includes three concept car models.

At the end of the exhibit, there is the new 2021 Volkswagen ID4. It features a rear mounted electric motor and a 82 kilowatt battery pack that produces 201 horsepower.

The last exhibit is the Chip Ganassi racing exhibit, showcasing the team’s successes in Nascar, IndyCar, and the Imsa United Sports Car Championship. Kurt Busch’s number one Toyota that he raced in the 2019 Dover Monster Energy Cup Series Race is on display, including Dario Franchitti’s Target IndyCar that won the Indianapolis 500. Finally, they even have Scott Dixon’s PNC IndyCar that won the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix race. The actual race trophies are displayed next to the winning cars.

All that and more on this week’s episode of California Life.

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