2012 Tesla Model S
Posted by admin on 20 Apr 2010
Tesla is planning to introduce a sporty EV sedan, currently called the Model S, for the 2012 model year. The Model S will be Tesla’s second model which will join the Roadster sports car. Tesla has not announced the on-sale date, but the new vehicle will go into production in late 2011 and will appear in the market as a 2012 model year vehicle.
The Model S is a five-door vehicle that will be capable of carrying up to seven passengers. The new vehicle will also be built solely by Tesla unlike the company’s first model – the Lotus Elise-based Roadster.
The Model S will be powered by a water-cooled electric motor and will have a coefficient of drag of a low 0.26. The two of these features combined will allow the vehicle to reach 60 mph in 5.6 seconds and have a maximum speed of 130 mph. A future sport version is also planned that has a predicted 0-60 time in the 4 seconds range. The first Model S will be a rear-drive vehicle. However, Tesla does plan to offer an all-wheel-drive option in the future.
Tesla claims that the new vehicle will be available with a variety of battery pack options – 160-mile, 220-mile, and 300-mile range options. The 300-mile option will be an increased range capability over the smaller Roadster which has a 244-mile maximum range. The battery pack will weight in the region of 1200 lbs. The body panels are lightweight aluminum and so is the majority of the chassis. The complete vehicle will weigh approximately 3825 lbs.
The 2012 Tesla Model S will have other state of the art technologies features in addition to the battery electric technology. The Model S will come with a 17 inch touch-screen infotainment system that is fully programmable like a desktop computer.
The Model S will rival other EVs – electric vehicles – as well as traditional luxury vehicles like the BMW 5-Series. The Model S 160-mile battery pack option is expected to retail for approximately $50,000 after tax credits. The vehicle will be built in Southern California. Telsa is already taking orders and is expecting to produce approximately 20,000 Model S vehicles per year.
