Tesla Model S: Electrifying The U.S Roads


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I had heard a lot of buzz about the Tesla but recently had the opportunity to check one out in detail. Quite frankly the quality blew me off, its in the big league - its an absolute show stopper as far as finish goes, reeks quality every square cm - photos don't do as much justice as its road presence practically is! No wonder its becoming a rage in the US(with the rich!) with a waiting period which used to be as high as an year, though in recent times it has come down

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Something about Tesla from Wiki :-

"Tesla Motors, Inc. is an American company that designs, manufactures and sells electric cars and electric vehicle power-train components.Tesla Motors is a public company that trades on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol TSLA. After 10 years, Tesla posted profits for the first time during the first quarter of 2013.
Tesla Motors first gained widespread attention by producing the Tesla Roadster, the first fully electric sports car.The company's second vehicle was the Model S, a fully electric luxury sedan.
Tesla also markets electric powertrain components, including lithium-ion battery packs, to automakers, including Daimler and Toyota. Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, has said he envisions Tesla as an independent automaker,aimed at eventually offering electric cars at a price affordable to the average consumer"

Elon Musk is a legend now in his own right, Tesla as a brand is what Apple is in mobile phones, its premium, its uber cool , its a status symbol and its the environment friendly. Prius was the green car of choice before, its the Tesla now. Tesla has become a technology brand and not just another electric car. And yes its expensive!

Tesla is to electric vehicles what Kona Nigari is to bottled water or Da Hong Pao is to tea![:D]

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More about them from Wiki

"Tesla Motors is named after electrical engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla.The Tesla Roadster uses an AC motor descended directly from Tesla's original 1882 design.
The Tesla Roadster, the company's first vehicle, is the first production automobile to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production EV with a range greater than 200 miles (320 km) per charge.Between 2008 and March 2012, Tesla sold more than 2,250 Roadsters in 31 countries. Tesla stopped taking orders for the Roadster in the U.S. market in August 2011.
Tesla unveiled the Tesla Model S all-electric sedan on March 26, 2009. As of March 2013, Tesla employed almost 3,000 full-time employees."

More about the Tesla Model S from Wiki :

"The Tesla Model S is a full-sized electric five-door hatchback produced by Tesla Motors. First shown to the public at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show as a prototype, retail deliveries started in the United States in June 2012. The Model S was released in Europe in early August 2013, and the first deliveries took place in Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official range for the Model S Performance model equipped with an 85 kWh lithium-ion battery pack is 265 miles (426 km), topping the Tesla Roadster and making the Model S the electric car with the greatest range available in the market. The EPA range for the model with the 60 kW·h battery is 208 mi (335 km). EPA's energy consumption is rated at 237.5 W·h per kilometre (38 kW·h/100 mi) for a combined fuel economy of 89 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (2.64 L/100 km). Tesla had also scheduled the release of a base model with a smaller 40 kW·h battery expected to deliver a range of 160 miles (260 km) but decided against this entry-level model, citing low demand.
Tesla allocated the first 1,000 sedans off the production line to a Signature and Signature Performance limited edition, equipped with the 85 kW·h battery pack, and priced in the U.S. at US$95,400 and US$105,400 respectively, before any applicable U.S. federal and local government tax credits and incentives. The base Model S starts at US$69,900 with a 60 kW·h battery pack up to US$79,900 with the 85 kW·h pack before any government subsidies. global sales of the Model S passed the 25,000 unit mark in December 2013, with the U.S as the leading market with about 20,600 units sold,followed by Norway with 1,986 units, the Netherlands with 1,192 units,and Canada with 733 units through December 2013. The Model S became the first electric car to top the monthly sales ranking in any country, as the car led new car sales in Norway twice, first in September and again in December 2013. The Model S ranked as the third top selling plug-in electric car in the U.S. market in 2013,and also the third best selling all-electric car in Europe.
The Tesla Model S has won numerous awards and recognition such as the 2013 World Green Car of the Year, 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year, Automobile Magazine's 2013 Car of the Year, Time Magazine Best 25 Inventions of the Year 2012 award, Consumer Reports' top-scoring car ever."

Some images attached, though its on display in specific showrooms in malls, it can only be bought online.

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Some interior shots attached, its super premium and uber cool :-

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The chassis displayed at the showroom , the lithium ion pack is embedded within.

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There is luggage space space in both boot and bonnet space hence as the electric motor is hosted on the rear axle. Boot has 2 extra child seats as well, and surprisingly it is spacious, seats would be rear facing though.
 
