All-Electric Full-Size Sedan by Tesla - Tesla's Model S Sedan

Tesla Model S sedan an all-electric, full-size sedan. It's able offer both spacious seating and cargo room in the trunk and under the hood. While the standard model seats five, it is available with an optional, rear-facing jump seat suitable for seating two children. Because the Tesla Sedan is not limited by gas tanks, catalytic converters, and any (ICE) internal combustion engine.

This takes the total seating availability to seven, making this car convenient for even the largest families. The Tesla Sedan debuted at the 2011 North American Auto Show, and the prototype's promises of 0-60 in 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 120 mph shattering stereotypes about electric vehicles.

The Model S is still in the testing stages, over 10-million miles of real-world driving feedback from drivers who own the Tesla Roaster have gone into the creation of the Model S. These appear to have been put to good use, with the Model S now boasting three battery options; a 300kW, or 400 hp, output; and a charging model compatible with 110 volt standard outlets, 220 volt outlets, and fast charging stations.

The three battery options for the Tesla Model S sedan give the car a range of 160-, 230-, or 300-miles. The sedan comes standard with the 160-mile range battery, with the 230-mile range and 300-mile range options as upgrades that cost an additional $10,000 and $20,000 respectively.

The Model S's base price is quoted at $49,900 after the federal tax credit.

Tesla Motors has stated that their goal is for the Model S to achieve the NTHSB five-star safety rating for front-impact crashes in 2012. They have also engineered the car so that the battery pack actually serves as part of the vehicle structure.

The battery is located underneath the floor of the sleek looking sedan, enabling the car to handle effortlessly. The Model S comes with a "Power Electronics Module" attached directly to the battery from the motor and gearbox, improving response times and efficiency by minimizing the distance electrical impulses must travel to power the car.

As a nod to their Silicone Valley ancestry, Tesla Motors has striven to retain the sports car feel of the Roadster in the Model S. To this end, the Model S has been designed with rear-wheel drive and its power-train to the rear.

Unlike the Tesla Roadster, which was built on the Lotus Elise frame, the Model S was designed entirely in-house. This, combined with the knowledge gathered from the 10-million real-world driving miles from the Roadster, means the Model S is truly a unique sedan. Among the features that were optimized when the Model S was designed was a battery that, in addition to forming part of the car's structure, is located towards the rear of the car, along with the motor and power electronics, which are situated between the rear wheels to increase response and handling. However, the car features only a single-speed gearbox.

Charging times for the standard, 160-mile range battery take only 45 minutes at a fast-charging station. A 220 volt outlet, such as those into which major appliances plug, can charge the Model S overnight. It is compatible with the 110 volt outlets that are standard throughout homes, but as these carry fewer amps expect the charging times to be significantly longer. The Model S can also be charged via a dedicated solar panel charging unit that feeds to the wall outlet.

Tesla claims to have advanced beyond the "memory effect" that has plagued other electric batteries. The car uses lithium ion cells, which do not exhibit memory effect, and will not lose significant charge if parked and not driven for an extended period time. However, it is recommended that the battery be plugged-in when not in use to preserve the life of the battery. Current estimates show that after seven years or 100,000-miles, the battery should retain 70% of its standard power.

As with any electric car, it is important to note that use of accessories such as air-conditioning and driving conditions and speed all affect the range of the car. Expect climate control to take five to ten percent off range of the car, while most other accessories will not affect the range much. Driving conditions, rate speed, and weather are also can significantly affect the battery's range and should be planned for accordingly.

The Model S is also designed to perform well in extreme operating conditions. The batter packs come equipped with re-circulating propylene glycol which acts to cool or heat the battery as necessary, meaning that the car will still function in the scorching summers of Tucson or the bitter winters of Maine.

It is important to note that, because the batter pack is part of the car design, size of the battery does not vary. Only its capacity does. What this means is that, for the standard 160-mile range battery, the company has used a different battery design than that used for their 230-mile and 300-mile range batteries. While specs related to battery weight have not been provided, more than likely the batteries weigh about the same, regardless of which battery range is purchased.

To purchase a Model S, interested parties will need to make a reservation. The Tesla reservation for the Model S will cost $5,000 and is fully refundable. Although annual production is planned to reach 20,000, only 5,000 to 7,000 are planned for the 2012 production year, as the company is working to reach full production capacity.

Additionally, some may be interested in reserving a Model S Signature sedan. The reservation fee for the Model S Signature sedan is $40,000 and, like reservations for the standard Model S, is fully refundable. The Model S Signature is a limited edition sedan that will be produced before the standard Model S goes into production. The first 1,000 Model S's produced for the US and the first 200 produced for Canada will be Model S Signature sedans. It will come standard with the 300-mile range battery pack, and while remaining mum on specific details, the company does promise the Model S Signature, as a limited edition model, will offer a range of upgraded features standard and may include colors and other options not available on the standard Model S. The Tesla Roadster sports car, comes with a base price of $109,000. It's rumored the Model S Signature, with a 300 mi range will have a MSRP of $80,000.

