Tesla Model X

[Boomer23]

This decision to go with a proprietary charger just seems like an opportunity lost at a critical moment when we need unity to overcome the inertia against EV's. If Tesla would just stop letting perfect get in the way of good enough and put their weight behind CHAdeMO, it seems to me that we'd be that much closer to circumventing the SAE's attempt at holding back the momentum toward a QC network.

An excellent point, George. Tesla has the visibility and the dollars to open up the CHAdeMO standard here in the US and to help all of us make better use of it. Too bad they think that they're Apple and they know better.

 

[evnow]

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1202_tesla_model_x_prototype_ride/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Transferred straight from the Model S will be its pancake-flat, under-floor battery packs but in two sizes (60 and 85 kW-hrs) unlike the S trio of packs (the small, 40 kW-hr size being deleted).

So base price would be 67k, minimum.

 

[Boomer23]

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1202_tesla_model_x_prototype_ride/

Transferred straight from the Model S will be its pancake-flat, under-floor battery packs but in two sizes (60 and 85 kW-hrs) unlike the S trio of packs (the small, 40 kW-hr size being deleted).

So base price would be 67k, minimum.

And apparently from the Motor Trend text, the X charges "at a colossal 20 Watt rate". :lol: These gear heads will learn to talk in EV terms eventually, won't they?

I had wondered about weight on the S and the X, and this article puts the X at 4,700 lbs, or 10 to 15% more than the S. Which puts the S at what, 4,100 lbs? Both pretty porky, but not surprising for large cars.

Looking at the Motor Trend pictures, I have to say that this is the best looking SUV I've ever seen, hands down.

BTW, this pic shows the X moving while it's Falcon doors are both ajar. :roll: That can't be good.

 

[IBELEAF]

Base price as mentioned in the article will be same as Model S 49k after tax credits. Still about 10k more then I would like to pay for this car.

 

[Boomer23]

Base price as mentioned in the article will be same as Model S 49k after tax credits. Still about 10k more then I would like to pay for this car.

I tend to agree with evnow on the price. Elon is very vague about pricing and he said "about the same as the Model S". I'd interpret that to mean that the X will be on a par with the S on an equal battery size basis. Since the X doesn't come with the smaller battery, we're probably talking about the mid size battery price point, which is the larger figure.

 

[evnow]

Base price as mentioned in the article will be same as Model S 49k after tax credits. Still about 10k more then I would like to pay for this car.

That is a mistake - no 40 kWh model in X. AWD will be another $10k, I think.

If my TSLA investment makes enough money I'll get the X :lol:

 

[Christopher]

For what it's worth, they've been calling it a crossover rather than a full SUV... we'll see.

I'm certainly looking forward to it — might be the one for me with all wheel drive, lots of cargo space, a couple hundred miles of range (hopefully), sporty looks/handling — and replace my Leaf and my RAV4. I'd definitely prefer a smaller platform though, more like my RAV4 but with the better range than what Toyota is going to deliver.

Well, I'm disappointed. The falcon doors are neat but probably also tedious to wait for and, more importantly, prevent carrying skis/boards or anything else on the roof -- needed if you've got passengers in the back. Well, I suppose they could work out a rear hatch rack but... I think it would be nicer to have the roof available when needed. And if you kayak?

So now I'd rather have AWD on the Model S. (And shrink it a bit.)

 

[evnow]

Tesla should make the falcon doors optional ...

 

[Nubo]

Base price as mentioned in the article will be same as Model S 49k after tax credits. Still about 10k more then I would like to pay for this car.

Wonder if there will be any tax credits by the time these hit the streets in any numbers (2015?)

 

[Herm]

It would have been so much easier to build a station wagon with sliding rear doors..

 

[Boomer23]

I was just reading comments on the Tesla Club forum and realized that the Falcon doors won't open in my garage, or most anyone else's either. D'oh! I was originally thinking only about vertical space in parking structures, but the most frequent parking space is in home garages. So you want to put the kiddies or Grammie in the seats in the back on a rainy or worse day, and you have to back the crazy thing out into the weather to put them in? Oops!

 

[cdub]

Why not? Because of the height?

 

[evnow]

I was just reading comments on the Tesla Club forum and realized that the Falcon doors won't open in my garage, or most anyone else's either. D'oh! I was originally thinking only about vertical space in parking structures, but the most frequent parking space is in home garages. So you want to put the kiddies or Grammie in the seats in the back on a rainy or worse day, and you have to back the crazy thing out into the weather to put them in? Oops!

Fairly sure it will open - first thing they would have checked.

I think X is only a little taller than Leaf. Elon says if you can open SUV hatch, falcon doors will too.

 

[abasile]

I'm excited about the dual motor AWD.

However, if the vehicle's roof is covered with snow, especially if it's several inches or more, you'll probably need to clear it before opening the rear doors. Not sure if those falcon doors are a good idea in rain and snow. I'd go with regular doors.

 

[Boomer23]

Why not? Because of the height?

Yep. I guess that Elon says that if you can open the rear hatch, that's all the space you need. But I tend to have more "stuff" in the middle of my garage ceiling than near the garage door. I might be able to open the rear hatch, but the Falcon doors would hit my garage door opener motor.

 

[evnow]

http://www.teslamotors.com/modelx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Boomer23]

http://www.teslamotors.com/modelx

Fair enough, but I see little clearance there between the door skin and the opener motor on the ceiling. I just went out and stood on the rear door sill of my LEAF in the garage. I have 6 feet 8 inches from the sill to the rafters in my garage. Elon was standing in the rear of the car with much more than 8 inches of roof mechanism above his head. At the very least, folks with low garage roofs are going to need to measure carefully.

 

[evnow]

Some rough calculation shows you need 7' 6" of height.

They should make falcon an option.

 

[Boomer23]

Some rough calculation shows you need 7' 6" of height.

They should make falcon an option.

Yeah, but you know with a small company and economies of scale being important, they can't afford to have two such very different options of body structure.

EDIT: The bottoms of my rafters are 8 feet off the garage floor, but the bottom of my garage door opener motor is 7 feet from the floor. In a two car garage, that motor is going to be offset to the side of the car, not neatly in the center, as the picture shows. So I'm still thinking that there will be clearance issues.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

I agree, we have a low ceiling so it wouldn't work in our garage. the doors are kind of cool, but way low on the priority list for us.

Some rough calculation shows you need 7' 6" of height.

They should make falcon an option.