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Thread Starter #2
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Re: Tesla Model S : The happening car in USA!

Specifications :-

Additional Dimensions

Head room (front/rear): 38.8/35.3"
Leg room (front/rear): 42.7/35.4"
Shoulder room (front/rear): 57.7/55.0"
Hip room (front/rear): 55.0/54.7"
Seating capacity: 5 adults
Total cargo volume: 31.6 cu ft
Rear cargo volume (seats up/down): 26.3/58.1 cu ft
Front trunk cargo volume: 5.3 cu ft
Turning circle: 37 ft
Curb weight: 4,647.3 lbs
Weight distribution (%, front/rear): approx. 48/52

Body

Lightweight aluminum body reinforced with high strength, boron steel elements
UV and infrared blocking safety glass windshield
Rain sensing, adjustable speed windshield wipers
Frameless, tempered safety glass front windows
Solar absorbing, laminated safety glass rear window with defroster
Flush mounted door handles
Manual folding side mirrors
19" aluminum alloy wheels with all-season tires (Goodyear Eagle RS-A2 245/45R19)
Aluminum roof
Xenon headlights with automatic on/off
Backlit side turn signals, front side marker lights and rear reflex lights
LED rear taillights and high-mounted LED stop lamp

Powertrain

Model S is a rear wheel drive electric vehicle. The liquid-cooled powertrain includes the battery, motor, drive inverter, and gear box.
60 kWh microprocessor controlled, lithium-ion battery
Three phase, four pole AC induction motor with copper rotor
Drive inverter with variable frequency drive and regenerative braking system
Single speed fixed gear with 9.73:1 reduction ratio

Suspension, Steering, and Brakes

Double wishbone, virtual steer axis coil spring front suspension and independent multi-link coil spring rear suspension
Variable ratio, speed sensitive, rack and pinion electronic power steering
Electronic Stability Control
Traction Control
Anti-Lock disc brakes (ABS) with ventilated rotors and electronically actuated parking brake; front: 355 mm x 32 mm; rear: 365 mm x 28 mm

Charging

10 kW capable on-board charger with the following input compatibility: 85-265 V, 45-65 Hz, 1-40 A (Optional 20 kW capable Twin Chargers increases input compatibility to 80 A)
Peak charger efficiency of 92%
10 kW capable Universal Mobile Connector with 110 V, 240 V, and J1772 adapters

Interior

Twelve way, power adjustable, heated front seats
Hand wrapped microfiber and synthetic leather interior surfaces in black
Piano black décor accents
Center armrest with two cup holders
Open center console storage area
Metal interior door handles
60/40 split fold-down second row seats
200 watt, seven speaker stereo system with AM/FM/HD radio. Supports MP3, AAC, and MP4 music formats. System includes four speakers, two tweeters and one center channel speaker.

Instrumentation

17" capacitive touchscreen with media, communication, cabin, and vehicle controls
Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling and streaming music
Three spoke, multi-function steering wheel with tactile controls
Tire pressure monitoring system

Warranty

Four year or 50,000 mile, whichever comes first, new vehicle limited warranty
60 kWh battery has an eight year or 125,000 mile, whichever comes first, battery warranty
85 kWh battery has an eight year, unlimited mile battery warranty
Both battery warranties cover damage from improper charging procedures and battery fire, even if the fire results from driver error

Convenience

Keyless entry
Driver seat detection sensor for start/stop functionality
Cruise Control
High definition backup camera
Manual rear liftgate
Power tilt and telescopic steering column
Power windows featuring one-touch up and down with resistance reversing to protect against pinched fingers
Micro-filter ventilation system with replaceable filters
Front LED map lights and rear LED reading lights
Front sun visors
Front trunk and rear cargo area with keyless open
12 V power outlet
Automatic climate control with dual zone temperature settings, air distribution controls and recirculation
Glove compartment
Wi-Fi ready
Dual front USB ports for media and power

Safety

Eight airbags: head, knee and pelvis airbags in the front plus two side curtain airbags
Driver and front passenger seat sensors
Driver seat position sensor
Three point driver and front passenger safety belts with retractor pretensioners and secondary lap anchor pretensioners and load limiters
Three point second row safety belts for all three seats
Acoustic front row safety belt warning
Rollover crash sensor
Crash sensor for high voltage disconnect
Three second row LATCH attachments for child seat installations (accommodates three child seats simultaneously: two with LATCH and one with top tether and belt)
Rear door child safety locks
Interior, manual release mechanism for all doors, front trunk, and rear cargo area
Anti-theft alarm and immobilizer system
Horn. Beep. Beep.

