Model S: Designing the Perfect Endurance Athlete

[suxxer]

New Blog entry at TM:
Model S: Designing the Perfect Endurance Athlete | Blog | Tesla Motors

Interest in Model S is running high as it enters the Beta phase of development.

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Are you keeping the awesome door handles? YES

I like the fenders and how they wrap closely around the wheels. Will this be the same on the final production version? YES

The prototype cars had fantastic-looking light-pipe rear running lights (the lights that are illuminated while not braking). Will the final design retain distinctive rear lighting effects? YES

Where is the charge port located? The charge port is located toward the rear of the car, on the driver’s side...the charge port door hides when not in use.

Will the door windows on the production Model S be "frameless"? YES

When will reservation holders get to see a Model S Beta in person? ...visits to North American Tesla stores later this year

 

[Nik]

New Blog entry at TM:
Model S: Designing the Perfect Endurance Athlete | Blog | Tesla Motors

Well spotted, Suxxer.

Other items of note:
-TM is dead set against a tow hitch, arguing that the 'S' is a 'performance sedan'. I don't currently need a tow hitch, but I would expect any saloon or hatchback vehicle to be able to be fitted with one.

-There will, however, be a roof rack mount for those who need to carry lots of stuff. It's not clear if you will be able to fit either a small boat or a touring caravan on there though :wink:

-Will not have a spare wheel, unless required by law in your market. In the UK it's not a legal requirement, but most family size cars have one, I think.

Can you comment on the vehicle’s ground clearance? Will the doors be able to clear a curb if I park too close?

Jerome: We have optimized the car for best-in-class aerodynamic performance to maximize the range (which also happens to make the car look gorgeous). This task requires as low a ground clearance as possible. But we also want Model S to deliver an amazing experience on normal roads and in normal parking lots. The Alphas deliver an amazing daily driver experience even when driving over speed bumps or through steep parking lot entrances.

Given that TM chose which questions to answer, they could at least have chosen one they intended to answer...

 

[dsm363]

Thanks for finding that. Glad to know where the charge port is but wish they would say what kind of ports there were.

Should this be moved to the Model S forum?

 

[mnx]

Franz answers the Model S Q & A

Q&A about the Model S finally released. Feel free to discuss here.

Model S: Designing the Perfect Endurance Athlete | Blog | Tesla Motors

I'll go first... Love that they're keeping those door handles. The charge port sounds pretty neat too... "Similar to the door handles, the charge port door hides when not in use. It was important to me to make charging a unique experience. You’ll see on the Beta vehicles, the charge port looks nothing like a traditional fuel door."

Can't wait to hear about options and see a beta later this year!

- mnx

 

[mnx]

Thanks for finding that. Glad to know where the charge port is but wish they would say what kind of ports there were.

Should this be moved to the Model S forum?

Yes, I started a new thread there because I didn't see this one...

 

[smorgasbord]

I'm personally bummed at the evasive answers on ground clearance and AC. An $80K car that scrapes bottom and doesn't keep you comfortable in hot weather. Hmmm.

The lack of tow hitch is also a bummer. I bicycle regularly, and I use a tow hitch mounted bike rack, since it's easier to load/unload than a roof mounted rack. If I'm reading the carefully worded paragraph correctly, roof racks can only be used if you don't get the sunroof, so I have to sacrifice either way.

 

[Cobos]

I can understand they haven't thought of a hitch option but as I've said before that is very US centric thinking. The BMW configurator will happily allow me to add a hitch for $2800 to the BMW 550i xdrive sedan here in Norway. I'm guessing it's the same in most of Europe, it doesn't in the US though which is probably the only thing they've compared it to.

Cobos

 

[Lloyd]

You can have a light hitch installed very inexpensively at any trailer shop. Especially one light enough for a bike rack. This should not be a deal breaker for anyone! Finding a spot to weld it onto this unconventional car might be more of a challenge.

 

[vfx]

... I bicycle regularly, and I use a tow hitch mounted bike rack, since it's easier to load/unload than a roof mounted rack...

And it's less dirty inside a nice new car.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

The lack of tow hitch is also a bummer. I bicycle regularly, and I use a tow hitch mounted bike rack, since it's easier to load/unload than a roof mounted rack. If I'm reading the carefully worded paragraph correctly, roof racks can only be used if you don't get the sunroof, so I have to sacrifice either way.