Production is slated to begin in the middle of 2012 with the Model S Signature sedans. When these have been completed, the Model S sedan will enter production. Reservation holders can expect to take a test drive at the beginning of 2012. If a reservation holder wishes to withdraw from their reservation and receive a full refund, this is when they should make that decision.

Approximately three months before the car is put into production, the reservation holder will be asked to work with the company to configure their car. Options and pricing for those options have not yet been finalized, but when they are, each reservation holder will have the opportunity to design their car to their comfort specifications.

Currently, the company has 17 stores worldwide with more planned. While this might alarm those who live far away from the nearest store and need their car serviced, these concerns have been dealt with in the form of a service ranger program. This program sends trained technicians to the homes of owners in even the remotest of locations.

In keeping with their Silicone Valley image, the Tesla Model S sedan will be built in their Freemont, CA plant. All testing for the car is being done on-site there, so that plant managers have the opportunity to work with engineers. The company promises that this ensures that quality is built into the design. Currently, the car is in Alpha-stage testing. These 20-plus vehicles will be tested individually over 250,000 miles and crash tested before testing moves onto the Beta vehicles for refinement. Once fine-tuning is complete, the Model S Signature sedan will move into production, followed by the standard Model S.

It's natural to be skeptical of any start-up - especially one like Tesla with such a rocky image. But as we always say, product is king - and Tesla has a proven product already on the road. While the Model S has yet to prove itself, the Tesla Roadster has exceeded all expectations. If this car can do all that is claimed, electric vehicles will have come of age. Thus far, it appears that performance has been optimized, as has convenience.

Being able to charge the car on a standard wall outlet is a definite plus that opens up new avenues for travel, and the fact that the car can seat seven means this is one electric car that is not just built for families of two. If the Model S succeeds, it will be a coup for this upstart company and a major leap forward in all-electric technology.

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Tesla Ends Roadster Production - Tesla Model X Crossover Next?

Tesla Motors, one of the original electric vehicle start-up companies and currently the most important player out of the few that remain, recently reiterated its plans to end production of its all-electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster, by the end of 2011. The Tesla Roadster has been Tesla Motors' main money-maker ever since it was released, with the first hundred units selling out in three weeks and the second hundred in just under a year from its release date.

Why then would Tesla end production of the vehicle that made them a household name in the electric car industry? It could have something to do with Tesla Motors' primary stated goal as a company, which is not simply to make a profit and allow its CEOs to retire in style, but to increase the variety and popularity of electric vehicles on today's car market. Selling its cars is only one of the three ways Tesla has declared as a strategy to accomplish this goal.

The other two involve selling the technology in Tesla's electric motors to other car manufacturers to help them along the EV path, and providing a positive example to the auto industry that it is possible to create electric vehicles that are efficient, high-performance, and popular.

Although the Tesla Roadster has helped rocket Tesla Motors to international fame, possibly the geniuses behind the company have decided that it has completed its course. Tesla Motors is working on something even bigger than the amazing success of the Roadster. There has been a bit of buzz in the recent media about Tesla's new EV, the Model X.

Although not much is known about the Model X, reports are that it will be in the wildly-popular crossover SUV genre and that the platform will be based on another Tesla model, the Model S. This brings to mind a strategy hit upon by the Big Three automakers, in the 1980s. They each developed a solid vehicle platform, just one was necessary, and began using it as a base for scores of different car models. With just one vehicle platform, these companies produced cars, trucks, SUVs, and crossovers of all shapes and sizes, dropping different body styles on top of the same platform. This strategy allowed them to quickly make a killing on the market.

Possibly, ending production on its Roadster is Tesla's way of diverting necessary resources to this one-platform strategy. If they can perfect their Model S platform, they will be able to cheaply make many different electric models - SUVs, minivans, sedans, practically whatever they like - using the Model S as a base.

There is just the small matter of being able to keep their heads above water in the six month interim between the end of the Roadster and the beginning of the Model X. Tesla recently announced plans for an issuing of 5.3 million of their shares to the public to help them raise money and survive as an independent company until the Model X takes off. Could this strategy be the key that will finally allow them to reach their company's goal of making electric vehicles a part of the everyday life of the mainstream consumer?

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Review: 8 Earth Friendly Cars, Plus a Tesla

I saw my first Tesla.

Up close, and personal. My first impression: This car is teeny. Would I be able to fold in my 6-foot 2-inch frame? Heck yes!

Tesla Roadster
With 3.7 seconds to 60 mph, this baby would fly. The possibility of me expanding my horizons with speeding tickets would increase exponentially if I were allowed access.

The Tesla Roadster was one of the key attractions at Fresno Earth Day celebration at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Fresno. Accompanying the little black electric powered ball of fury were a Nissan Leaf, a Chevy Volt, a solar-powered Toyota Prius, a hybrid Honda Insight and several other vehicles of interest.

