Ryan and Veronica check out the Tesla Model S in Menlo Park
Tesla Model S – Click above for high-res image gallery
Engadget readers and Tekzilla viewers will surely be familiar with the names Ryan Block and Veronica Belmont. The ex-Honcho of the gadget blog with the same corporate overlords as ABG and his companion, the co-host of the tech oriented TZ live in the Bay Area and had the opportunity to swing past the Tesla store in Menlo park this weekend. Since pretty much all work on the Model S (save some powertrain development) has been on hold for the last several months until the company gets another cash infusion, Tesla is taking the first prototype and the styling buck that were shown in Santa Monica a few months ago on a road show to try and drum up sales. Ryan and Veronica checked out the massive touch screen control panel and he, at least, was impressed. No word on Veronica's response although Ryan is considering following in his former boss Jason Calacanis's footsteps and ordering one. Ryan's video tour is after the jump. BTW, yes, it is a slow news day.
Gallery: Tesla Model S
Gallery: Tesla Model S: LIVE REVEAL
[Source: Ryan Block]
Tesla Model S hands-on from Ryan Block on Vimeo.
Paying a visit to the Menlo Park Tesla dealership for a one-day-only opportunity to check out (and sit in) their new all-electric Model S sedan.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rishard Chapoteau 6:48PM (4/12/2009)
No Wonder the car costs so much with all of those crazy features. I would have been much more interested in the car if it was about 10k less. Hopefully they will work on a not so crazy edition soon.
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caramelzappa 6:31PM (4/13/2009)
If the car was 10k or less? This is a sports car from a starting company using brand new technology. Even the big guys like Honda and Ford don't have a sedan for less than 10k, using their ridiculous resources and old, relatively cheap technology. This car gets 0-60 in 5 seconds, it's a sports car from a new company. 10k? Keep dreaming.
Rishard Chapoteau 6:34PM (4/13/2009)
I'm saying 10k less then its current price. Not for under 10k.
tinman 7:37PM (4/12/2009)
Makes the Volt look like the tin can 4-seater that it is. I find this machine amazingly gorgeous. I can see myself driving while cracking jokes with the hottie Sarah Lacy sitting in the passenger side. What a sassy little dynamo she is.
I don't think it's to expensive either. Probably save you a grand a year in fuel expense alone ($3 fuel, 12K miles, 25 mpg equivalent rig).
Bravo, please continue to upset the industry. Engineers = 5% of program cost yet drive 75-80% of final product cost. It's all about the idea Mr. Stross.
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Chris H. 12:06AM (4/13/2009)
Total cost of ownership, over the lifespan of the vehicle, should be about the same as a $35k vehicle, according to Tesla.
Keep in mind that you will be spending much less on fuel and maintenance than you would with an equivalent ICE sedan.
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Ralph 12:18AM (4/13/2009)
May be true, but the question that I have not seen answered is how long will this type of battery pack last? I don't think anyone knows at this point, so it makes sense to add the cost of a new battery pack to the equation if anyone intend to keep the car past the warranty period.
SteveCT 7:14PM (4/13/2009)
According to Tesla, the battery can be expected to last 5-7 years, and up to 10 if very well cared-for.
weston 11:11PM (4/12/2009)
Me like electric Maserati.
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Tohe 12:17AM (4/13/2009)
Tesla NAILED it with the Model S.
And remember this car will NEVER drip oil on your driveway : )
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Tohe 5:49AM (4/13/2009)
BTW big thanks to Ryan and Veronica for the video + pictures.
Herm 9:46AM (4/13/2009)
You have never seen a lithium cell spew its guts out, trust me, its messy goo.. reminds me of a sea cucumber.. when you pick one up it spews its intestines out to save itself.. probably grosses out the predator :)
The LiFe A123 cells are pretty benign, they pop their aluminum end cap and vent the electrolyte.. other chemistries can be more dramatic and actually burst into flames if abused, shooting out jets of burning hydrogen.
