I just read yet another glowing Tesla report, but this time from a news source that has been somewhat negative about them in the past (click on the above image if you want to read the article) – Jalopnik.
The title of this post and their article really says it all. Car shows are full of more and more of the same. Tesla offers something not just slightly different, but radically different. In fact the thing least different about the Model X is its body work.
I have already gone on record as predicting that by 2020 motor shows like Detroit will be all electric except for a few old school manufacturers confined to the «smoking room» out the back.
As a quick summary for those not familiar with the X: It is a van/SUV with Porsche Cayenne beating performance and space for 7 full-size adults and their luggage. It is 4WD using 2 electric motors and has a range of 450km or so. The middle row doors are «falcon wing» doors that pull up first and then extend out after. They make stand-up access easy and protect from the weather.
You won’t be putting a rack on the roof though, and the headroom requirements, while not as much as you might think, are still to be considered, in Spanish parking garages at least!
Of course the real revolution is more than just the car. Tesla provide road-trip recharging for free in key shopping malls and restaurants (you get 200kms of range if you take a 30 minute rest). They also sell you the car over the internet and deliver it to your door.
So starting 2014 you can take this car and cross the US, or the EU free of charge just about as fast as a regular car. But for little, or even one day, no CO2 output… doesn’t that sound like «the future»?
Drive & Dream 