Tag Archives: Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S with aftermarket modifications costs $205,000

Posted on by
Reply

Who knew it could get any better? Seriously, the Tesla Model S is one of the most amazing cars sold today and bar none it is the best electric car available in the world. Yes, the Model S is sold at premium prices but what you are paying for is the most state of the art disruptive electric automotive technology ever invented.  Jalopnik auto blog recently shed some light on a US based aftermarket company called TSportline who has the honour of being the world’s first electric car accessory tuner specifically focusing on the Tesla Motors brand.  Check out their promotional video which reveals what a $82,000 upgrade on an already existing $123,000 Model S price tag looks like.

2013 Tesla Model S battles 2014 Corvette Stingray on dragstrip

Posted on by
Reply

Unless you have lived in a cave for the past year, you know that Tesla and their Model S is the hottest car in the world. From its incredible technology, top safety record to Consumer Reports going on record saying it’s the best car they have ever tested it does not get any better than this. Now, before you all jump over me about the NYT’s review and the Model S fires and there have been a few of them there is one important thing to remember.

As a car enthusiasts, the most important aspect of the Model S is that it looks good and it’s darn fast…..This is why I along with thousands of other folks want a Tesla Model S. It produces zero emissions and provides 416 horsepower and  443 lb ft of torque all available off the line.  Check out this new very cool video of a 2013 Tesla Model S P85 take on a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z51 at a drag strip in Palm Beach Florida.

We don’t want to spoil it for you but back in 2012 we did a another story where a Model S did a similar battle with a BMW M5 so the Model S has been down this road once before.

Safety of Tesla Model S – Best of Any Car Tested

Posted on by
Reply

For those that think electric vehicles have an inherent safety issue associated with their lithium batteries, Tesla has some news for you. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US has awarded the Tesla Model S a 5-star safety rating, not just overall, but in every subcategory.

Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S receives 5 star safety rating in every NHTSA category.

Approximately one percent of all cars tested by the federal government achieve 5 stars across the board.  Of all vehicles tested, including every major make and model approved for sale in the United States, the Model S set a new record for the lowest likelihood of injury to occupants.  It also exceeded the safety score of all SUVs and minivans, not just sedans.

According to Tesla, the reasons for the stellar safety ratings of the Model S include having a much longer crumple zone to absorb high speed impacts.  Of course this is possible by not having to worry about squeezing in a large gasoline engine block up front. For rear impacts, if a third row child safety seat is ordered on the Model S then Tesla factory installs a double bumper providing greater protection. In terms of rollovers, the Model S also excels and is largely due to the low centre of gravity afforded by the battery packs.

Of note the lithium-ion battery pack did not catch fire at any time before, during or after the NHTSA testing. This is noted in Tesla’s press release in reference to the widely reported GM Volt battery fire a couple of years ago.  In reality that happened three weeks after a NTSHA test when the vehicle’s battery pack shorted and caught fire in a storage area (Source: Popular Mechanics).

Not being content with earning the top test score in 2013 from Consumer Reports Tesla has seemingly done it again with the safety rating of their Model S sedan.

Sources: Popular Mechanics, Tesla Motors.

Elon Musk is the “Thomas Edison” of our day

Posted on by
2

Yes, we here at RedlineNorth do have a bit of a “Bromance” going on with South African born Elon Musk.  I mean come on, how could you not?

Elon Musk

Elon Musk

He truly is, the Thomas Edison of our time.

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison

Forget Steve Jobs, this is our hero! From his early days as behind the scenes business developer, to the $1.5 billion sale of Paypal to eBay in 2002, to his out of this world venture called Space X and its $1.6 billion contract with NASA as cargo transport provider.

Hello? These two accomplishments are absolutely totally extraordinary on their own but of course he did not stop there.  In 2003, Musk co-founded a “little” electric car company based in California’s Silicon Valley called Tesla Motors.

In 2008, Tesla developed the Tesla Roadster, using a Lotus Elise glider combined with an electric motor to form its first winning combination. After selling approximately 2400 roadsters, Tesla ran out of Lotus Elise gliders resulting in the end of production of the Roadster in January 2012. However, in June 2012, Tesla began delivery of its now popular four-door Model S sedan and with the exception of one controversial New York Times review the Model S has become the darling of the luxury sedan market.  Currently, the Tesla Model S is one of the hottest “it” vehicles and has become a key component of any wealthy gentlemen’s fleet.  As well, the recent demise of competitor Fisker Automotive has helped Tesla place themselves as manufacturer of the “sexiest” electric cars in the world.

