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Impressions: Tesla Model S

Impressions: Tesla Model S

40 minutes inside the car that is changing the automobile industry

  • By
  • Tzen Szen
  • on January 30, 2016 3.20pm

  • The Tesla Model S is an epitome of human engineering, an excellent example of the harmony between software and hardware.

    Late last December, I had the chance to have a ride in a Tesla Model S P85D (85 kWh battery, "D" for dual motor), with my dad at the wheel (you have to be over 25 to test drive it) at Harrods in London.

    Here are a few key things that truly makes this car compete in a league of its own.

    The best 40 minutes that I ever spent in any automobile. Period.

    From a passengers point of view, I've never sat in car that silent and comfortable as the Model S. As my dad zipped around the South Kensington with the guide of the enthuastic Tesla Product Specialist, Tom, I couldn't help but notice how quiet it was in the car.

    With the car being all-electric, it doesn't have the internal combustion roar like other traditional cars. There wasn't even a hum of any machinery, nothing.

    As the car was put through its paces, it handled every turn and bump on the road as smoothly as a hot knife cutting through butter. Being a first timer driving the Model S, my dad had no problems with getting used to the car.

    The Model S is also known for its acceleration and oh man, it doesn't disappoint. Again, being an electric car, the torque in this car is almost instaneous, unlike a regular car where there is lag as you step on the gas pedal to actually accelerating. Going from zero to sixty in around 3 seconds was definitely the highlight of my 40 minutes in the car. Tom telling us to get ready as he was going to floor it was just a formality; you can't be prepared for what is coming.

    Just close your eyes and imagine an airplane accelerating as it is about to take off. Multiply that by 10 fold and that is the closest that I can put the acceleration of the Model S in words.

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    Other perks of the Model S being all-electric is the amount of extra space you get with it. The lack of an engine in the front combined with just batteries and electric motors powering the car, allows for a lot of storage space in both trunks (front and back). Coupled with the lack of a normal transmission and gearbox, there is more open space that you can't get in a car with gas engine and tank. There is no need for much maintenance with the car except for changing the wiper fluid.

    The 17 inch touchscreen that acts as the center console of the car is a console that car owners everywhere deserve. The screen has enough pixels to allow the driver to control all aspects of the car from the music, doors, locks, lights, navigation, and it also includes a web browser.

    You can swap these on the touchscreen to any configuration. For example, you can have Google Maps navigation and music on top of each or you could have an entire application take up the full screen.

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    The 3G-connected touchscreen houses a custom built OS by Tesla. This allows the car to receive over-the-air updates directly from Tesla just like how iPhones get updates from Apple or Nexus phones from Google.

    One of the coolest and most significant updates in recent times is the Autopilot update which is another step in the direction of self-driving cars. While we couldn't try this feature out ourselves due to the busy traffic in London, we spoke to Tom about the direction that Tesla is moving in order to have a commercially available fleet of self-driving cars. He's pretty much convinced that Tesla will be the first to get there, just as much as Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, is; I love how driven they are about that.

    Tesla is a tech company just as much it is a car or energy company

    The underlying software and technology in the Model S is nothing short of impressive. To top it all off, the design and attention to detail of the car itself is phenomenal.

    Model S itself is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. On top of that, it's designed in a well-thought-out manner from the car having one of the lowest drag coefficient of any production car to the door handles popping out automatically as you approach the car or even the carkeys shaped like the Model S itself.

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    It was those small little bits of attention to detail that impressed me so much about the Model S, sometimes just as much the big bits.

    The journey towards a future of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass market electric cars to market is well underway. As Tesla gears up to release a more affordable car soon, that future is not looking very far away.

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