Tesla Model S Deliveries to Begin June 22
The Silicon Valley carmaker has announced a milestone: Its electric sedan will soon be in customer hands. But what do you think?
By Sam Smith May 23, 2012 3:07AM
California carmaker Tesla recently announced that deliveries of the Model S, its electric 4-door, will begin on June 22. The Model S, which retails for $87,500, will be delivered first to so-called "reservation holders" exactly one month from yesterday. The car follows in the footsteps of Tesla's lauded Roadster, an electric sports car that shares a platform with the last-generation Lotus Elise. You can read more here, on Tesla's official corporate blog. If that page is down -- it is at the time of this writing, though it may be back up by the time you read this -- you can check here or simply click here.
Several industry friends have made snide comments about this news; Tesla has a somewhat sketchy history when it comes to following up on its announcements. At this point, I am supposed to be objective, and so now is not the time to share them, but I have to at least admit that I find them hard to shake. I haven't driven a Model S, I haven't attended any of the press programs featuring the car, and the only example I've seen in person was a slightly tatty demonstrator displayed at this year's Detroit auto show. I am, like a lot of people, skeptical about the car's potential for success. The car industry is complex, and like new restaurants, a large majority of start-up car companies fail. Tesla is still a start-up, as is any carmaker with less than a decade of strong sales under its belt.
Regardless, what I'm really interested in is your opinion. I drove a Tesla Roadster once; it was an impressive car. The Model S is another kettle of fish -- a ground-up vehicle, one developed by a group of people who intentionally set out to ruffle feathers. History is littered with companies like that. I cheer for these guys at the same time that I raise an eyebrow. And now, on the eve of the delivery of the brand's first "real" car, I want to know what you think.
A qualifier: When I say "real," I mean ordinary, usable, practical. The electric Roadster was a great machine, but it was also a small, compromised experiment -- essentially a proof-of-concept vehicle sold to the public. It had no back seat and barely any storage space. Operating range on a charge was respectable -- more than 200 miles in most cases -- but with a six-figure sticker price and a sports car's profile, this wasn't something you bought for practical reasons. It was a toy.
The Model S might not be. As we near the car's launch, what's your take? Is Tesla a house full of pioneers or a group of well-meaning visionaries in over their heads? Does this car do anything for you? What would it take to get you to buy an electric car -- how much range, what kind of charging time and what kind of price? And most important, do you think the Model S will actually appear on its claimed launch date?
Let us know in the comments.
Sam Smith is a journalist, a Southerner and a reformed Alfa Romeo mechanic who spends most of his time mooning over ancient racing cars and small-batch bourbon. A multiple International Automotive Media award-winner, he has written for Automobile Magazine, Car and Driver, and Esquire, among other publications. He once drove 4,000 miles in a weekend for a hamburger and has been threatened by the German police only twice.
[Source: Tesla Motors.]
[Source: Tesla Motors.]
17Comments
May 23, 2012 6:57AM
The biggest hurdle regarding electric vehicles is the lack of infastructure to support them. It's very similar to the situation early in the 20 century, as the world transitioned from horse and buggy to the gasoline-powered automobile. The high price tag of automobiles, plus the lack of supporting infrastructure, meant that they were the toys of the wealthy. Indeed, all of the earliest car brands were catered toward the wealthy (Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Alfa Romeo, just to name a few). Tesla and Fisker are building cars that also belong to this exclusive group of vehicles that are catered only to the well-heeled. Just as it took decades for the price of the automobile to come down, and the necessary infrastructure to support them to be built, ordinary Americans will have to wait about 20 years or so before the electric car becomes an affordable item. So if you are not one of the wealthy people who can actually afford this car, don't bitch about it because it doesn't concern you.
May 23, 2012 4:05AM
I would love to try it out for a year or so. I like the idea of an all electric car for every day use and short distance travel. The initial problems will be in the charging while away from its home base. (ie mid to long distance traveling-200+ miles round trip) It has beautiful lines on the body style, inside and out. I would definately drive it. I've been watching Tesla since they showed a video of the Tesla X outrunning a wide selection of "sports" cars. How much would my wallet suffer because of the increased electric bill? Would that balance out in my favor vs fuel bill?
May 23, 2012 8:55AM
As I have said before, all I hear about is range without any qualifations. Is it 200 miles with the windows rolled up, no electical systems in use, going downhill, with a good tailwind? or is it 200 miles using headlights, windshield wipers, defrog/AC, cruise control, and the radio? I commute 90 miles roundtrip on a daily basis. I'm not opposed to using an electric car but I need to know I can make it home.
The pics show a beautiful luxury sedan at a luxury sedan price. Alas, I have champagne taste but a beer budget. A Tesla is not ever likely to reside in my stable. I hope for Tesla's sake there are enough environmentally concious celebrities in SoCal willing pony up for one.
May 24, 2012 3:35AM
"I disagree with Beltway about the future of electric cars."
DXZ8643, I wasn't lumping all electric cars together, only the extremely over-priced ones (all pure electrics are over-priced right now, but these are ridiculous).
I have no doubt that the large manufacturers like GM, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Fiat-Chrysler, etc. will be able to have some success with electric vehicles. The advantage they have is tremendous experience building automobiles, existing robust R&D organizations, the production capacity, and most important of all, deep pockets. They also have an existing dealer and service network along with a parts distribution network. Not to mention a HUGE revenue stream from their other products to help support their electric vehicle endeavors.
The big guys also enjoy some economies of scale the smaller boutique companies like Tesla and Fisker can't achieve in low volumes. I'd even bet high-end manufacturers like Porsche, Ferrari, and Lamborghini have a better chance of success with electrics than any start-up. They are just part of a larger manufacturer, like Rolls-Royce and Bentley having the strength and depth of VW and BMW behind them if they choose to produce limited production luxury-oriented electrics.
If Tesla is to survive, they are going to have to be acquired by one of the big guys (I bet that was their plan from the start). Or if they choose to be a standalone company, I can foresee them eventually getting out of the turnkey car business (probably sooner than later) and focusing instead on providing batteries and propulsion units as a supplier to the big manufacturers. They already have an arrangement with Toyota like that. That is where their core competency is, not in building entire vehicles from scratch and all that that entails. Trying to become a vertically integrated electric car manufacturer like Tesla is attempting is just too capital intensive. Not completely impossible, but the odds are stacked against them in this industry. The barriers to entry are too high.
DXZ8643, I wasn't lumping all electric cars together, only the extremely over-priced ones (all pure electrics are over-priced right now, but these are ridiculous).
I have no doubt that the large manufacturers like GM, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Fiat-Chrysler, etc. will be able to have some success with electric vehicles. The advantage they have is tremendous experience building automobiles, existing robust R&D organizations, the production capacity, and most important of all, deep pockets. They also have an existing dealer and service network along with a parts distribution network. Not to mention a HUGE revenue stream from their other products to help support their electric vehicle endeavors.
The big guys also enjoy some economies of scale the smaller boutique companies like Tesla and Fisker can't achieve in low volumes. I'd even bet high-end manufacturers like Porsche, Ferrari, and Lamborghini have a better chance of success with electrics than any start-up. They are just part of a larger manufacturer, like Rolls-Royce and Bentley having the strength and depth of VW and BMW behind them if they choose to produce limited production luxury-oriented electrics.
If Tesla is to survive, they are going to have to be acquired by one of the big guys (I bet that was their plan from the start). Or if they choose to be a standalone company, I can foresee them eventually getting out of the turnkey car business (probably sooner than later) and focusing instead on providing batteries and propulsion units as a supplier to the big manufacturers. They already have an arrangement with Toyota like that. That is where their core competency is, not in building entire vehicles from scratch and all that that entails. Trying to become a vertically integrated electric car manufacturer like Tesla is attempting is just too capital intensive. Not completely impossible, but the odds are stacked against them in this industry. The barriers to entry are too high.
May 23, 2012 9:42PM
I disagree with Beltway about the future of electric cars. Currently electric vehicles fill a niche luxury car market, but that doesn't mean these companies can't be profitable. Remember that exotic car companies like Lamborghini and Ferrari are also catering to a niche market, with only a few thousand vehicles sold world-wide, but they are doing just fine. The key for electric car companies is to attach themselves to a well-funded, established mass manufacturer for funding, so they can produce the cutting-edge electric vehicles and sell them for top dollar. At the same time, an alliance with a major car company will allow the EV technology to come through the pipeline and become affordable on m****duced models. There are many successes based on this business approach, think Bentley and Lamborghini under VW ownership, Rolls-Royce under BMW, and Ferrari under FIAT. The key will be marketing, people buy cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and RR for the brand prestige, not for practicality reasons. EV manufacturers will need to highlight the exclusively and cool factor of state-of-the-art propulsion technology in their vehicles to draw in luxury car buyers, though focusing on the "green" factor would also help, if done right, since it's cool to be environmentally conscious these days, especially among the wealthy elite.
May 23, 2012 9:09AM
May 24, 2012 9:18PM
May 24, 2012 3:58PM
I think the Model S will do well once cars become available to sell. It's a rather handsome vehicle with apparently decent interior appointments. I would consider owning one but with the highest range battery pack. The only off putting obstacle is the price. $87k is out of the reach of most people. Even the base model at $55k+ is steep for the majority of people. Until prices come down for electrics and for hybrids too, sales will be small. I'm waiting for a really nice fully optioned USED one.... LOL. ( at half the price)....
May 24, 2012 2:56AM
May 23, 2012 9:47AM
Can't afford it, just like I can't afford a Volt or a Leaf, or a Karma. Luckily, the government supplements the companies' incomes so they can survive -I mean, gives them funds for research and production to help the environment. However, the government does provide the (laughable in comparison) tax break for purchasers of Electric vehicles, which, wow-imagine that, are the same people that could probably afford them without the tax break. -What I think, and yes, it’s pretty.
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