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Reports / Anne Summers Reports IT WAS FIFTY YEARS AGO THAT THE NEW Ford Mustang became such a sensation in the US that it graced the covers of both Time and Newsweek. But now American automobile enthusiasts have found another car to dream about: the Tesla Model S. What’s more, their hope is that this all-electric Tesla, manufactured in California, will disrupt the traditional American auto industry and force manufacturers to change the way they think about motoring in the twentyfirst century. The company derives its name from Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), the Serbian inventor and engineer who created the induction motor and alternatingcurrent (AC) power transmission. When it was founded in 2002, Tesla Motors set out to be as inventive, albeit perhaps a hundred years later, so it’s no surprise that its Model S is all electric. Thus, with a motor that has perhaps half a dozen moving parts compared to hundreds in an internal combustion engine, the Model S not only alters the way you drive—there’s no engine noise—it offers the consumer a longer-lasting product. As such it’s a radical and welcome change for the American driver, and has won plaudits from both drivers and auto critics since its introduction in 2013. Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports’ director of auto-testing, for instance, called the Model S “the very best car I’ve ever driven”. And late last year, when Tesla Motors opted to put its next model in one of its Silicon Valley showrooms—a gullwingdoored crossover, the Model X, not due to be sold until, at the earliest, the middle of 2015—hundreds showed up, causing absolute pandemonium. But while this admittedly wonderful car has acquired an impassioned fan base, the company has a long way to go to change the way the giant American auto industry makes cars. At US$70,000, the price puts the Tesla in the heart of the American luxury-car market, where a no-frills, medium-sized Mercedes E-class starts at around US$55,000. (The bestselling Honda Accord runs to just over US$21,000.) Electric vehicles (EVs) make up a tiny portion of the American auto market. In 2013, 97,507 EVs were sold in the US. That’s 0.6 per cent of the over 16 million cars the auto industry as a whole expects to sell this year. Tesla’s first offering, a two-seater called the Roadster, introduced in 2008, has sold only 2400 units. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger purchased one, although later quietly returned it, finding the car hard to get into for a big man. “He’s more of a Hummer guy,” reported Gawker. Last quarter, Tesla reported that it increased production of the Model S to an annual 25,000 units, with nearly 5000 of these slated for export. Despite the wild enthusiasm of the tech industry— echoed by Wall Street, which has boosted the price of Tesla stock from US$34 in January 2013 to over US$200—and the positive Nikola Tesla astonished the world by demonstrating the wonders of alternating current electricity in 1893. SOURCE:WIKIMEDIA reception from the marketplace, can the Tesla really be the gamechanger its fans want it to be? One could never admit to such doubts when talking with a Model S owner. Undeniably handsome, the luxury Model S is not overly flashy. It is not designed to make an overt statement about class or power like a Maserati or Jaguar’s new F-type. Being electric, only the tyres and the wiper-blades need regular replacement. Without valves, cam-shafts, connecting rods, a crankshaft, gears, clutches or any of the other complexities of a car with an engine and a transmission, it needs almost no servicing. Even its brake pads last longer since the bulk of its stopping is done via regenerative braking, which turns the electric motor into a generator to recharge the battery pack. WHAT DIFFERENTIATES THE MODEL S from previous electric cars and its gasolineusing competitors is how it drives. Unlike other electric cars, or such hybrids as the sluggish Prius, or VW’s mass-market diesel models, Tesla goes like a rocket. Phillip Thomas, from the website The Truth About Cars, says “the driving experience—devoid 40
Reports / Anne Summers Reports of gasoline, piston-actuated thrust, and multigear transmissions, is startling in how it delivers a nearsilent freight train of torque from the rear wheels”. That’s only a small part of the difference. In a Model S power, speed and the feel of the road are not experienced in the same way: there is no engine noise, a sound that you rely on to tell you how fast you’re going and how the car is handling. Travelling inside a Tesla becomes comparable to flying: eerie at first perhaps, but exhilarating. Adds Thomas, “what most publications can’t tell you is how you have to alter your own sensory perceptions when driving this car at speed”. The Consumer Reports review says, “the Tesla is brimming with innovation. Its massive, easy-touse 17-inch touch screen controls most functions. And with its totally keyless operation, full Internet access, and ultra-quiet, zero-emission driving experience, the Tesla is a glimpse into a future where cars and computers coexist in seamless harmony”. Indeed, Tesla Motors’ computer system monitors every car’s performance and readiness post-sale, and like digital phone manufacturers, the company sends out “software updates”. Tesla wants your car to get better with time, not get worse. In the face of such innovation and service, the traditional American auto manufacturers have decided to fight back, especially since Tesla appears to have the high-end of the EV market all to itself. Apart from the upcoming BMWi3, nearly all the EVs for sale in the US are electric versions of small cars such as the Ford Focus Electric (193 sold last December) or the Honda Fit EV (51 sold that same month). But these car-makers appear not to have learned a great deal from Elon Musk, Tesla’s flamboyant CEO. (See page 42.) Earlier this year Cadillac unveiled a US$75,000 fancy hybrid known as the ELR. But the luxury car-maker was still hedging its bets: the ELR was simply another hybrid, which meant downplaying any innovative edge in their marketing. Then the car-maker made a bigger error. The heart of the Tesla message is that when you drive one of their cars, you are part of the solution for the future. Cadillac’s commercials, however, which aired during the Winter Olympics, branded their car as a prize worthy only of the brashest of American strivers: the egomaniacal businessman. The ad was criticized mercilessly. This marketing misstep proved emblematic of Cadillac’s entire effort. Sales of the ELR have proven dismal, with just 241 sold so far this year. DOES THAT MEAN THAT TESLA, WITH ITS glowing reviews and excited fan base, had opened up a market where its car and its future are unassailable? Hardly. For starters, there remain serious questions about the practicality of the Model S. How far can it go between charges, and how long does it take to recharge? Are there charging stations for a long trip? Tesla wants your car to get better with time, not get worse. To find answers, I visited the Tesla showroom in the heart of the art gallery district in Manhattan’s North Chelsea. It is just down from Pace Galleries and around the corner from Gagosian and the new Annabelle Selldorf building which is Nicole Kidman’s New York residence. I wanted to see whether a Tesla would be suitable for my own driving habits. In New York I would have to keep the car in a garage, preferably one that had a 240V supercharger. There are over 30 garages that currently have such chargers. Should I live outside the city, I could have a super-charger installed in my garage— it’s small and cool-looking and can be affixed to the wall—or I could simply use a normal electrical outlet, although charging this way can take twice as long, a day-and-a-half in some instances. Many Tesla owners confess that charging their 41
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