The Tesla Model S
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| Two things: the base price is $59,900. Second, Tesla paid back the loan it received from the US Energy Department, in full, nine years early |
The new all-electric Tesla S sedan is not just the favorite of car magazines, now Consumer Reports calls it the best car they’ve ever driven, scoring 99 points of 100 and beating out the Lexus LS460 that held the previous record back in 2007. What does this massive battery-powered EV have that no others do?
"It handles like a
sports car, it rides like a luxury car, it has the energy efficiency that is
twice as good as the best hybrids and is the quietest car we’ve ever
tested," said CR tester Gabe Shenhar. "It does so many things so
right on so many levels that to us it wasn't a surprise."
Perhaps that's why Tesla Motors has sold more cars during the first quarter of 2013 than luxury German automakers, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi, prompting the Palo Alto-based firm to declare its first-ever profit and raise expected sales for 2013 from 20,000 to 21,000.
Perhaps that's why Tesla Motors has sold more cars during the first quarter of 2013 than luxury German automakers, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi, prompting the Palo Alto-based firm to declare its first-ever profit and raise expected sales for 2013 from 20,000 to 21,000.
Shenhar said that Tesla
started from scratch. It engineered an electric vehicle around a larger battery
that gives it a range of more than 200 miles (265 miles with the upgraded 85
kilowatt/hr lithium-ion battery). All other EVs -- such as the Nissan Leaf,
Ford Focus, Honda Fit -- can only travel 60 to 80 miles before charging up. The
closest competitor is the Toyota Rav 4 EV with a 103 mile range, according to
the Department of Energy.
Tesla has also installed
its own network of super-fast chargers along the East Coast corridor between
Washington and Boston, as well as in California. It gives drivers in these
areas the advantage of a 30 minute charge, instead of a six-hour overnight fill
up at home.
Consumer Reports
magazine said driving a Tesla S "is like crossing into a promising
zero-emissions future. ... It's what Marty McFly might have brought back in
place of his DeLorean in 'Back to the Future.'"
Publishers disclaimer: I
own a Tesla Model S and some Tesla stock. I agree with the thrust of this
article. Once you drive a good EV, all other cars seem somehow out of
date! Photo shows me at the delivery of my Model S.
Read more at Discovery News.