Tesla Model S - will the electric limousine succeed?
California-based Tesla is becoming an increasingly important automotive company every month. Until recently, its offering included only the Roadster model, based on the Lotus Elise, but in the next few years, a small electric car and possibly an SUV will appear on the market. However, Tesla's next premiere is the Model S, an electric limousine that delivers great performance and plenty of space at a fairly affordable price. The car belongs to the upper middle class, which has been dominated by the Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6 for many years.
The American company approached the preparation of its new car quite rationally. Tesla's seasoned stylist didn't go for the bold bodyline, but the compact silhouette might appeal. Unfortunately, you can see a lot of borrowings from other brands - the front of the car seems to be straight from the Maserati GranTurismo, and the rear view also leaves no doubt - the Tesla designer liked the Jaguar XF and the whole Aston. Martin lineup. Franz von Holzhausen, the body designer of the Model S, had great cars like the Pontiac Solstice or the Mazda Kabura concept car, so he certainly could have tried to be more original. The interior isn't shockingly innovative either, and what you might like the most is the huge XNUMX-inch (sic!) touchscreen on the center console.
Tesla Roadster is available only to wealthy people - its price is almost $ 100, and for this amount you can buy many interesting, sports cars, for example, the Porsche 911 Carrera S. Model S, however, should be half the price! The projected price, including the $7500 tax credit, is $49, $900 more than the base (in the US) Mercedes E-Class with a 400-litre petrol engine. Tesla with Mercedes (as well as BMW and Audi) will compete not only in price, but also in space inside, because it is even slightly longer than a limousine from Stuttgart. The Model S cabin should accommodate as many as seven people - five adults and two children. The manufacturer also claims that their limousine will be the most spacious car in the class (there is an electric trunk both in the back and in the front).
Another Tesla advantage should also be performance. True, the maximum speed of 192 km / h does not surprise or impress anyone, but acceleration to hundreds in 5,6 seconds should satisfy almost everyone. The designers also ensure that the Tesla Model S can achieve five stars in the 2012 NHTSA crash test (the US version of EuroNCAP).
However, the biggest issue may be usability. Even the absence of an auxiliary gas engine means that one must remember to often "fill" the car with volts. A typical charge will take 3-5 hours. The manufacturer suggests that Tesla can be ordered in three battery capacities. The base version will provide a range of 160 miles (257 km), the intermediate version will provide 230 miles (370 km), and the top version will be equipped with a battery that guarantees a range of up to 300 miles (482 km). As with any modern electric vehicle, there will be a QuickCharge option available that fills the batteries in 45 minutes but requires a 480V outlet. a lot, and this causes problems in terms of long waits for battery charging and the location of QuickCharge stations.
Estimated Model S sales are 20 units. A more powerful version of the limousine is also planned for the future, as well as a more capacious battery pack with a range of up to km. Will the Tesla Model S be a success? One suspects that thanks to the fashion for eco-cars and a fairly affordable price, Tesla could strike a golden deal.
