Tuesday, September 11, 2012

2012 Tesla Model S

This is the car that's going to change everything. One day we'll look back upon this car as the 21st century's equivalent to the model T, the car that changed everything we know about how a car works and how we interact with our automobiles. This is the car that might actually make the younger up and coming generations interested in driving. This is because this is the first no compromise and practical application of the all electric automobile. Coles notes: you can go 300 miles (482 km) on a charge, 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, a top speed of 130 miles per hour, and a 17" (yes, you read the right) touch screen interface that makes the iPad look like a kids toy. Not to mention a revolutionary charging system that will charge the car in 30 minutes (still to be released). Most importantly however...it looks ridiculously badass; straddling the worlds of stodgy upper class motor carriage and down right menace on road nicely. The company founder and president, Elon Musk, wants every car that leaves the factory to be perfect, and is known to spot check the final production models to be sure they are to his exacting standards. Of note, everyone he has checked has gone back for being less than a millimetre out of tolerance. He believes the consumers have become lulled into accepting mediocrity, and that we should expect more from the things we buy, including our cars. He has been told that you can't run a car company like that, and he said "watch me." Of note, when he's not busy with Tesla, Elon is busy running SpaceX, a civilian run rocket and space vehicle company that has everyone in the space industry, including Nasa, taking notice. Now who better than that to design your next car. Of note, the Model S doesn't come cheap, as the one above comes in a a shade just over $103,000. What you have to bear in mind is that this is the first iteration of a car like this. Elon's goal is to get a car like this into the hands of everyone. The folks at Autoblog got to spend some time with the above pictured car, and have written extensively about their impressions...which (spoiler alert) were glowingly positive. You can read the article, and see the many, many pictures here.

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