Joshua Santos 12:51AM (4/13/2009)
I also got to sit in the Model S! Earlier that day I was in downtown Menlo Park admiring a new Maserati sports sedan. Guess what, I think the Model S looks even better. They are going to replace the blue neon lights with white ones, since the blue lights are not street legal, but other than that the production version should look pretty close to what's on the floor!
The interior features some very nice leather and one of the best steering wheels I've ever felt. Of course the screen is amazing. It wasn't fully functional as you could see in the video, but you could control music playback. The backup camera seemed partially functioning. Also, the interface itself should be upgradeable.
Amazing inside and out... you really have to see it in person to appreciate it. It is much larger than it looks, maybe 3-6 inches longer and 2-4 inches wider than my ES350. The trunk is massive. For an electric car this large to get a 0-60 of 5.6s and a range of up to 300miles is pretty amazing. I'm 90% positive that this will be my next car.
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Chris H. 1:03AM (4/13/2009)
Ralph,
good point. From what I've heard the pack should be good for 5-7 years, depending on usage. The Roadster's pack is warranted for 100,000 miles, but I think that they haven't released warranty info on Model S yet.
This is from Tesla's Model S FAQs:
"How long will the battery last?
a. Battery life is dependent on many factors, including; mileage, age, temperature extremes, and charge cycles. In general you should expect a Model S battery to have a useful life between 5 and 7 years, but proper care can result in a 10-year life."
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Sam Abuelsamid 8:53AM (4/13/2009)
Chris, the battery is NOT warrantied for 100,000 miles. The base warranty on the Roadster is 3 years/36,000 miles including the battery pack. An extended warranty for an extra 3 years is available for $5,000 extra and a replacement battery can be pre-purchased for $12,000. The current cost for a Roadster battery replacement is $30,000.
SRSCHRIER 12:04PM (4/13/2009)
Neat looking Tesla-S, as a second or third car. But for most people living on a budget investing in one new car that provides both the cost savings of all-electric local commutes and convenience of highly fuel efficient cross country travel probably looks more attractive. Without a convenient standardized nationwide electrical recharging system for electric cars (years away from happening), all-electrics remain niche products. While the Chevy Volt doesn't have have the styling appeal of the Tesla-S, GM's Voltec REV approach provides more substantial convenience. Cadillac's new Converj REV concept shows the styling potential.
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jzj 12:14PM (4/13/2009)
In response to blogger Sam's critical comment re the battery pack, here is the blurb from Tesla re the S battery pack which ABG printed a week ago: "They are finalizing the warranty, and expect it to be 3-4 years for the car and 7-10 years for the battery pack. They expect replacement battery packs to come in at 'well under $5000' according to Elon."
Let's have some consistency in your reporting, please.
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Sam Abuelsamid 1:57PM (4/13/2009)
I was responding to the statement that the ROADSTER battery is warranted for 100,000 miles, which is untrue. As for the $5,000 future replacement cost of the Model S battery pack anything that Musk says at this point about the future cost is pure speculation and should be taken with a big grain of salt.
Bill 9:08PM (4/13/2009)
Another hand-built prototype.
Who exactly will be mass-producing these on an automated assembly line?
Or will they just turn out a few dozen per year as w/ the Roadster?
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Rick 9:15AM (4/14/2009)
My concern with the screen is two fold. 1) how much glare there is-at that size, it will pick up light from every angle and from all the videos so far, that lack of an anti-glare screen is killing it with reflections. 2) The screen seems to be a low cost LCD because at night (night video of first test drive) the dash and screen were as bright as a 40w bulb. It was extremely bright from the backlight and a 'night' mode with dim and/or backlight reduction needs to be implemented. Also the black levels in the LCD were horrible (which is why I said cheap and so bright) and a better LCD tech would do wonders for the digital displays.
If in bumper to bumper traffic, how badly does the/a battery drain while not moving? Theoretically, could you run out of juice stuck in traffic?
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Mark 3:23AM (6/01/2009)
Is it just me? I still have trouble figuring out how they can fit two child seats back in the trunk... otherwise a superb attempt at making green driving something to look forward to.
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