Tesla Model S sees daylight in New York

After showing the car in Southern California last month, electric carmaker Tesla, brought the Model S sedan to New York this week.

Currently, the company has two prototypes, a gray one that runs, and a white one that is just a mockup, with no interior and boards under its wheels to keep it from rolling away. Both were sitting on Central Park Ave, in front of the Park Plaza Hotel when I saw them.

Standing casually on a sidewalk across the street, waiting for the inevitable rush of journalists’ questions, was Franz von Holzhausen, the designer of the Model S.

In addition to what we know from the first unveiling in LA, we now learned that the Model S’s claimed 300-mile range will come from a 70 kwh lithium-ion battery pack just 22 mm thick that sits under the floor of the car. And it will require lots of juice to charge.

The seven-passenger Model S sedan will be rear-wheel drive, with an electric motor spinning the rear axle, Von Holzhausen says. He adds that it is a unique design based on a dedicated platform, not one derived from any existing car.

That will make passing required safety tests an arduous, expensive process.

The company still plans to have the Model S on the market by the end of next year, but it doesn’t have a factory to produce it yet.

Tesla has applied to the government for some of the $25 billion set aside by the Energy Department to fund advanced battery and plug-in vehicles. Unfortunately, Von Holzhausen says the company is finding the government process slow. It plans to use the money to buy a closed-down car factory; given the auto industry shrinkage, Tesla will likely have many choices available.

Although the cars are beautiful and filled with promise, there is a long road still ahead for the company to achieve its ambitious goals.

-- Eric Evarts

Comments

[everett whitney]

No Factory Yet... Not a one tested / crashed for Federal Compliance... No Battery Factory...Tap that $25 Billion?

How many times do the past experiences RE: Tucker & DeLorean need to re-learned ....

Shut it down!

[MC]

Other car companies get more public money than Tesla. There's no reason to be harder on the small company.

[Wm Biegert]

The show "TOP GEAR" researched the Tesla on their track etc. It was a very poor showing for the automobile. Many battery kinks to work out. It was disappointing considering the cost of the vehicle. Top Gear ended up recommending the fuel cell car. I believe it was made by Honda and is only sold in California.