“Waiting for paint to dry has never been this exciting.”
That’s the greeting offered on Tesla Motor’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) homepage, where yesterday it debuted a video (see below) to stir excitement around its newest model.
The Model S, its all-electric sedan, has been long anticipated.
But there are only a few more days to wait. The first major deliveries of the Signature and Signature Performance editions begin on Friday, June 22.
But why is it that this particular electric car is causing so much hype?
Well, for one, it’s very different from anything seen before. In its most basic form, a 40kWh battery, the car can travel 160 miles, and a 60 kWh battery gets 230 miles. With its highest performance battery (85 kWh), however, it could travel 300 miles.
Not only that, but with access to one of the many Superchargers Tesla is building across America, the 85kWh battery can recharge up to 160 miles in just 30 minutes. You could have little trouble traveling long distances.
The model offers up to 9 coat colors, and a tenth color will be released in 2013. It even has three roof options: all glass panoramic, body color, or black roof.
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The car also comes with a 17” touchscreen with WiFi capabilities and song storage, and it can seat five adult passengers with an option for two additional rear-facing seats.
And plenty more options are available for those looking to really soup up an already superior car.
Those excited about the slightly less expensive Model S and Model S Performance (without the Signature label) will just have to wait a little longer. The standard models will not begin deliveries until fall of this year.
5,000 Model S deliveries will occur by the end of 2012. But Tesla already has over 10,000 orders in.
From a Tesla press release:
“In 2006 our plan was to build an electric sports car followed by an affordable electric sedan, and reduce our dependence on oil,” said Elon Musk, Tesla Motors CEO and Chief Product Architect. “Delivering Model S is a key part of that plan and represents Tesla’s transition to a mass-production automaker and the most compelling car company of the 21st century.”
This really will put Tesla in the spotlight. It’s the first car of its kind, and the demand is overwhelming.
It’s a family car, it has zero emissions, and it’s all-American. And the success shows in the high volume of pre-orders.
Tesla was up 1.75% on Wednesday to $30.18.
