Tesla's 'insane' electric rocket

28 August 2015 - 09:45 By Bloomberg

This score is kind of insane. But Tesla Motors' all-wheel-drive version of its battery-powered ModelS, the P85D, earned 103 out of a possible 100 in an evaluation by Consumer Reports magazine. The combination of power and efficiency was so off-the-chart that the magazine had to recalibrate its ratings methods "to account for the car's exceptionally strong performance".Ultimately, the car was given a score of 100, which set a new standard for perfection.The Tesla sedan is the quickest Consumer Reports has ever tested, accelerating to 97km/h from a stop in 3.5 seconds using the car's "insane mode" (CEO Elon Musk has since released an even faster "ludicrous mode").The P85D is a high-performance, all-wheel- drive version of the all-electric Model S that achieved a fuel consumption of 3.2 litres per 100km.Jake Fisher, the magazine's head of automotive testing, said: "This is a glimpse into what we can expect down the line, when we will have cars with the performance of supercars, and the comfort, convenience and safety features of a luxury car - and the cars will still be extremely energy-efficient."We haven't seen all these things before."Based on the P85D's scores, Consumer Reports had to reassess how much to weight things such acceleration, at which the Tesla is as much as twice as quick as other vehicles, Fisher said."Once you start getting so ridiculously fast, so ridiculously energy efficient, it doesn't make sense to go linear on those terms anymore," he said.Tesla reported 11,532 Model S sales in the second quarter, and the company, based in Palo Alto, California, delivered 21,577 units in the first half.Because of production risks as it began volume assembly of the Model X sport utility vehicle, Tesla said it now aimed to deliver 50,000 to 55000 cars this year, down from an original target of 55,000.Despite its unprecedented score, the magazine criticised the $127,820 (about R1.7-million) test vehicle for the quality of its interior materials, compared with other luxury models, as well as the ride, which is firmer and louder than the base Model S.The starting price for a P85D is $105000.The Model S topped the magazine's buyer survey last year for the second year in a row, scoring 98 out of 100, after posting 99 the previous year.The car was also the top overall pick of the independent magazine testers, for the second consecutive year. ..

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