2016 Tesla Model X Finally Debuts

[William Maley]

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After a long journey, Tesla has finally revealed the production version of the Model X crossover. Introduced at an event last night at the company's headquarters, CEO Elon Musk made his case as to why you want it.

 

Musk began with safety as he states that the Model X is the first SUV that gets five stars in every crash test category. This is due to no gas engine in the front of the vehicle, and the heavy battery mounted so low in the vehicle which reduces the risk of a rollover. There is also a massive HEPA filter that is claimed to remove allergens, soot/smog, bacteria, and viruses down to just 0.01 microns. There is even a "Bioweapon Defense Mode" to protect occupants from whatever is out there in the world.

 

The event also served as a place to talk about the points that were previously mentioned such as the Falcon doors which have a unique opening mechanism that allows them to open even in some of tightest spots. These doors also have a special sensor that can adjust how high the door opens based on the ceiling. Now the downside to these doors is you can't put anything the roof. Now Tesla has a special accessory hitch that can carry up to four bikes or six sets of skis.

 

At the time being, the Model X will be offered in the 90D and P90D versions. The 90D will have an overall range of 257 Miles, while the P90D will have an overall range of 250 Miles. Other versions of the Model X are expected to be announced at a later time.

 

Closing out the event, Musk delivered a half-dozen Model X Founders Series models, which came with a starting pricetag of $132,000 (not including the $7,500 tax credit).

 

Source: Tesla

 

Press Release is on Page 2

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Safety First

 

Tesla Architecture

 

Built electric from the ground up, Model X is designed to be the safest car on the road. Our crash tests indicate that Model X will receive a 5 star safety rating in all categories, the first SUV to ever do so.

 

Not needing a big gasoline engine under the hood, Model X has a large crumple zone to absorb the energy of a high-speed impact. The battery's location on the floor gives Model X an extremely low center of gravity, reducing the risk of rollover common in most SUVs. Aluminum pillars reinforced with steel rails protect occupants and the battery while improving roof stiffness.

 

Active Safety

 

Model X comes standard with automatic emergency braking and side collision avoidance to prevent accidents from happening in the first place. Tesla makes the only standard AEB system that works at high speed.

 

Every Model X carries a forward-looking camera, radar, and 360 degree sonar sensors to enable advanced autopilot features. Tesla's over-the-air software updates regularly improve the sophistication of these features, enabling increasingly capable safety and convenience features like Autosteer and Autopark, and bringing the Model X ever closer to autonomous operation.

 

Breathe Easy

 

Model X is the world's cleanest SUV on the inside, too. The front fascia is designed with a functional duct that pushes air through the first true HEPA filter system available in an automobile allowing medical-grade air to fill the cabin, no matter what is going on outside.

 

Inside Model X

 

Model X Falcon Wing doors offer unprecedented convenience, entry, and maneuverability for everyday life. They provide seamless ingress and egress into the second and third row. No longer do parents have to cantilever themselves to avoid hitting their child's head on the roof as they place them in a car seat.

 

The double-hinged Falcon Wing doors open up then out, requiring only 30 cm of space on the side of the vehicle. Each door is equipped with capacitive, inductive, and sonar sensors to monitor surroundings and avoid contact with obstacles around the car, making it possible to park in tight spots.

 

The industry's first auto presenting door automatically opens and closes as the driver approaches or exits Model X. Why should the driver ever need to touch the door?

 

Monopost seats move independently, sliding and tilting forward and back. They allow passengers easy access to the third row and give them plenty of foot room when they sit down.

 

See

 

The windshield in Model X stretches up and over the front seat occupants. Second row passengers get a first row vantage point with an expansive view ahead, atop the falcon wing door, and beside them. The windshield's solar tint transition completes the modern and open feel.

 

Listen

 

Seventeen precisely positioned speakers bring concern hall like sound inside Model X.

 

Touch

 

The 17" center touchscreen seamlessly integrates media, navigation, communications, cabin control and vehicle data into one intuitive interface. Many functions are mirrored on the instrument panel and are voice-activated to focus the driver's attention on the road.

 

Whether big or little, there's a place to store it in Model X. Side pockets, a center console and a blind holster for your iPhone.

 

Fit everything

 

Model X provides unprecedented space for passengers and cargo. With three rows of seats, a front and rear trunk, and room under the second row seats, there's ample room for people, luggage, and big things like surf boards and bikes. For even heavier cargo, Model X is the first electric vehicle with a 5,000 lb. tow capacity.

