Tesla has been turning heads with their Roadster and Roadster Sport for a while: they’re quick sports cars with a lot of power, the electric vehicle for people who don’t want to drive a tiny little micro car. Then they caught everyone’s attention with the Tesla Model S, a sedan that will start delivering in July 2012 and, while not quite as zippy as the Roadster, still offered a lot of bang and luxury for the buck, especially from a sedan.
And now Tesla is preparing to release its idea of a sport utility vehicle: the Tesla Model X. But what makes it distinct from all the other hybrids and electric SUVs on the road. As it turns out, quite a bit.
First, there’s the styling. The Model X doesn’t look like a chunky SUV, but a sleek, slightly larger sedan. That’s because the Model X is built on the Model S, sharing 60% of the technology. The result is an SUV that’s got a low center of gravity and just a little more style than your average suburban machine.
Or you think it’s just a little more style until you open the back doors and discover it has gull wing doors, yes, just like the DeLorean. Unlike the DeLorean, though, those gull wings are more than just a pretty design: Tesla chose them to allow passengers easy access to the third row of seats in the back. Instead of having to climb into the second row and duck-walk back, you can just step in. This also makes it easier to park the Model X: if you’re in a tighter spot that you’d like, the doors opening up makes a real difference.
The thoughtfulness of the design extends beyond just seating. The Model X has front and back trunks, for extra hauling without sacrificing passenger space. Meanwhile, the front is designed to give the driver a panoramic view of the road, making it easy to spot incoming hazards or problems, and has Tesla’s touchscreen, used for maps, weather, radio tuning, and all those other useful functions.
But what’s under the hood? A powerful set of engines. The Model X comes with rear wheel, all wheel drive, and “performance”…which goes from 0 to 60 in under five seconds. But even the basic rear-wheel drive is pretty impressive: that electric motor has 300 horsepower with an instantaneous power train, and that’s before you add a second motor to the front. That second motor turns the Model X into practically a sports car in its own right, increasing torque by 50%, and that’s before any of Tesla’s promised performance enhancements.
Still, when it comes to electric vehicles, the question in everyone’s mind is “How far can I go before the battery dies?” The good news? Pretty far. The Model X is promised to have a range of 215 to 265 miles per charge, depending on the battery you use. To keep costs down, Tesla is offering two battery packs: a 60 kilowatt and an 85 kilowatt.
Also, there won’t be as long of a wait to get the Model X charged up. Tesla offers dual on-board chargers, offering an enormous 20 kilowatts between them and giving you 60 miles per hour of charge. For contrast, the Nissan Leaf’s charger barely offers three kilowatts. The tradeoff, though, is that you might need to have a charger specially installed in your garage; 20 kilowatts is a lot of juice.
How much will owning a Tesla cost? You pay for luxury: it starts at around $60,000 and goes up to $100,000. Oh, and you’ll need to put down a $5000 reservation to buy one. On the other hand, with all the style and power behind it, it might be one EV that’s worth the price… and the additional auto insurance premiums.
