The Tesla Model S: A Big Move Towards Mainstream Acceptance

We borrowed a Tesla Model S to take our first drive and experience firsthand what this all-electric car company has to offer. As we stepped inside, we were struck by the sleek aluminum body styling reminiscent of other four-door coupes like the Audi A7. The hood is low, and the car exudes an aerodynamic quality that makes it stand out on the road.

Upon closer inspection, however, the Model S looks fairly conventional on the outside. It's only when you look underneath that the true story unfolds – a huge battery pack sits at the bottom of the car, carefully packaged to free up cabin space. This clever design not only frees up storage room but also provides a flat floor, plenty of storage, and even a big hatchback that can fit a rear-facing third row seat inside.

As we took our first look around the interior, it's impossible to ignore the giant 17-inch touchscreen that dominates the center dashboard. The graphics here are fantastic, and the touchscreen response is instant – everything from door locks and headlights to surfing the web while you drive is available through this screen. It's a seamless user experience that sets the tone for what promises to be an exciting ride.

Tesla has indeed pushed the boundaries with features like retracting outside door handles, which may be cool but also come across as fussy. However, it's clear that the company aims to dispel any notion that electric cars are boring or uncool. If this isn't enough to win over skeptics, there's always the performance – and in spades.

We're behind the wheel of the fastest version of the Model S, known as the Signature Performance. With its electric motor producing 1010 horsepower, it can go from 0 to 60 in a mere 4.5 seconds. This is no slouch by any measure – it's comparable to the performance of some of the world's most iconic sports cars, including the Corvette.

As we put the pedal to the metal, it becomes clear that there's something truly special about driving an electric-powered big sedan like this. The instant surge of torque is addictively fast and makes for a thrilling experience. The ground-hugging battery design keeps the weight down low, combined with good steering and handling that belies its massive 4600-pound weight.

So why might some people still be hesitant to adopt electric cars? For one, range remains a significant concern – although the Model S comes in three different batteries, each offering varying levels of range. The basic battery is good for about 160 miles on a charge, while the top-of-the-line option claims an impressive 300 miles. However, these estimates are based on more sedate driving habits and don't reflect what happens when you're actually pushing this car to its limits.

Another major drawback of electric cars is charging time – a conundrum that Tesla has addressed in part by including a 10-kilowatt charger as standard with the Model S. This may seem slow compared to other electric vehicles on the market, but it's actually comparable to some gas-powered cars. Furthermore, customers can opt for an upgraded 20 kW twin charger and high-power wall connector setup that cuts charging time down to around 5 hours.

We were thoroughly impressed by our time with the Model S and are looking forward to putting this car through its paces here at the Consumer Reports test track. We're eager to experience it firsthand and report back on its performance, handling, and overall value as an electric vehicle.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe Tesla Model S is a big move towards the mainstream for this all electric car company we borrowed one to take a first drive the aluminum body styling is Sleek reminiscent of other four-door coups like the Audi A7 the hood is low and the car is very aerodynamic while the model S looks fairly conventional on the outside it's a whole different story underneath on the bottom of the car is a huge huge battery pack since there's no engine there's a big trunk up front packaging the battery down low also frees up cabin space there's a flat floor tons of storage and a big hatchback that can fit a rear-facing third row seat inside you're immediately struck by the giant 17-inch touchscreen that dominates the center dashboard the graphics here are fantastic and the touchs screen response is instant there are no knobs or buttons at all everything is through the screen even door locks and headlights and you can even surf the web while you drive Tesla might have gone a bit too far same goes for features like the cool looking but fussy retracting outside door handles there's no question that Tesla is trying to dismiss the image of electric cars as being frumpy little transport pods and if cool features don't do that the performance here will we're driving the fastest version of the model S the signature performance it can go from 0 to 60 in about 4 1/2 seconds that can put serious hurt on a Corvette there is something awesome about driving an electric powered big sedan that is that fast and it's how it delivers the power it's just this instant surge of torque it is fantastic and it's addictive the ground hugging battery design keeps the weight down low combine that with good steering and this handle better than you'd expect for a 4600 lb sedan so there's no question the performance is stunning but there's some big stumbling blocks to electric car acceptance probably the biggest one is range you can get three different batteries in your Model S the basic battery is a 40 KW hour battery which is good for about 160 m range the top battery option is an 85 KW hour battery Tesla claims that's good for 300 M of range however that's not 300 M of blasting down the highway the other drawback of electric cars is charging time after all the mod s has a big battery to charge but Tesla includes a 10 Kow charger as standard that's more capable than other electrics you can also get the car with a 20 kW twin charger and a high power wall connector that setup Cuts charge time to about 5 hours so we were really impressed with our time with the model S we look forward to having more experience with it when we buy a Model S of our own to test here at the consumer reports test trackthe Tesla Model S is a big move towards the mainstream for this all electric car company we borrowed one to take a first drive the aluminum body styling is Sleek reminiscent of other four-door coups like the Audi A7 the hood is low and the car is very aerodynamic while the model S looks fairly conventional on the outside it's a whole different story underneath on the bottom of the car is a huge huge battery pack since there's no engine there's a big trunk up front packaging the battery down low also frees up cabin space there's a flat floor tons of storage and a big hatchback that can fit a rear-facing third row seat inside you're immediately struck by the giant 17-inch touchscreen that dominates the center dashboard the graphics here are fantastic and the touchs screen response is instant there are no knobs or buttons at all everything is through the screen even door locks and headlights and you can even surf the web while you drive Tesla might have gone a bit too far same goes for features like the cool looking but fussy retracting outside door handles there's no question that Tesla is trying to dismiss the image of electric cars as being frumpy little transport pods and if cool features don't do that the performance here will we're driving the fastest version of the model S the signature performance it can go from 0 to 60 in about 4 1/2 seconds that can put serious hurt on a Corvette there is something awesome about driving an electric powered big sedan that is that fast and it's how it delivers the power it's just this instant surge of torque it is fantastic and it's addictive the ground hugging battery design keeps the weight down low combine that with good steering and this handle better than you'd expect for a 4600 lb sedan so there's no question the performance is stunning but there's some big stumbling blocks to electric car acceptance probably the biggest one is range you can get three different batteries in your Model S the basic battery is a 40 KW hour battery which is good for about 160 m range the top battery option is an 85 KW hour battery Tesla claims that's good for 300 M of range however that's not 300 M of blasting down the highway the other drawback of electric cars is charging time after all the mod s has a big battery to charge but Tesla includes a 10 Kow charger as standard that's more capable than other electrics you can also get the car with a 20 kW twin charger and a high power wall connector that setup Cuts charge time to about 5 hours so we were really impressed with our time with the model S we look forward to having more experience with it when we buy a Model S of our own to test here at the consumer reports test track\n"