Movin' on up: Tesla's Model X Boasts a Bigger Base Battery
Changes to the Tesla lineup have never come at a more rapid pace.
After revealing the new face of the Model S yesterday, and two weeks after unveiling the Model 3, Tesla has kept the news flowing by ditching the 70 kilowatt-hour battery in the base Model X for a 75 kWh juice pack — and bumping up the price to match.
The all-wheel-drive SUV doesn’t get any faster with the upgrade — the 0-60 mph time is still six seconds — but the 75D can now travel 17 miles further on a charge, going from a 220-mile range to 237 miles.
Deliveries of the Model X 75D are scheduled to begin in June. Tesla recently ran into some “parts from the past” trouble, forcing the automaker to recall all Model X vehicles for a possible issue with the rear seatback. This was another fly in the ointment for Tesla founder Elon Musk after a parts shortage related to the model’s sexy falcon-wing doors slowed production of the SUV over the winter months.
Besides the battery boost for the entry-level Model X, nothing changes in the rest of the lineup. The 90D and P90D will make do with ranges of 257 and 250 miles, respectively.
[Image: Tesla Motors]
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It's a bit funny to refer to "ditching the 70D" model when one has never actually been built. This is a change to an upcoming model not yet delivered to anyone, not a discontinuation of an actual existing product. AFAIK every Model X delivered has been the "First Edition" or w/e they call it that's a loaded P90D for ~$140k.
Tesla will remain supply challenged for few years.If they can maximize their prices while maintaining full production capacity they will do just that. If Musk succeeds in matching BMW 3 series in performance and price with model 3, the car will have delivered on its promise. This really is not a car for the masses but well heeled middle class. The electrics will continue to come down in price as long as Tesla remains in market. Electric car prices will come down not because of Musk being charitable but with drop in energy storage prices as efficiencies are found and competition is increased. Once electric charging logistics come close to that of gasoline, range will not be a major factor and prices will come down further as battery storage is reduced. Since electric cars are inherently simpler with fewer parts and easier to manufacture. I feel reasonably confident in predicting a sub $20k (todays dollars) midsizer hitting market in 15-20yrs.
I always snicker when I read of production delays from Tesla. A couple of Januarys ago had a steady customer came in and we got into an extended conversation. At the time he was an independent programmer that was hired by a group that had a contract to create a new program for Tesla's production line.(Among other things each frame was tagged so barcode readers could tell paint color,options,etc.) Seems there original program had some bugs in it. The story goes Tesla's own IT team wrote a new program that had over 900 bugs and half the IT folks were fired. So an independent contractor was brought in to write a new one. Then the folks on the floor went to management and said we have work-arounds for all the existing problems,why replace with something that we have no idea what the problems will be and how long until we can figure out work-arounds. Management agreed and cancelled the contract. Asking him about it,he said Tesla has no problems making cars,just they're inefficient and can't make them as fast as they could.
Is that the factory ski rack, or did they borrow one from Jeep? Most modern skis and boards can fit inside the car. If these Tesla-eers are carpooling and using the back seat, you'd choose a streamlined Yakima or Thule rocket box on the roof. That would probably compliment the car's styling, but not this, no, not this. Say you're in Denver, and I want to ski at Vail. That's 100 miles each way. This car could get there and back if there was no traffic delays, no detours over Loveland Pass, and no need to use much heating or defrost. You haven't known the limits of range anxiety until you're stuck sitting in a blizzard at 11,000 feet, with night falling. But you wouldn't care- you'd have double the range, because you would have a fast charging outlet in your mountain chalet, of course-- don't we all?