Super!

Tesla's Elon Musk announced tonight that Telsa has plans to deploy a Supercharger Network across the US, lower Canada, Asia and Europe. The plan for the Supercharger Network, which can juice up a Tesla battery at a rate of nearly 100 KW, is hardly a surprise. The real kicker is in the details.

Location - NOW. There are already 6 Superchargers installed across California, enabling current Model S owners to travel the entire state with one or two half hour Supercharges. Current locations are:

• Folsom
• Gilroy
• Harris Ranch
• Tejon Ranch
• LA
• Barstow

Additional stations will be installed in key locations around the country by the end of 2012, and more generally across the US and lower Canada by 2015.

Energy Source - Many people have (incorrectly) asserted that driving an electric car is just as dirty if not dirtier than driving a gasoline car.  Since the power much be generated somewhere and is in fact often generated by coal in some of the dirtier electric grids around the country, some people argue that the "greeness" of EVs is a myth. Rather than try to prove them wrong, Tesla circumvented the whole issue. Supercharge stations will be solar powered, with panels and installation provided by SolarCity. The panels will be oversized for the charging need of the cars and so will have a net negative electricity use. While this was Musk's claim, I'd be curious to see it in action. As we know, netmetering laws often limit the amount of electricity you can sell back to the grid. Even still, being able to drive electric and charge so quickly with electrons generated by the sun is pretty impressive.

Cost -  Tesla also went after the EV nay-sayers in regards to cost. Rather than concern itself with the appropriate pricing schemes for solar generated electricity, Tesla decided to forgo payment entirely. All Supercharging will be available free of charge for vehicles equipped with a Supercharger. While Musk mentioned that onboard Supercharger equipment is an additional cost option on the Model S 65 KWh, the current Tesla vehicle configurator actually has the Supercharger "option" as a standard no-cost feature. We'll see if that is still the case when it's time to purchase the vehicle.

While details about the Supercharger network have leaked out over the past several weeks, it was still exciting to finally hear the facts and get a visual. Now let's see how quickly the rest of the country gets blanketed in Superchargers. With some luck, Tesla may even overtake Blink (only half kidding.)

Tesla Get Amped Model S Tour

It's here. It's real. It's... well read on. This should be 2 posts. Just read halfway and come back  ; )



Financial "Planning"

Back in May I did some mental math. I've been pining for a Tesla Model S. You've seen the other blog posts here and here. I'm obsessed. It's not healthy. 

So I had a decision to make. The opportunity cost of reserving a Model S was something like $25. That's roughly how much the deposit money would earn in interest sitting in my savings account for about a year (the expected wait time for delivery). Sure, there is a risk that Tesla will go belly up and take my deposit money with it, but I think there is a reasonable chance that Tesla will live for another year. At this point in my attempts to justify making a reservation, I was being really persuasive - to myself.

Unfortunately, though, the total cost of the Model S, even after incentives, is pretty steep. I live in NYC. I have access to 24/7 gypsy cabs, 14/7 yellow cabs (they seem not to make it to my neck of the woods too long after dark) and 3 different express subway lines. Not to mention that I'm 10 minutes from the commuter rail. PLUS, my 12 year old Mitsubishi Eclipse, occasionally referred to as Grimmie XP,  sits parked on the street 5 days out of the week. I often don't even move it for street cleaning rules (Don't tell Bloomie!) So, I guess you could say I don't need a car. Especially since, even if I rented a car every weekend of every month, it would still cost less than monthly Model S payments and a garage. So, no, I don't need a car, much less a new car. I definitely don't need a new Model S.

All true. But I want one. On May 25th, Tesla opened a new store in White Plains, NY.  As it happens, I was driving up to Boston that weekend. Somehow, I detoured, stopped at the White Plains Mall, and left with a Model S reservation.My girlfriend didn't leave me. We had bad mall-chinese food from Panda Express (or similar). It was sorta awesome.

Even if I don't actually go forward with a purchase, which I probably won't, for $25 of lost interest plus $5k in the Bank of Tesla I get to pretend I WILL buy a Model S. More importantly, I was invited to the Tesla Get Amped Model S Tour to test drive the Model S in Mahwah NJ on July 21st. What a drive it was!

Capacity Planning

The Model S seats 5+2 when you include the optional pair of rear facing jump-seats. The passenger row holds 3 people and Tesla was more than happy to have a driver and three passengers. I invited my girlfriend, my brother and his wife. The three of them fit comfortably in the back seat. My Tesla appointed Co-Pilot happened to be Mike Sexton, who you may know, is not a short man.  All in all, the Model S handled a full load (minus two screaming kids in the rear-facing jump seats) remarkably well. My passengers all commented that they were comfortable in the back row, and the lack of the central "hump" in the floor made even the middle seat quite comfortable. The only concern was the rear passenger seatbelt which was not locking. Mike assured us it was specific to this pre-production/early production car. (Alpha -. Beta -> Pre-Production -> Early Production -> Perfection?)


