Tesla Motors is releasing the new wondercar, a fully electric speed-demon luxury sedan. It’s a car Automobile Magazine, after they tested and watched it beat a 560-hp BMW M5 in an impromptu drag race, the “car of the year.” Tesla motors simply calls it “The Model S.”
Tesla Motors attempts to “elevate the public’s expectation of what a car can be” with their fully electric, 5-seater sedan. The Model S sports a 4.4 second 0-100km acceleration, up to 425 km EPA certified range and, above all, zero emissions. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, says “we are not appropriately pricing the CO2 capacity of the oceans and atmosphere… the only way I could think to address that was with innovation.” Even though the ground-up premium electric vehicle is luxury, it’s for your own good.
Tesla motors attributes the speed and quality of their locomotion to the essential difference between the internal combustion engine and their electric powertrain. While the combustion engine has hundreds of moving parts all in relation, the powertrain has just one, the rotor. So acceleration, as they say, is instant, “like flipping a switch.” It’s also damn near silent.
Along with it’s electric specs the Model S also offers a unique and low to the ground suspension system (lightweight to optimize wheel control), air suspension, electronic power steering and a 17” touchscreen in the dashboard. Ooo. With an all glass panoramic roof and charge-port hidden in the driver’s side tail light, the car is optimally styled to the pinnacle of conscious luxury. A full charge takes 6 hours from a standard 240 watt outlet.
Chris Paine, director of Who Killed the Electric Car says “Model S is a remarkably important car. This car shows that it can be done and it will be done.” It’s also Motor Trend‘s “Car of the Year” and Consumer Reports calls it “the best car we’ve ever tested,” giving it a 99/100.
Base pricing for the Model S starts at $57,400 for the 40-kWh (kilowatt hour) version. The 85 starts at $77,400 and the Performance version of the sedan tops out at $92,400. Tax incentives of up to $8500 (CAD) are available in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.
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The Model S will be exhibited at the “Man on the Move” Pavilion at The Gentlemen’s Expo, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, November 22-24.