The festivities included other attractions. Those included 75 participants for a crowd-pleasing variety that included live music, food, workshops, tours, exhibits, free e-waste recycling, solar cooking & bio-fuel making demonstrations, xeriscaping and more. The church itself is worth checking out as it is LEED certified and makes use of energy efficient materials, low-flow plumbing and landscaping that needs very little water.

But I was there to see the cars. For me, the experience proved valuable even if it was self-indulgent. My wife, Peggy, tagged along for the experience. I promised her it would be brief and that I would avoid engaging in any long-winded discussions about cars.

I succeeded. We left after about 20 minutes and still got a chance to look at the solar oven display. Very cool concept. Great for reducing deforestation in third world countries.

Zap Car
But the wheeled objects really captured my interest. There was a Zap car, one of the three-wheeled creations of the Santa Rosa-based manufacturer of electric vehicles that until recently served as a niche product. Zap recently purchased controlling interest in Chinese automaker Zhejiang Jonway Automobile Co. Ltd. and hopes to tap into the growing Chinese market with a new lineup of vehicles. I suspect it's a company to watch.

Peggy snapped several pictures of the Zap mobile, figuring it would be a favorite of her students. She teaches ninth-grade English at rural Riverdale High School (which by the way has its own solar installation.)

Nissan Leaf
I checked out the Nissan Leaf. The owner explained details of power consumption and some of the variables for getting the most miles out of a charge. One thing I noticed about the rig was that it looked a lot beefier in person. The photos of the Leaf online make it look dainty somehow.

Up close, the Leaf looks quite solid. The aluminum wheels are rather large and sporty and the interior is spacious and not too Jetsons. Here's a shout-out to Phil T, who's been blogging about his experiences as a SoCal Leaf owner for the past several months. "Phil, you're right. Photos don't do the car justice."

Smart Car
We also got to get up close and personal with Smart car. I've been repulsed by the things since I first saw one skittering down the freeway. All I can think of is the short wheel base and how the thing would spin like a top on ice.

But looking at it from a different angle gave me greater appreciation. Just the engineering of the car is amazing. All sorts of stuff crammed in without looking crammed. The engine fits in back like a Bug. (Obviously not in in a Beetle's league, but still interesting.)

There's an electric version of the rig available this year at dealerships across the country. Dubbed Smart Fortwo Electric, the tiny vehicle was anticipated by Daimler designers two decades to be powered by an electric drive train, according to officials. They apparently left room in the design so there appears no change in outward appearance in the two vehicles.

VW TDI
Two vehicles that stood out at the Earth Day event, at least to me, were a couple of Volkswagen Jetta TDI series, one older and another brand new. TDI, for turbo direct injection diesel, is the designation VW bestowed upon its latest generation of diesel vehicles. The older Jetta was tuned to run on biodiesel, while the new one sported VW's latest "clean diesel" technology. Mileage in the latter is listed at 34 mpg combined city/highway.

Fred Voglmaier, who writes on tdiclub.com, says demand for the diesel rigs is high. Could be.

Toyota Prius
The Prius owner at the Earth Day event gave a serious rundown on what kind of mileage he gets under multiple conditions. The data was fascinating and he can get up to 56 mpg under certain conditions. The model even was equipped with a solar panel in the glass roof.

Toyota is set to introduce its Prius PHV, for plug-in hybrid, next year. Here's how Steve Siler of caranddriver.com described the differences with the conventional hybrid: "The Prius PHV is essentially just a Prius whose nickel-metal hydride battery pack has been swapped for a far pricier, far heavier, and far more potent lithium-ion pack."

Range is supposed to be far less than the Volt or Leaf.

Chevy Volt
The Chevy Volt looked the most conventional of the electric cars at the Unitarian church that day. In fact, it looked rather large, hardly a compact car. Interior space was ample, and the design, inside and out, was very un-Chevy. By that, I mean Chevy's had a reputation for short-shifting its cars on style. The SUVs look cool. The cars, on the other hand, and I personally believe since the Camaro was redesigned in the 1970s, just looked lame.

The Volt, and the redesigned Camaro, return Chevy to a contender among car buyers.

Biodiesel Mercedes
There was also a beat up old Mercedes at the show that looked as if the owner brewed the biodiesel in the trunk. It's an original, late 70s or early 80s vintage. Cool but definitely somebody else's project.

Honda Insight
The Honda Insight is a great vehicle and reasonably priced. Great entry for the hybrid/electric market. My wife despises the design as she does that of the Prius.

All in all great show. I saw the Tesla driving around Fresno. I pointed it out to some young people at the athletic club, but they just stared blankly until I said, "0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds."

Mike Nemeth, project manager of the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization, spent 24 years working as a newspaperman editing and reporting from Alaska to California. The SJVCEO is a nonprofit dedicated to improving quality of life through increased use of clean and alternative energy. The SJVCEO is based in Fresno, Calif. and works with cities and counties and public and private organizations to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy throughout the eight-county region of the San Joaquin Valley. For more information, go to http://www.sjvcleanenergy.org/.

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