Wedding Planning


Perhaps by coincidence, perhaps by shear marketing genius, there happened to be an Indian wedding with 400+ guests at the hotel in Mahwah where Tesla set up shop. Dozens of guests flocked to the Model S to ask questions and press the rear hatch button while 6-foot-tall reservation holders sat in the rear jump seats. Never fear, a Tesla rep quick stopped the hatch from sandwiching the hapless future owner before he was smushed in much the same way a city garbage truck compresses trash.  Several Tesla reservation holders hovered around to watch the wedding as it progressed. It seemed like a lot of fun. There was loud music, dancing in the streets, and a groom on horseback with a baby in his arms. Not bad for a Saturday in Jersey.

The Drive

In retrospect, I wish I had been a bit less excited. I might have taken the time to soak in some of the features and nit-pic a bit with the design and workmanship.  But I was giddy and eager to put the Model S through its paces. It performed like a champ. Acceleration was predictably smooth and linear. Handling was steady and controlled, though I only just started getting comfortable as the drive was coming to an end. I can vouch for how well the Model S hugs the corners though, as I pushed it 45-50 MPH on a 25 MPH rated curve, then accelerated out of the turn onto the running lane to merge into freeway traffic. I was in the standard model, not the sport, and I was still impressed with the seemingly limitless power I had available. I thought I detected a bit of oversteer, but again, I didn't have enough time in the vehicle to really test it out. Also, it's not like I do this for a living. Maybe it was just swooning.

Perhaps even more than the acceleration, the regenerative braking was amazing. You read about this regen braking in blogs and reviews and somehow they don't really capture it. Yes, it's a bit like 2nd gear in a manual, but second gear causes a car to lurch as the engine brakes the vehicle, and then gradually fades as the car slows. In the Model S, the deceleration persists even as the vehicle slows. It definitely took some getting used to, but not in a bad way. It was just something new. My passengers were amazed that I was able to slow almost to a stop at an intersection without touching the brake. So was I!

Maybe if I save, work really hard, and move out of NYC I'll have a Model S by next Summer. I'll settle for another test drive and my $5k back. 

I'm working on getting video edited to share. In the meantime, enjoy some more pics!

Model S Beta - Classic Car Club: Manhattan

On Sunday October 30, after a fun filled night of Halloween activities, I shot over to the Classic Car Club: Manhattan on Hudson near Canal in NYC. Having previously worked in the area for a while, I'm used to seeing impressive old Mercedez and Porches outside. On Sunday, there was an R8, an M5 and a Nissan GTR, all parked on the sidewalk completely unconcerned with any laws they might be breaking. As exciting as those cars are, I was there for something a bit less... noisy.


I've previously seen the showroom mint-green Tesla Roadster and the Model S at the event in Princeton, NJ, but this time it was different. Tesla has launched a tour of North America featuring the Beta version of the Model S. While the event in Princeton has the Model S prototype, built on a Mercedes chassis, this tour features a purpose-built Model S Beta on a Tesla chassis, and is said to be 90% production intent. Also different, this time we could touch- we just had to wait in line for 20 minutes.

Mike Sexton of Tesla worked the crowd, doing a great job of answering the questions while we all waited in line. Mike highlighted how aware Tesla is about getting charging stations set up along important corridors. Most impressively, I think, is that they are talking to their customers to help define these corridors, not government studies or marketing hype. It's the reason they've placed a charging station in the Omni Hotel in New Haven, CT (great write up here) as well as in Philly- so Roadster owners can make the NYC to Boston and NYC to DC trips with a single recharge. Tesla kept that same approach during the event, taking feeback from all of us about the shape, about the seating, and about that pesky slamming hatch - twice it came down with a loud BOOM as curious people tried to close it and let it go too soon.

The interior of the Model S was spacious and comfortable. We noticed the AirCon was on and the Tesla rep commented that the car had been on the whole time. The center console touch sensitive screen dominated our attention, though. Currently running on Linux, the rep suggested that Tesla is still considering having it run on microsoft, Linux or even a custom OS from Tesla. I'd prefer not having to reboot- Linux please.




As beautiful as the Model S is, I wasn't particularly fond of the dashboard. As the place (other than the road) that a driver will likely spend the most time looking, the dash was surprisingly bland. While it provides all the essential info, there isn't any texture or character to it. It's just a flat digital screen. For a car that has done such a great job merging form and function, the dash is decidedly functional. Definitely disappointing, but not sure it's a showstopper.


Here's looking forward to a few more close encounters- maybe on a test drive?