Specs sourced from http://www.teslamotors.com/models/specs
 
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350Z

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Re: Tesla Model S : The happening car in USA!

What is this? :biggrin: Tesla has always set new standards in the EV segment. Model S looks to be a no exception. Premiumness of this car is oozing from the images itself. I assume these images were clicked on their dealership. Did you get a chance to drive one?

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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Re: Tesla Model S : The happening car in USA!

What is this? :biggrin: Tesla has always set new standards in the EV segment. Model S looks to be a no exception. Premiumness of this car is oozing from the images itself. I assume these images were clicked on their dealership. Did you get a chance to drive one?

Drive Safe,
350Z
I am guessing the CEO was a fan of roadrunner cartoon - beep beep!
I walked in at a dealership, hadnt booked a test drive, may be for the next time.

No car in recent times has made me gawk as much as this did - its simply phenomenal.

Here is a must watch video

Tesla Model S - Official Walkthrough HD - YouTube
 
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Tesla - The all electric luxury sedan

I happened to visit the stall of Tesla motors at a shopping mall. Tesla manufactures the first all electric luxury sedan. Thought it is not the first all electric car, this is the one with the best mileage range per charge. It has two battery options the 60 kWh and the 85 kWh.

Following is the range at specific speeds for both the the battery options.

Speed - 60kWh battery - 85kWh battery
45 mph - 287 miles - 358 miles
55 mph - 245 miles - 306 miles
70 mph - 190 miles - 240 miles

( Nissan Leaf is another all electric hatch for city commuting which has the range of about 30 miles per charge.)

Tesla has all the bells and whistles. The dash console comprises of a 17 inch HD touch screen. This is web enabled that allows browsing the internet.

It has 8 airbags - head, knee and pelvis airbags in the front plus two side curtain airbags.

As there is no engine underneath the hood, Tesla provides additional storage there.


Tesla model S with 60 kWh battery costs around 71 K USD. The model S with 85 kWh costs around 81 K USD.

The Federal govt provides a tax credit for $7,500. The state govt too provides incentives. The incentives for Tesla varies with the state.

Hope Indian govt too starts providing incentives for purchasing fuel efficient cars. :)

Combined federal and state incentives are as follows.

California - $10,000
Colorado - $13,500
Illinois - $11,500
Georgia - $12,500
Utah - $8,105
West Virginia - $15,000
All Other States - $7,500
In addition, New Jersey, Washington and DC have sales tax credits for electric vehicles.
 

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Tesla banned in NJ, TX, AZ!

Tesla banned in New Jersey, Texas and Arizona

In a major blow to the Tesla, the company has been banned from direct sales in the state of New Jersey, USA. This development comes soon after the company was banned to make direct sales in states of Arizona and Texas.

The ban has been initiated as a result of a law which prohibits the car companies from using direct sales model. If the reports are to be believed, the company might face a ban in the state of Ohio as well.

Source: businessinsider.com
 
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350Z

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Guess what? Tesla might be coming to Indian market in 2015. This is what their CFO, Deepak Ahuja, has stated (Source: Link)
India is a huge potential market where we need to be. I think sometime in 2015 seems to make sense to enter India, but it's difficult to make an official announcement.
Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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Tesla Shields Model S Underbody with Additional Titanium Armor .
The Californian maker of EVs says it is bringing the fire risk "down to virtually zero" with the installation of additional battery shields - three in total- on all cars manufactured from March 6. the three-layer protection starts with a hollow aluminum bar designed to either deflect objects entirely or absorb the impact, followed by a titanium plate that is said to have strength-to-weight properties similar to aerospace and military applications, while the third and last item is a shallow angle, solid aluminum extrusion that further absorbs impact energy.
The protective qualities of the underbody shields are substantial, but their effect on the overall structure of the vehicle is minimal.
Tesla Shields Model S Underbody with Additional Titanium Armor - Carscoops
 
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Don't know why but I am a really freelancer car owner. As I read some new car review, I obsessed to drive it. Same happen with this review also [;)].

Thanks for the detailed info with pics. My brother & sister purchased recently hybrid car in US, with tax benefit. Will ask them for the details.
 
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Don't know why but I am a really freelancer car owner. As I read some new car review, I obsessed to drive it. Same happen with this review also [;)].

Thanks for the detailed info with pics. My brother & sister purchased recently hybrid car in US, with tax benefit. Will ask them for the details.
In most of the states, the tax benefits are only for electric cars/ plugins. They revoked the tax benefits for hybrids.
 

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