1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Tesla Model S: 300 Mile Range Seven Seat EV Sedan for under $50k

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Danny, Mar 26, 2009.

  1. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2003
    7,093
    2,100
    1,174
    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Yesterday afternoon Tesla dropped a bomb on the electric car world by revealing the Model S concept. Set to hit the streets in late 2011, the Model S features up to 300 miles in range, space for 5 adults and 2 children, a 17-inch touchscreen LCD instrument panel, and a 45-minute fast charge capability, all starting at under $50,000 after a $7,500 federal EV tax credit. Here are the highlights from Tesla:
    • - 300 mile range
    • - 45 minute QuickCharge
    • - 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds
    • - Seats 7 people
    • - More Cargo space than station wagons
    • - 2X as efficient as hybrids
    • - 17 inch infotainment touchscreen
    With a 300-mile range and 45-minute QuickCharge, the $49,900 Model S can carry five adults and two children in quiet comfort – and you can charge it from any outlet, without ever stopping for gas. World’s first mass-produced electric vehicle offers performance, efficiency and unrivaled utility, making it the only car you’ll ever need. Tesla Model S Photo Gallery [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG] The Model S will be able to charge from 120V, 240V, or 48 0V plug and has a swappable battery that can be changed out in 5 minutes. Rumor is that extended range batteries will be available for rent through Tesla dealerships should you only need an extended range battery a few times a year. From a geek perspective, the coolest feature may be the 17-inch LCD center instrument panel which comes complete with always-on 3G connectivity, Google Maps, USB & iPod connections - basically anything you could ever want in an in-car audio system. [​IMG] Check out more pictures at Gizmodo. Interested yet? All it takes is a $5,000 deposit. PriusChat's own efusco has already put his down - will you?
     
  2. Fibb222

    Fibb222 New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2006
    1,499
    99
    0
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
  3. dr_d12

    dr_d12 Member

    Joined:
    May 26, 2008
    154
    13
    1
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    Isn't a Taurus worth more like $25,000? I don't like creative accounting in advertising.

    This model S is a beautiful car, I wish I made more money!
     
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    Wow.. full touchscreen.


    Ok now, of ALL the cruise control switches in the world, they chose the MB one?!?! Ugh. It's unergonomically designed!
     
  5. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2005
    3,156
    440
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Europe
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    if this car comes out at $50k, even $60k, with those features, I will buy 2.
    I am not kidding.

    But it will be bigger, have bigger battery and more features than their Elise based vehicle that they just jacked up price to over 100k? does not compute.
     
  6. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    nice car and excellent taste in music. i wish it were coming out a year earlier.
     
  7. SanZan

    SanZan Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2005
    68
    7
    0
    Location:
    Japan
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    Err, seats seven?
     
  8. hampdenwireless

    hampdenwireless Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2005
    1,104
    86
    0
    Location:
    Baltimore MD
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    Yes. I saw that too. 5 adults and two children. I think they will take that statement back not too long from now.

    I am impressed though the site clearly says that the smaller battery (160 miles) is included in the base price, not the 300 mile battery.

    The base battery will probably not quick charge in 45 minutes either.
     
  9. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2003
    19,891
    1,191
    9
    Location:
    Nixa, MO
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    My $5000 reservation deposit has been submitted!!!! It seats 5 adults + 2 kids...are you kidding me?! I'm completely fired up to enter the world of full EVs!! If all goes as planned this will sit in the garage of my brand new all green solar + wind + geothermal powered home!!
     
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    Nice!!

    Remember the Volvo 850 Estate? Or the Mercury Sable Wagon/Ford Taurus Wagon? They both had jumper seats in the cargo area.
     
  11. Fibb222

    Fibb222 New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2006
    1,499
    99
    0
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    Yes it did. We had that very wagon.
     