A few more shots:

My shutter was a bit to fast for these -







Some exterior shots

Plug In Day: NYC 2011

On Sunday October 16th I  headed out to Pier 54 in Manhattan for the first annual National Plug In Day. From Hawaii to New Hampshire, in 26 cities across the country, electric vehicle owners, city representatives and the inquisitive public came together to learn and share. It was interesting to hear how far along NYC is in the push to clean up its vehicle fleets. Agencies such as the Department of Sanitation, the NYPD and the Parks Department had vehicles on site to showcase the city's commitment. I was also impressed that the Department of Long Term Planning and Sustainability is being so proactive in its outreach to help educate consumers, even if their website (http://www.nyc.gov/html/ev/html/home/home.shtml) is a bit difficult to find (try searching for the Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability...)

Next time, I'll center the pic,
and leave Mike in the shot!

While it was good to see all of the positive energy and interest, I'll admit, the highlights were mostly geeking out with some EV enthusiasts. I first chatted with Mike from ev-propulsion.com . He showed off his converted Miata and shared how he'd help someone convert a Mitsubishi Eclipse a while back. I started wondering if that was the best way to venture into EV ownership - to convert my 2000 Eclipse (affectionately known as Grimmy XP...don't ask), but then I noticed Mark from EnerTrac and his bikes.

If you can live without the roar of ICE motorcycles and instead want to focus on the freedom and speed, Mark can probably help you. The bikes he builds at EnerTrac are sleek, fast, and have variable regen braking! As always, range varies with your credit card limit, but they are still pretty compelling. Even with the more modest lead-acid battery packs, the range is still more than I could get for the same money on a conversion of the Eclipse. No surprises there- the Eclipse is a surprisingly large car - though you can't tell from inside. I thought I had it all figured out. I'd get a bike to weave in and out of NYC traffic, head up to Bear Mountain, it would be glorious...but I'd be alone. No passengers... On to the Mini E and Tesla Roadster...

FIERCE

I've already started planning
for my witty vanity plate

If you follow any EV blogs, Tom's Mini E #250 blog should be on your radar. It was great to be one of the many people who caused Tom's voice to go hoarse (see his coverage of the event here). While his Mini E could definitely hold at least one passenger, my girlfriend seems none-too-fond of the Mini (or Smart Car, or Fiat. See a trend?). So Michael Thwaite's Roadster seems like the likely winner for me- at least for now, while I am still in the dreaming stages of EV ownership.Nevermind the price tag or the fact that they've gone out of production. This is a day-dream blog entry. Leave real life for the next post.


It was great seeing so much interest from the public and chatting with so many great members of the EV community. Here's to a great kickoff event for National Plug In Day in NYC!


Oh, and thank you weather-gods. It was, indeed, beautiful out.

Model S Prototype - Princeton NJ

Today I had the privilege of viewing the Tesla Model S Prototype in Princeton NJ. Tesla has had the car on display for several months, and it was in Connecticut about a week ago, but I wasn't able to make it to that showing. So instead I sat in Jersey traffic for 45 minutes and eventually made my way out to D&R Greenway Land Trust where the showing was being held.

My initial posts about solar panels (I'll continue those shortly) highlighted a new interest of mine. As I've continued exploring various aspects of the green economy, I've become a bit of an EV nut. Tesla is an American company based out of California. They only make one car right now, the Tesla Roadster. It will stop being sold in September. The next vehicle will be the Model S. It is sick. 


The Model S is a 4 door luxury BEV sedan that boasts impressive (low 5s) 0-60 acceleration and comes with three battery pack options: 160 mile range, 230 mile range, and 300 mile range. Each pack upgrade adds about $10k to the base price of $57k. The option list is currently unavailable.



Things I learned today:

1. The prototype Model S is built on a Mercedes chassis.  The production vehicle will have a roomier interior. 
2. Tesla vehicles are equipped with GSM communication systems that allow the car to send diagnostic info to Tesla. If your car has trouble, Tesla will likely call you before you even know about the problem!
3. The report that Tesla will be making battery swap/rental available seems not to have made it to the marking folks I met with today. Although they did confirm that Tesla is working with A Better Place to potentially come up with some solution to the range question. 
4. Tesla is also working on plans to potentially build out DC fast charge stations along high traffic areas. I threw in a vote for the I95 corridor, specifically in the NYC area.
5. Tesla batteries in the Roadster need to be kept around 72 degrees. If they get too hot, the car goes into limited power mode. Something to consider if you will be driving hard in hot climates.
6. All of the first year's production (with the exception of the Signature Series) have been sold. Sounds like the earliest you'd be able to get one is 2013.

 

Here are some pics of the Roadster that was onsite. People who had reserved a Model S were permitted to drive the Roadster- once its batteries cooled down. Since the ambient temp was about 95 degrees, the batteries stayed warm for a long while. here you can see the rep plugging in the car to a standard 110V outlet in order to try to force the car to cool down the batteries and get the car out of Performance Limited mode.