 

Performance

 

Agility and Speed

 

At the heart of the vehicle is Tesla's proven electric powertrain, accelerating Model X from 0-60 in a staggering 3.2 seconds and hitting a top speed of 155 mph, all while producing zero emissions.

 

Designed with Tesla's electric vehicle architecture, Model X's floor-mounted battery gives the vehicle a low center of gravity and ideal weight distribution for exhilarating performance and superior handling.

 

Aerodynamics

 

At 0.24, Model X has the lowest drag coefficient of any SUV in history.

 

Model X comes standard with an active spoiler that automatically adjusts to three positions for maximum visibility and efficiency. Under 45 mph, the spoiler is positioned so the driver can see above and below it. At higher speeds the spoiler partially retracts for improved highway efficiency (+1.6%), and optimizes the vehicle's lift distribution. Model X is the only car with an active spoiler equipped with a center-high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL).

 

All-wheel drive

 

Dual motors digitally and independently control torque to the front and rear wheels to give Model X unparalleled control of traction while increasing performance and efficiency.

 

Signature Model X comes with a 90 kWh battery providing customers a driving range of 250 miles on a single charge.

 

By the numbers

 

Range 250 miles for P90D
Top Speed 155 miles per hour
Zero-60 3.2 seconds for Ludicrous P90D
3.8 seconds for P90D
Quarter Mile 11.7 seconds for Ludicrous P90D
12.2 seconds for P90D
Motor Power 259 hp front, 503 hp rear
Motor Torque 713 lb-ft combined
244 lb-ft/330 Nm front
479 lb-ft/600 Nm rear
US MPGe 89 MPGe for P90D
Weight 5,441 lbs.
Drag Coefficient 0.24

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[David]

So the big question is with the price of fuel being low, how will this affect the sales of EV auto's?

 

As a distributor of CNG fueling products for home and business use, I can say that sales have dropped off totally, been dead the last few months in fact.

 

So one must wonder about electric, if the low fuel prices will hurt that more or not.

[FAPTurbo]

Fuel prices may affect sales of lower priced EV's like the Leaf, Bolt and Soul EV. 

 

But when you buy a Tesla, fuel price isn't a primary consideration - people who buy Tesla's can easily afford to fuel a comparably priced/sized old-world car - the perceived luxury and future-looking tech are. It's similar in some ways to Apple's products. 

[David]

I get the point your making Fap, and would agree with you for the most part except in regards to the apple product, I find their products to be overpriced toys, not real tools. Excluding engineers who actually can use Apple, Linux or WIndows to do real work, most apple users seem to be more confused by technology than able to embrace it. Apple does not come across to me as future-looking as much as for the simpleton that does not want to have to think. 

 

[smk4565]

I watched Musk's presentation on the Model X.  It is pretty amazing, half the rollover risk of any other SUV, 5 star crash rated in ever test, the doors when you see them in person are pretty cool, and can open with hardly any space, and 762 hp and 0-60 in 3.2 seconds is ridiculous for a 7 passenger SUV.

[balthazar]

^ Have you see the initial vid from a few years ago, the first Musk unveiling- where the passengers have the squirm their way out of the back like hula dancers?

 

My 'concerns' are the very tight 2nd & 3rd rows, and the "advantage" of 'tight confines' rear gull wing doors, when the fronts are conventional. If Tesla couldn't make all 4 doors gull wing, then it should've been the doors that are opened 90% of the time; the fronts. I'm wondering if once a degree of real world usage gets under consumer's belts, if that's not the turn the sentiment will take.

 

Looking forward to seeing the cargo space too.

[ocnblu]

Totally not a fan.

[Cory Wolfe]

Call me crazy, I like it. The balls. Tesla manages to bring something to market that truly carves out its own niche. It may not be the most realistic or affordable, but they're almost certainly trying to be completely bat-$h! crazy. I would have thought for sure that Tesla was going to water it down into the typical production spec of most manufacturers. 

[Suaviloquent]

I think something was lost in the essence of what a Tesla is with what they've done. It going to sell, no problem.

 

But I think this means the $35,000 Model 3, will come with serious compromises to reach that price point. It'll be an interesting development. And it also puts a lot of weight on the Model 3 to meet their 500,000 units sales goal by 2020.

[smk4565]

The Model X has a Bio Weapon Defense button for the HVAC, the air filter is 10 times larger than a normal car air filter.   The Falcon wing doors are double hinged, which makes a lot of sense.  And now I wonder why didn't Mercedes think of that on the SLS AMG.