Tesla Model S exceeded first quarter sales estimates

Tesla Model S

Mirroring this success, in early 2012 Tesla unveiled its third product, the Model X, targeted at the SUV/minivan market.  The Model X is scheduled to begin production in 2014 and many industry observers are anticipating record sales as Tesla hopes to capitalize on its amazing 2013 run.

In addition to its own cars, Tesla sells electric powertrain systems to Daimler for the Smart EV and Mercedes A Class, and to Toyota for their electric RAV4 model.

Shifting gears from the automotive world, last week Musk shared his proposal to the world for his Hyperloop, a new form of transportation. The new form of transport is a subsonic air travel machine that stretches approximately 350 miles (560 km) from Los Angeles to San Francisco that would enable commuters to travel between the two cities in 30 minutes, providing a shorter travelling time than today’s commercial airplane. The idea is similar to the tube systems used to transport documents in office buildings of day’s past. Yes, it is certainly 100% way out but Musk continues to be an “out of the box” thinker and with all of today’s challenges we need this type of great thinker even more. Seriously though, this guy is incredible and there is no telling what he’s going to do next.

And if I was a betting man, I would double down on Musk at every chance since he is a proven winner.  Sometimes you truly have to go with your gut as I found out first hand when I wimped out earlier this year on buying Telsa stock, a painful mistake since it is now up over 300%…..Oh well, I can still try and short it…….

Hard Times for Fisker Automotive

Posted on by
Reply

Fisker Automotive the maker of the Karma plug-in hybrid electric sports car announced today that it is laying off about 75% of its work force, or about 165 people. This follows the resignation last month of the company founder, Henrik Fisker who started the company along with a partner in 2007.

Fisker Karma

Fisker Karma – Fisker Automotive announces significant layoffs

Fisker hasn’t produced a single vehicle since its battery supplier A123 Systems went bankrupt last year and was bought by the Chinese automotive parts manufacturer Wanxiang Group Corporation. Fisker was in talks with the new owners of A123 regarding a new battery contract.

Fisker received a $529 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2011 to help the automaker get started.  Today’s announcement casts doubt on the ability of Fisker to pay that loan back.

The quality of the Karma, Fisker’s only vehicle, received some negative press over the past year, most notably from Consumer Reports, which complained of some glitches in both the Karma’s hardware and software.

While the long term viability of electric vehicles in the global automotive market remains positive, it’s inevitable that there will be industry consolidation and company failures along the way as the business model of the new generation of electric vehicles matures.

Meanwhile on a more positive note, Tesla Motors, maker of the Model S a pure battery electric vehicle announced on Monday that Model S sales exceeded 4,750 units in the quarter.  This is higher than the 4,500 units Tesla had forecast and as a result they expect to turn a profit in the first quarter of this year.

Tesla Model S exceeded first quarter sales estimates

Tesla Model S exceeded first quarter sales estimates

Source: The Globe and Mail, The Guardian

The Ups and Downs of Electric Vehicle Prices

Posted on by
Reply

News recently that Tesla will soon be increasing the price for their Motor Trend Car of the Year, the Model S.  No information on how much more the Model S will cost, but if you are in the market for one you may wish to lay down your cash soon before it goes up. It appears current reservation holders won’t be affected by the increase.  The price increase will also impact the options package with some features currently considered standard equipment becoming an added cost option in the future.

Tesla Model S is getting a yet to be announced price increase.

On a related note, the Nissan Leaf will be getting a price reduction along with a increase in range.  The price and range adjustments will initially be for the Japanese version of the all electric vehicle, however, the changes are expected to follow for the US version in 2013.  The new model will be able to travel up to 15% further.  The current range of the Leaf is approximately 160 kms (100 miles), but can vary depending weather conditions and use of climate control.

The Japanese version of the Nissan Leaf is getting a price decrease and range increase. Changes to the US model are expected to follow.

Tesla Model S vs. BMW M5

Posted on by
Reply

While electric vehicles are getting a lot of mixed attention recently, especially around their range, price and business model, one thing that doesn’t seem to get a lot of focus is their performance, especially speed.   Yes, in the Model S you can only go about 300 miles before you need to recharge, but how does it do off the line?

Take a look at the following video of a Tesla Model S ( $97K for Signature Performance Edition) racing against a BMW M5 (starts at $91K).  You’ll notice off the line the M5 wavers a little bit, while the Model S really grips the road.

At the end of the day the instant torque provided by the electric motor seems to give Tesla the edge in this match up.

If you want to learn more about the mechanics behind the Model S check out this video from Car and Driver:


While this video gives a good overview of the M5: