http://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20150825/NEWS/150829674/101017/ENHANCEDBUSINESS Becoming fast friends with a Tesla By Lorelei Stevens Aug. 25, 2015
[images / Steve Haines/ Cape Cod Times http://www.capecodtimes.com/storyimage/CC/20150825/NEWS/150829674/AR/0/AR-150829674.jpg Tesla's Model S hits the road at The Golf Club of Cape Cod in East Falmouth. If you're looking for an ignition switch on the Model S (or door handles when the car is under way), you'll be out of luck http://www.capecodtimes.com/storyimage/CC/20150825/NEWS/150829674/EP/1/1/EP-150829674.jpg Times business reporter Lorelei Stevens settles in behind the wheel of the Tesla Model S for a test drive http://www.capecodtimes.com/storyimage/CC/20150825/NEWS/150829674/EP/1/2/EP-150829674.jpg Alex Henry shows what's under the hood in the Model S: storage space, since the car's electric motors are along the front and rear axles ] The luxury electric car shows plenty to like — including a few surprises — on a Cape test drive EAST FALMOUTH — Next time you see a Tesla Model S on the highway, look for the door handles. You won’t find them. The handles extend automatically when someone ventures by with the key and then retract on start up to decrease drag. The feature was just one of many discoveries I made during a test drive of the ultra-luxury electric automobile last Tuesday. I have always liked cars. But apart from borrowing a friend’s 1960s-era Camaro back in my college days and the occasional surprise rental upgrade, I’ve stuck with practical, reliable and, most importantly, affordable used Toyotas. So when the invitation to take a spin in a Tesla arrived in my inbox, I RSVP’d as requested and, when the appointed time came, drove my battered 2002 Camry from Hyannis in search of the exclusive Golf Course of Cape Cod. After a few wrong turns on Falmouth Woods Road, including a fumbled attempt to enter what turned out to be gated community and an errant stop at The Cape Club, I finally made the correct turn and spotted the bright red Tesla awning tent. In laid-back California style, Alex Henry, a Tesla store manager from Newport Beach, scanned my driver’s license on an iPad. He then had me read the somewhat terrifying terms and conditions of my test drive, which basically said I would be responsible for anything that went wrong while I was operating the $129,000 vehicle. I took a breath, touched the pad to accept and we headed out to the cars casually scattered around the clubhouse parking area. My first question as we approached the sleek vehicles was, “What’s under the hood?” Henry obligingly opened a door and popped the latch. No engine (well, of course not), just roomy “trunk” space. The Tesla team thoughtfully brought in all-wheel drive models for the Northeast leg of its “Next Billion Tour,” which the company launched after Model S owners worldwide racked up a billion miles in just three years. The car is powered by two motors, one mounted along the front axle and the other along the rear, each independently controlling its respective set of wheels. The set up, Tesla says, provides “unparalleled traction control in all conditions.” Each motor is about the size of a watermelon. When Henry asked me which car I wanted to drive, I chose a lustrous garnet-red one. I opened the door and climbed into the cool interior – the air conditioner had been running, soundless from the outside. The first thing I noticed was the immense console touch screen – 17 inches, Henry told me – displaying a map of the United States with all of Tesla’s charging stations. The driver can use the screen to map a route, play music, control the temperature, use a cellphone, chart the vehicle’s energy use, synchronize work and home calendars, track real-time traffic conditions and activate the car’s high-definition backup camera. While standing in the parking area before I got into “my” car, I was startled when another Tesla suddenly backed up beside me. As a frequent walker on car-packed West Dennis Beach, I’m always on the lookout for cars in reverse. There’s usually some warning as drivers start their combustion engines – noise or exhaust – but the Tesla was silent. Henry didn’t seem fazed about my concern and, once I was behind the wheel, I understood why. While the unsuspecting pedestrian might be spooked by the unheralded movement of the electric car, the Model S driver knows exactly what’s going on behind the vehicle. In addition to the backup camera, the car is equipped with a dozen sensors arrayed across the front and back. Get too close to an obstacle – a rock wall, a walker or another vehicle – and an exact-position indicator lights up on the dash. The flashing changes from yellow to red as the feet, then inches, separating you tick down. Ultimately, if you ignore the warning, an audible “stop” insists that you apply the brakes. Reassured by a better understanding of the collision-avoidance system, I was ready to go. But how? There was no key to turn, no button to punch. Henry explained that once the driver is in the vehicle and