Tesla Motors launched its new all electric, midsized SUV, the Model X on Sept. 29. The Model X is a crossover SUV featuring “falcon-wing” doors, seating for seven, and technology similar of the Jetsons.
Tesla has brought into the world a vehicle that may change what everyone thinks about going green.
Feature called, “Ludicrous Mode,” the top of the line P90D model sends 762 horsepower to all four wheels which Tesla claims will hurl the Model X to sixty in 3.2 seconds, that’s .4 seconds faster than the V12 powered Ferrari Berlinetta. As tested by Motor Trend magazine all without using a single drop of fuel.
Chris Ziegler from news website, The Verge, had an opportunity to report on what it was like to drive the Model X.
Ziegler said, “My brain is basically unable to mathematically comprehend how a car of this width, height, and girth is able to hustle like that.”
He then continued by saying “if you’re looking for the fastest… arguably most luxurious… coolest SUV on the planet, I think you’ve found your answer.”
If break-neck performance is not what people are looking for or do not have $140,000 laying around but still want all that style and luxury, the company also offers the more affordable 90D model that still produces 518 horse power; compared to the 170 horsepower a typical Toyota Camry makes.
At just shy of $100,000, the base model 90D will sprint to 60 just as fast as most high end performance cars, but you won’t need to plant a tree to make up for the carbon footprint you leave after the race.
Pani Kapisi, a freshman from Maui studying business management, said, “I think it would be super cool to have this silent rocket because it doesn’t make any noise. I hate hearing loud cars driving by when it’s late at night and I’m trying to sleep. I think electric cars are the future because people are always trying to find ways to not use fossil fuels but still want to have fast cars.”
The company posted on their website that the Model X is capable of traveling up to 250 miles on a single charge thanks to an array of just under 7,000 batteries that loosely resemble regular AA batteries wired together, sitting beneath the floor of the cabin.The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, or IIHS, has not released an official safety rating on it just yet, but the Tesla website says the floor-mounted batteries lower the center of gravity so the risk of rollover is about half that of any vehicle in its class.
The website also says, “The battery structure strengthens [the] Model X against side impact intrusions. And without a gasoline engine, the large front trunk acts as a giant impact-absorbing crumple zone.”
The Model X is so focused on safety that it uses a medical grade HEPA air filter that Tesla says “strips outside air of pollen, bacteria, viruses and pollution before circulating it into the cabin. There are three modes: circulate with outside air, re-circulate inside air and a bioweapon defense mode that creates positive pressure inside the cabin to protect occupants.”
Another of the countless innovations found in the Model X is a vertically opening “falcon-wing” door.
Similar door styles can be found on the likes of the DeLorean DMC 12 and the Mercedes SLS, but the doors found on the Tesla are far from your typical “gull-wings.”
Tesla says, “With only a foot of clearance on either side, Falcon Wing doors articulate smoothly up and out of the way, allowing passengers to enter from both front and rear directions. The side and overhead opening is so large that parents can buckle children in without ducking or straining and without bumping their child's head on the roof.”
When asked about the innovative new doors, a sophomore from Nebraska studying civil engineering named Sami Lau, said, “Part of me thinks it looks ridiculous, but the implications of it are awesome. You can put in children, groceries, and other things very easily, but I feel that there are enough things about the doors that would make them hard to deal with.”
She elaborated by saying she didn’t know how the doors would work in the rain, snow or wind, and thought they might be more of a hassle than they are worth.
The Model X offers plenty of cargo space throughout. Due to the lack of an engine up front, the car features a “frunk” (front-trunk) that Tesla claims can carry two golf bags.The rear seats also fold down and the middle row scoots up offering more than enough storage for a couple of bicycles.
Tesla advertises that the small SUV has the highest rated towing capacity of any electric vehicle on the market, capable of hauling up to 5000 pounds.Tesla has talked about making a Model X “for the masses” they are calling the 70D that is projected to be in the $80,000 neighborhood.
Several car companies have been going the way of the Tesla in recent years, evolving past Hybrids and coming out with their own fully electric cars such as the Chevy Volt, Volkswagen eGolf, and the BMW X5 e-Drive.
Shaun Pahulu, a junior studying IT from Hauula said, “I feel that if manufacturers take time to make sportier, high-performing electric vehicles, the option of an electronically powered car would be more appealing to a wider consumer base, young people would want to drive [them] and they would be more eco-friendly, which seems to be important nowadays.”