Tesla Model S is the Electric Car of Our Dreams
We want to be as green as anyone, but when we stomp on the pedal, we want to feel the effects of WOT.
We love the Tesla Roadster. While none of us here have one, we all secretly lust for one for the sheer performance. Of course, the sticker and limited practicality keep us from owning one.
Enter the Tesla Model S sedan--the electric car for the man of tomorrow--or at least the man of late 2011 when it will enter production.
Earlier this week, Tesla Motors just revealed in its newsletter that the Model S will have an anticipated base price of $57,400. The price will effectively become $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500. The company also explained that because of relatively inexpensive maintenance and refueling, the lifetime ownership cost will be closer to cars with far lower sticker prices.
At today’s unveiling at the Tesla design studio inside the SpaceX rocket factory, in Hawthorne, California, we saw the sleek and sporty designed Model S sedan that will accommodate seating for seven.
Amazingly enough, this people mover will go from naught to sixty in just 5.5 seconds. You’re not going to get that from your minivan.
The Tesla Model S will have a 300 mile (484 km) range from its 8,000-cell “removable” battery pack. While charging an electric car isn’t as quick as pumping petrol into a tank, the battery power system does have a quick-charge feature that would give a usable range after just a 45-minute charge. A 220V outlet will fully charge the Model S in four hours.
Tesla is also considering a long range battery pack. No word yet if the long-range battery pack will give the car a “big butt” like extended batteries do for cell phones and notebooks.
The standard battery pack is expected to last between 7 to 10 years, and the vehicle will be covered under warranty for 3 to 4 years. Battery pack replacements are said to be below $5,000.
If the 5.5 second dash isn’t quick enough, Tesla said that there will a sport model that will make it to 60 in under 5. For those who want double the traction, there’s also an all-wheel-drive model in the works.
If all that isn’t enough whiz-bang for you, the Model S does away with button controls and instead replaces them with massive, touch-sensitive screens. The only possible criticism of such a system would be that the drive would lose the tactile feel of the buttons to change certain things while driving, but perhaps a voice-activated system and steering wheel mounted controls will mitigate that concern.
We want the Tesla Model S today, but unfortunately we’ll have to wait until the third quarter of 2011 before seeing a production model. Read more about it on Autobloggreen.
-
Previous News Article
Pirate Bay Launches Anonymous VPN -
Next News Article
Rumor: Skype for iPhone Next Week
$500 for a replacement battery pack? Could this be a typo?
This car is actually usable except for a trip; 484KM is plenty for the work week. Replacement batteries are under 500 bucks!
What’s the catch? OHHH The price tag which isn’t mentioned…. I will bet it costs more than $60,000
"The Tesla Model S will have a 300 mile (484 km) range from its 8,000-cell “removable” battery pack."
"A 220V outlet will fully charge the Model S in four hours."
Well its certainly good enough looking...
$500 for a replacement battery pack? Could this be a typo?
Thats what i was thinking, arent car battery packs more expensive? Even the ones for hybrids, which use much smaller packs, cost more than that.
From the autobloggreen link:
they are probably using new technology? it cant be a typo, im sure they thought the same thing when writing the review and double checked. batteries are getting more and more sophisticated each year, we just don't see it. Tesla probably took one of these new technologies and will go far with it.
Wow one of the best looking electric cars I've seen yet.I hope they can get the price down and a few more battery breakthroughs to get range up and the recharge time down.
$500 for a replacement battery pack? Could this be a typo?
My apologies. It was also written as $5000 at Autoblog until recently corrected. We've updated the article to reflect the new information.
+Want
That is a nice looking vehicle. Seats seven? Looks deceptively sleek, I'm guessing it's actually a fairly long body despite its Audi like qualities.
300 a week is more than plenty. I don't drive 300 every two weeks. That would be great. Plug in the car to charge every 14 days or so and not have to worry about it. Great design too.
Looks amazing. An excellent step towards better cars that appeal to the public. Next step is to make more efficient and faster charging batteries.
