RssA1: Tech Blaster

vineri, 25 mai 2012

Tech Blaster

The new Tesla Model S and the future of Electric Cars

Posted: 24 May 2012 11:19 PM PDT

When someone talks to you about new technologies, it's rare nowadays that those conversation would involve automobiles. Indeed, the most exciting innovations in technology lately have involved handheld technologies like tablets and smartphones—nanotechnologies have practically dominated the tech conversation for a decade. But the designers at Tesla Motors have upset that trend with the introduction of their new electric car, the Tesla Model S.

In 22nd June 20012, Tesla Motors will release their Model S electric sports car to the public. It's being marketed as one of the first sports cars of its kind, a sedan that has the kind of look that could have mass appeal. It's a calculated move by the previously experimental car company to introduce units to a larger swath of customers, those that can actually afford an electric car at the current price range. The Tesla cars were started as a response to the mostly gas dependent cars that make up the majority of the world's transport today, with the vision to seriously curb the world's dependence on fossil fuels. But until now, Tesla has mostly released outlandish concept cars that only the wealthiest customers can afford. With the Tesla Model S, the company is hoping to familiarize more people with the electric car.

The Specifics

The electric car has a bad reputation for being clunky, slow, inefficient and ugly. Detractors of electric cars argue that they can never reach the speeds or performance levels of the top sports cars. It seems like with their Model S, Tesla set out to address these exact stereotypes in order to produce an electric car with a wider visual and performance-based appeal.

A quick look at the Tesla performance details will tell you that this is no puttering electric car. The most basic unit of the Tesla Model S has a 40kWh battery capable of reaching a top speed of 110mph, which is far faster than any average driver will ever need to go in their lifetime. Moreover, the same 40kWh battery in the Model S will last the driver about 160 miles before it needs recharging, and that's a mileage that's easily agreeable for most city drivers. The Model S can go 0 to 60 in around 5 and a half seconds, has great handling, and (of course) produces zero carbon emissions during a drive. Interested yet?

While the new Tesla car isn't as astronomically expensive as its predecessors, it still costs a pretty penny—around $49,000 for the most basic model. In addition to the high price tag, the designers at Tesla expect to only put out around 5,000 units by the end of the year—a small number relative to the growing demand for electric cars around the country.

Other Electric Cars

Of course, the Tesla Model S isn't the only electric car on the market today. There are a host of hybrid cars available from virtually any big auto maker, but few of them are completely electric like the Tesla model. Nissan has a fully electric car called the Leaf; Ford has an electric version of their standard Focus car; and there is an electric Smart car. All of the available electric cars will cost far more than the basic economy car fuelled by gasoline, but companies like Tesla hope that over time they will become more popular among car buyers, thus reducing the price in the long run.

Big name companies aren't the only ones designing electric cars for the future. Every year high school and college students from around the world compete in various competitions to design cutting edge electric cars. Just the other day, Forbes ran an article that talked about the shift in many engineering schools to classes focused on electric car design, in a move that anticipates the growing demand for vehicles that don't rely on gasoline. The hope is that more students will get excited about electric cars and eventually design the clean cars of the future. We'll have to wait and see if electric cars sustain their momentum among consumers.