  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    And I sat in that 3rd row in one of my friend's parents' Volvo. lol
     
  13. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    great price, but i dont see how we can get 7 in there
     
  14. ewhanley

    ewhanley New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2007
    247
    10
    0
    Location:
    Anchorage, AK
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    Yeah, I thought that was a rather odd feature. I suppose most mid to large size sedans can fit 10 or 12 people if you arrange them properly (stacked like cordwood?), but did they really think this would be necessary to make the sale? I think the car is incredible, and I am extremely tempted to put down a deposit. That being said, I have to question the safety of the passengers in the rumble seat.

    I'm sure you really can stuff two kids in the hatch, but the feature sounds something like:
    'Here at Chevrolet, all our pick-ups come equipped with a swimming pool, you simply fill the bed with your garden hose...'
     
  15. robbyr2

    robbyr2 New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2008
    1,198
    149
    0
    Location:
    Commerce City, CO
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Re: Tesla unveils four-door electric sedan

    But if you want one delivered here in Colorado with similar options (and it could go higher if you went for AWD), a Taurus listed at $32385 (build-your-own).
     
  16. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2003
    7,093
    2,100
    1,174
    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    A new story entry has been added:

    Tesla Model S: 300 Mile Range Seven Seat EV Sedan for under $50k

     
  17. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2003
    7,093
    2,100
    1,174
    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Just posted to the front page...

    Regarding the 7 seats, I can totally see it. The car will have 2 trunks - the one in the hatchback and one in the front. Without knowing the size of the trunk up front, it's possible for you to use that front trunk for bags or whatever and still fit 2 little guys in the back. I rode in the rear jumpseat of a Volvo through middle school.
     
  18. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2007
    3,355
    299
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Re: Volvo's rear-facing third row

    rear crash protection, VCNA

    According to our Safety Engineers, in most five passenger automobiles this makes the rear center seating
    position arguable the "safest" if it is equipped with a three-point seat belt. Statistics show that the
    majority of all impacts are frontal, making the rear seat position more desirable. The next most frequent
    type of accident is the side impact. Here, the center position in the rear seat is the farthest from the
    potential points of impact. Again, contributing to the safety of this position when a three-point belt is
    fitted and used. I believe it is important to understand the concepts I have stated to appreciate the risks and merits of our
    optional rear facing third seat. The optional seat has been designed with the same attention to safety as
    all of the other seating positions in a Volvo. It is solidly built and firmly bolted to the vehicle structure. It
    has built in head restraints and three-point self-adjusting seat belts. It is designed to carry 2 children up
    to 88 pounds each in weight.

    As I have stated, the most frequent type of accident is a frontal impact. In such an accident the third seat
    is the farthest from the point of impact and since the seating is rear facing, it allows the occupants to
    dissipate the crash energy across their entire back which produces even less body loading than a seat
    belt would produce. In the second most frequent type of accident, the side impact, the two occupants of
    the third seat sit between the rear wheel wells with the extra structure of the rear axle outside them and
    extra distance to either side of the car. U.S. government statistics show that frontal impacts account for
    over 50% of all accidents while side impacts total about 28%.

    I realize that your concern lies with rear impacts which account for only 10% of all accidents. The body of
    a Volvo station wagon is designed to manage crash energy in a different way than our sedans. It is more
    rigid and designed to help dissipate the crash energy forward to more of the structure of the vehicle. The
    impact in the rear is also lighter than frontal due to the fact that normally both vehicles move in the same
    direction, or one is standing still. In laboratory tests, instrumented dummies simulating occupants of the
    proper size, under 88 pounds, wearing their restraints experienced no significant indications of head,
    torso, or leg injuries with a rear impact flat barrier at 30 miles per hour. In fact, this seat complies with the
    performance requirements stipulated by government safety authorities in both the U.S. and Europe..
     
  19. Fibb222

    Fibb222 New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2006
    1,499
    99
    0
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Hello Better Place!!!
    from Tesla Motors CEO: Model S is cheaper than it looks | Green Tech - CNET News
     
  20. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    wow this is really making it tough to decide what to do. EV options appear to be plentiful, but as always still 2 years away. makes it tough to plan... can get the RAV4 EV conversion, slightly more expensive, slightly less range, but available in 2 months, not 2 years.

    decisions, decisions, DECISIONS!!