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Third Party - Custom Market for Model S

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I was thinking the other day how much cooler it would be to have "color keyed" door handles on the Model S. Perhaps just the outside face, leaving it chrome on the inner handle/grip areas. This way the whole side of the car would look flush, maybe just a touch more futuristic, with no chrome call-outs for the handles.

Then I started to wonder about other third party mods one might want to make to their Model S. Not that I'd want to trash the great design Franz and team have created here. I.e. the last thing I'd want to see is some ridiculous 8" high wing on the back by some hack.

I know they're developing see through, flexible solar cells that can be attached to glass. When the technology is ready, I'd love to see some solar capture with this applied to the roof. In theory you could apply it too any of the roof tops, pano, black, or colored.

What suggestions would you have for post-market add-ons?
 
I'd like to see black trim replace the chrome.
I don't think solar cells will be efficient enough any time soon to make the added range meaningful (you'd need much larger area than car roof).
 
I was thinking the other day how much cooler it would be to have "color keyed" door handles on the Model S. Perhaps just the outside face, leaving it chrome on the inner handle/grip areas. This way the whole side of the car would look flush, maybe just a touch more futuristic, with no chrome call-outs for the handles.
That's what Aston Martin does; makes for a very clean line (especially if you got rid of the keyhole):
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new%u00252Baston-martin-rapide-luxe.jpg
 
I'd love to see what a tuning company could do with a Model S, especially with manufacturer support like AMG with Mercedes. While I doubt Tesla would give another company that level of access to their battery or motor technology and management systems, it'd still be interesting to see a Model S would be capable of if lightened, ect. Carbon fiber panels and the interior replaced with lighter weight racing type seats, stiff low slung sports suspension, barely road legal racing slicks. The biggest performance enhancements would come from modifying the software (mostly trading increased power for more heat), but adding lightness and stiffening the suspension could turn the Model S's corning from amazing to biblical.
 
Naturally, I'd like to see a center console insert (CCI) offering, and I'm working on same.

Speaking generally about a Model S accessory market, over time it will grow into something that represents a real business opportunity, but in 2013/2014 (with only 20K to 40K Models Ss on the road) it represents a small niche accessory market. Only a small percentage of owners will become accessory buyers in any category.

Things like CF mirrors or color-keyed door handles are relatively easy because they require relatively little up front investment on the part of the accessory provider. I'm certain they'll appear on the market in 2013.

More complex accessories like a CCI are tricky because the up-front investment is non-trivial. In addition to iteratively designing and building prototypes, I'm grappling with developing a viable business model at the moment.
 
I'd like to see black trim replace the chrome.

+1

I don't think solar cells will be efficient enough any time soon to make the added range meaningful (you'd need much larger area than car roof).

And any dirt that got on them would kill the capacity anyway. Solar panels belong on the roof the house (or building), not on the roof of a car.
 
+1

And any dirt that got on them would kill the capacity anyway. Solar panels belong on the roof the house (or building), not on the roof of a car.

LOL Who is going to let their Model S get dirty???
My thinking on the solar panel idea is that they could assist the cooling fans while sitting in the parking lot... to mitigate main batt draw. Similar to what Toyota is doing with their Prius.
 
LOL Who is going to let their Model S get dirty???

That would be me--I'm just not that good about washing cars. Also I don't think it takes much dust to reduce the solar capacity.

My thinking on the solar panel idea is that they could assist the cooling fans while sitting in the parking lot... to mitigate main batt draw. Similar to what Toyota is doing with their Prius.

In the Prius it only runs the cabin fan (not the battery fans, which are more important). And you pay a hefty price for the solar option (and the way the Prius packages work if you get the solar option, you don't the get the really cool stuff like radar cruise control and radar pre-collision)
 
I figure that if you covered the roof - you could get, maybe, 2.25 m^2 of solar cells on there. Figure good solar cells can do 150W/m^2 average in good sunshine when flat. 320-340W. Could save you 2-4KWh per day of battery drain.

Not as completely ridiculous as I first thought.

By comparison, the Leaf is more like a 20-25W panel.
 
I figure that if you covered the roof - you could get, maybe, 2.25 m^2 of solar cells on there. Figure good solar cells can do 150W/m^2 average in good sunshine when flat. 320-340W. Could save you 2-4KWh per day of battery drain.

Not as completely ridiculous as I first thought.

By comparison, the Leaf is more like a 20-25W panel.

Why not fly a long sheet of the film like pv material behind the car like a kite tail? :rolleyes:
 
LOL Who is going to let their Model S get dirty???
My thinking on the solar panel idea is that they could assist the cooling fans while sitting in the parking lot... to mitigate main batt draw. Similar to what Toyota is doing with their Prius.

That could work but the cost would likely make it not worth it and you couldn't get the pano roof. Also the Model S has a huge battery and can easily turn on the AC to cool the car if you use your phone to activate it (something the Prius can't do).
 
Nope, but I have oak trees on the property, so they get pretty filthy in the spring (pollen + low roof slope + dew -> pollen paste). When they do, they lose 15-20% of their capacity. I think a transparent solar panel in the roof could be nice to help keep the car cool without depleting the big battery, but that battery is sooooooo huge...