With the two rear-facing jump seats collapsed, wouldn't there be enough room in the back itself to stow 2-3 full bicycles on top of each other?! Maybe, with the bikes' front wheels removed at worst?!

 

[aviators99]

I'm personally bummed at the evasive answers on ground clearance and AC. An $80K car that scrapes bottom and doesn't keep you comfortable in hot weather. Hmmm.

I agree that they were evasive on the ground clearance, but I thought their answer on the A/C was saying that it will be comfortable in any climate.

 

[smorgasbord]

I agree that they were evasive on the ground clearance, but I thought their answer on the A/C was saying that it will be comfortable in any climate.

Where did they say that? They said the car will work well, not that occupants would be comfortable:

The Model S is designed to excel in all climates. We have the most advanced cooling system to make sure that the drive unit and the battery stay at an optimal temperature for performance and durability, and we designed our advanced HVAC system that uses an environmentally-friendly refrigerant gas. Additionally, we have superior glass on Model S where needed: the Panoramic Roof, for example, will have an innovative infrared coating, reducing incoming solar load to 20% (for similar sedans, this is typically 50%).

They're talking about cooling the battery and "drive unit," not the cabin. For the cabin, they only say they're reducing solar gain through the sunroof.

 

[Todd Burch]

Where did they say that? They said the car will work well, not that occupants would be comfortable:

They're talking about cooling the battery and "drive unit," not the cabin. For the cabin, they only say they're reducing solar gain through the sunroof.

I read the paragraph as complimentary of both systems. He referred to the Model S excelling in all climates, then talked about both the drive/battery system as well as HVAC. You can get away with weak climate control in a supercar. It would be hard to believe that Tesla thinks the Model S would sell well with an anemic HVAC system.

 

[dsm363]

They have much more room to design things they way they want so I certainly hope the air conditioning works well.

 

[Cobos]

You can have a light hitch installed very inexpensively at any trailer shop. Especially one light enough for a bike rack. This should not be a deal breaker for anyone! Finding a spot to weld it onto this unconventional car might be more of a challenge.

Not if it's listed with a tow rating of 0. The Prius is in Norway and hence it's illegal to tow with it. I'm guessing the same with the Model S and thus you can get in serious insurance trouble with an illegal hitch, if you have any sort of accident that is.

Cobos

 

[Lloyd]

Not if it's listed with a tow rating of 0. The Prius is in Norway and hence it's illegal to tow with it. I'm guessing the same with the Model S and thus you can get in serious insurance trouble with an illegal hitch, if you have any sort of accident that is.

Cobos

Not suggesting towing, just something to accomodate a bicycle rack as previously mentioned.

 

[richkae]

I believe Tesla realizes that they made a big mistake with the Roadster, not having a tow point on the back of the car - when the car is disabled you quite often can not get at the front of it.
The Model S should not have this problem. If there is a tow point, there will probably be a way to make something that can accomodate a bike rack. When I got my 2004 Prius, I wanted to put a hitch mount bike rack on it, but there was no hitch available for it. However it did have two tow hooks underneath the car, so I took those off and welded together a hitch mount, so now my Prius has a 1 & 1/4 inch hitch receiver on the back for a bike rack. The one I made was like this: Prius Hitch, but better as it did not have any of those clearance problems.

 

[Lloyd]

I believe Tesla realizes that they made a big mistake with the Roadster, not having a tow point on the back of the car - when the car is disabled you quite often can not get at the front of it.
The Model S should not have this problem. If there is a tow point, there will probably be a way to make something that can accomodate a bike rack. When I got my 2004 Prius, I wanted to put a hitch mount bike rack on it, but there was no hitch available for it. However it did have two tow hooks underneath the car, so I took those off and welded together a hitch mount, so now my Prius has a 1 & 1/4 inch hitch receiver on the back for a bike rack. The one I made was like this: Prius Hitch, but better as it did not have any of those clearance problems.

Very nice job and what I was suggesting with my previous post.

 

[NigelM]

I used one of these for years, no problem and no welding necessary....

ThuleRear

 

[Norbert]

Since the argument is that "Model S is a performance sedan", I'd think that Model X is then more likely to have solutions for bike racks and towing.