30 March 2009 - 12:00
She’s electric
The Model S, Tesla’s long-rumoured all-electric four-door, has arrived. Well, sort of.
Tesla has revealed the production version of its sort-of-seven-seater super-saloon at its Californian headquarters, but here’s the rub: customer cars won’t be built until the end of 2011.
This is a pity, because the Model S is shaping up to be a proper cracker. First off, just look at it. Not bad for an upstart company, eh?
Especially considering the tortuous history behind its design: Tesla originally commissioned Henrik Fisker (of Aston fame) to design the Model S, but ended up rejecting his designs and creating the car in-house, sparking a feisty little legal dispute.
Yes, there’s more than a hint of Jaguar XF about the Model S’s rear, but that’s hardly something to complain about, is it?
Especially not when you see the numbers. Like the Tesla Roadster, the Model S is driven by a liquid-cooled electric motor, putting power to the road through a single-speed transmission. The motor draws its power from a floor-mounted battery pack, which will manage a theoretical range of 300 miles, though shorter range, cheaper battery packs will also be available.
Despite the extra weight of the Model S, that’s a full 56 miles more than the Roadster thanks to 2,000 extra battery cells, boosting the overall total to 8,000. The Model S also manages a lower drag coefficient than the Roadster, improving efficiency.
Tesla says that even the biggest-batteried Model S can be fully recharged in four hours from a 220-volt charger at a cost of as little as $4 in the States. The company is also looking at the possibility of investing in a battery-swap infrastructure at service stations, though that would require significant government aid.
Performance isn’t too shabby, either: the Model S will hit 60mph in 5.6 seconds and nail the quarter-mile in 14 seconds flat, though top speed is a more modest 120mph. Tesla boss Elon Musk says that a later ‘Sport’ version will manage the 60mph in significantly under five seconds, putting the Model S right into M3/C63 AMG performance territory.
The Model S is significantly larger than both, however. It sits between the BMW 5- and 7-Series in length, with five full-sized seats plus a pair of occasional, rear-facing child seats in the boot. Given the slant of the rear deck, they’ll be very, very occasional seats. There’s kit on board, too: Tesla is promising a 17-inch flatscreen display and 3G internet access.
Tesla is quoting a list price of just under $50,000 in the US, which includes a $7,500 green tax break. That translates to about £40,000, though it’d be optimistic to imagine the Model S will be that cheap if it reaches the UK.
Prepare for a long wait, though. Even US customers won’t get their Model Ss any time before 2012 – Tesla has struggled to keep up with demand for the Roadster, while financial restructuring within the company has further slowed operations. Here’s hoping it can deliver.
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that looks really good. but i think tesla should change to hydrogen instead of electric but the styling is brillent
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So they outed a great designer, realised they had no ideas, and just copied a Quattroporte (front) and a Jaguar XF (rest), and they also claim great things when it just won't be as good as a petrol equivalent, especially as it will be priced like a much faster car that goes waaaay further - 'claimed mile range's are the new 'claimed mpg', i.e. LIES - and be too heavy. And the 6th & 7th seats are surely a joke. I hate Tesla.
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So they outed a great designer, realised they had no ideas, and just copied a Quattroporte (front) and a Jaguar XF (rest), and they also claim great things when it just won't be as good as a petrol equivalent, especially as it will be priced like a much faster car that goes waaaay further - 'claimed mile range's are the new 'claimed mpg', i.e. LIES - and be too heavy. And the 6th & 7th seats are surely a joke. I hate Tesla.
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wow loving this! brilliant idea Tesla i usually hate electric cars but this one cool!
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That is one PRETTY car....lovely. Hope it's more reliable though, and I'd rather hydrogen/power brakes/solarpaintcoat than electric, but good effort...
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@ginger: Hydrogen, schmydrogen. @article: Roadster's electric motor is not liquid-cooled BTW.
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?Model Ss? ? it's a good thing this isn't a German car. ?Listen, don't mention the war! I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it all right.?
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Is it me, or does this thing's looks have a hint of the Aston Rapide about it? Anyway... Black_Stig you're right it has an air cooled engine and thermally managed - heated or cooled on demand - cells. In the right place for weight distribution this time too. As for hydrogen, can everyone please just read 'Nazi Sharks' - Google it or http://www.claverton-energy.com/download/289/ - so I don't have to keep putting up the link Cheers
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Imagine! An electric car that doesn't look weird! The "child seats" are overly optimistic but it promises good cargo space in the back. Oh, please let this car work in real life.
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This is such a stupid concept I hope they fail. And they will. Noone wants big electric cars, we use big cars to go places far away, which electric cars cant do, as suggested by the range, and the laughable time it takes to charge is ridiculous. You're not going to take that car for a riviera holiday to france, are you? At the moment electric cars can only ever be urban run-arounds because of the limited range and excessive recharging times. This car is completely useless, the technology we have to hand at the minute renders it pointless.
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Aww, it is so beautiful! Almost as good as the Aston DB9! If only it wasn't electric - what IS the point of electric cars? I mean, where do people think electricity comes from in the first place?
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Cars like this will work, but it is still a few years out. There is nothing to say that you won't be able to replace the current battery pack with ultracapacitors in a few years. Also, MIT just figured out a much faster way to charge Lithium Ion batteries. Eventually they will manage to get the charge times down, and the driving range will only get better. This car is useless? Have you ever been to LA? It will work just fine for the initial target market.
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Its target market is in a city? I'd think not, its huge, a little car like a mini or something of equal size would possibly be a little bit better than a mammoth of a car in urban surroundings...
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It it not time to make a review of Think City and join the 21st century? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMF2zn4IxLY
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Afaque commented on this article
31 March 2009
This looks like it might actually work... Tesla is starting to finally put some much needed faith in an electric future!
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