belted up, moving the foot from the brake to the gas is all it takes. We eased out of the parking area and onto the road. It was a smooth ride – until I approached the first stop sign. Lifting my foot off the gas for a few feet of coasting before braking, the car hitched back like it had been lassoed from behind. Henry explained this was an intentional process called regenerative braking, where the kinetic energy of the moving car is redirected back into the battery. When I again caused the car to hiccup at the next stop sign, Henry swiped the console pad to the personalized driving screen and switched the braking option from “standard” to “low.” Problem solved. Then it was go time. I’d read that the Tesla Model S had amazing acceleration – 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, the press material said. So I waited for a wide opening in Route 151 traffic, turned right and hit it. The sensation was what I remember from my first jumbo jet takeoff decades ago. It was exhilarating. Pushed back into the supple leather seat, the gear shifts I anticipated as we gained speed never came. There was no interruption in the brief but powerful experience because the Model S has a single-speed transmission. There are no gears to grind. Backing off the gas, I asked Henry if he’d notified the local police department about the day’s Tesla test drives and what the maximum speed of the car was. His answer was yes and 150 mph. While traveling down a lower-speed-limit side street, the only sound was a quiet hum akin to jet at cruising altitude and speed, all at once I felt and heard the shuddering vibrations you get when inadvertently straying across a highway rumble strip. That was the car’s “lane departure warning” system coming on as I drifted toward the shoulder, Henry said. He explained that it doesn’t activate if you use the turn signal. The Model S also has a forward collision warning system, he added. Luckily, we didn’t need that. Returning to the golf club, I paid more attention to handling and felt solidly in control even taking turns at higher speeds than I’m normally comfortable with. And speaking of comfort, I swear the seat conformed to my body as we drove. Henry said there was no particular technology at work in that department. Once back on the highway, I enjoyed a few more acceleration experiences and then rolled, without incident, back to home base where I attempted to use the backup camera to return the car to its space. I’d get better with practice. So that was my Tesla test drive experience. What was most remarkable about it (besides the thrill of hitting “the gas”) was that it wasn’t all that remarkable. Like renting any car, it took a few minutes to get oriented. But, after that, driving this high-tech vehicle came naturally. Getting that message across was one of the points of the test drive experience, according to Henry. “It’s not ‘futuristic,’” he said of the Tesla Model S. “It’s the best car on the road that just happens to be electric.” Behind the wheel: Tesla Model S Type tested: P85D, four-door, performance all-wheel drive, plug-in electric car Base price: $105,000 (Tesla advertises $85,000 price after federal tax credit, Massachusetts tax incentive and $10,000 in estimated gas savings over five years) Price as tested: $129,000 Range per charge: 253 miles (EPA) Battery: 85 kwh battery Power: 259 hp front motor; 503 hp rear motor power Torque: 713 foot pounds Acceleration speed: 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds; 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds with “Ludicrous” speed upgrade Top speed: 155 mph Safety: Five-star rating in all categories of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash test Options: Autopilot; 90 kwh battery upgrade increases range by 6 percent; premium interior and lighting; “smart air” suspension; ultra-high fidelity sound; subzero weather package; two additional rear-facing seats [© capecodtimes.com] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/tesla-car-gets-best-ever-rating-from-consumer-reports Tesla's best-ever perfect 103/100 score rating from Consumer Reports http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2015/08/27/is-consumer-reports-crazy-teslas-perfect-score-breaks-the-test/ ... http://www.forbes.com/sites/dalebuss/2015/08/29/tesla-consumer-reports-and-another-moment-for-the-elites/ http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099701_tesla-tweaks-store-design-to-explain-company-electric-cars-model-x Tesla Tweaks Store Design To Explain Company, EVs, &Model X http://brandchannel.com/2015/08/24/tesla-revamps-stores-082415/ http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/08/tesla-making-preparations-for-model-x-release/ Tesla Making Preparations For Model X Release http://www.bulletnewsniagara.ca/index.php?p=Sections&id=5314 Kacaba Vineyards installs EV chargers + EVLN: Tesla-S EV spotted – Spied in Malaysia {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Becoming-fast-friends-with-a-Tesla-tp4677386.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