While still need a car with better range...hey I live in boonies that and I love to take road trips...this is by far the best looking electric car I have ever seen. Great performance and like the idea of a removable battery pack. Keep it up Tesla Motors!!!!
Mix this with the new nano-battery tech listed earlier that charges in 1 minute (and about 10 220v 30a circuits) and you have me sold, provided you can cram that much power in at once without it melting your battery.
Want. Funny thing is that this company needs no bailout, but it deserves funding more than all the rest. Sold out till 2010.
Wasn't this company acquired by Lotus?
$5000 every 10yrs isn't all that bad considering what you would spend in that time on a standard vehicle. Also that charge range is fairly standard as well. My concern is the range dropping as the cells degrade (well before the stated 10yrs) with longer charge cycles. Still the beauty of swapable battery packs will mean you can just slot in better tech as it becomes available. i know it still needs to get the juice from the grid so it is far from zero emissiond (probably even more than standard), but if everyone had electric vehicles, it would be easier to simply upgrade powerplants with green tech then all of the infrastructure will be green.
This car is one step closer to the car I will buy. Tesla has said the will start high end and slowly make new vehicles that cost roughly 1/2 of what the previous one cost.
Tesla Roadster - $100,000
Model S - $50,000
My first electric car (unannounced name and details) - $25,000
Important suggestion to all! - If this company goes public you should buy their stock. They get tons of media attention and at $50,000 a lot more people can afford them. When the release thier $25,000 car MANY, MANY more people will be able to afford this car at that point this company will grow extremely fast and you'll be able to cash in like it's the microsoft of cars.
I don't see a Ford Blue oval anywhere, lacking what stands out boldly on the electric car of my dreams.
Disclaimer - i live in Michigan, and my very livelihood is dependent on Ford.
-Gabe
Um- How the hell do you get seven bodies in that? 2 dead hookers in the trunk?
I've never been much of an environmentalist... but what do you do with the batteries when the car it's dead? It seems like a massive hunk of poison after that.
I've never been much of an environmentalist... but what do you do with the batteries when the car it's dead? It seems like a massive hunk of poison after that.
Great thing about LithIon batteries, they're over 90% recyclable. This car is going to sell thousands and thousands, if they can get over initial quality issues the roadster ran into. I would be more than happy buying this over a 5 series BMW, or an M3, if it has the handling it looks like it should have. If GM and Ford don't get it together, they'll be replaced with a better and smarter company. I think those two will get it together as long as they can get over this bump in the road.
regardless of what it's MSRP is, expect the dealers to take anotehr 20k on top of it... good ol stealerships. If this car is a maintenence free as it pretends, dealers will FOR SURE mark up the price, as you dont need oil changes, timing belts, waterpumps, etc.
SO when is the tomsharware review for this coming? ;-)
That thing looks pretty good(they dont show a front pic here,but you can find them elsewhere). Not my type of car, but its best looking sedan ive seen in a long long time. Too bad no interior pictures.
Hopefully they wont change the body from show to production tho.
The chevy volt looked pretty good too when they first showed it off. Then when they showed off the version they would actually build it ended up looking like crap, both inside and out.
Ya 60 grand, but until these things become mainstream they will carry a premium. Their first car was 110k, their next will probably be in the 20-30k range.
5k for a replacement battery is amazing. Even if they are talking about the 160 mile range one, thats a pretty big leap over previous designs.
I wonder why they aimed for the 60k mark tho.With a battery that cheap one would think they could easily make the 20k-30k mark.
Maserati just called, they want their style back. Just kidding, Obama should force GM to build these on contract.
Looks like a nice ride. I can't help but wonder how much lithium we're going to have to dispose of every 7-10 years. I'm guessing that part of the deal isn't too environmentally friendly. Could even be worse than burning oil, but not for global warming specifically.
never mind, looks like they have a recycling plan worked out, lets hope its not just a gimmick.
Volt who?
The design is a ripoff of Porsche Panamera.
The design is a ripoff of Porsche Panamera.
RIGHT, they copied the Panerama and had a working prototype within months of the Panerama's unveiling...