2012 Tesla Model S Named Motor Trend Car of the Year
"Our aspiration with the Model S was to show that an electric car truly can be better than any gasoline car, which is a critical step towards the widespread adoption of sustainable transport," said Elon Musk, Tesla Motors co-founder and CEO. "Nothing illustrates this more clearly than winning Motor Trend's Car of the Year by unanimous decision against a field of exceptional competitors."
The Tesla Model S is an electric 5-door hatchback that carries up to 7 passengers or, with the second- and third-row seats stowed, as much as 58.1 cubic feet of cargo. A rechargeable, liquid-cooled 40-kWh Lithium-ion battery and a 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction electric motor drive the rear wheels through a single-speed fixed gear with a 9.73:1 reduction ratio. The standard Tesla Model S accelerates to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. The Model S Performance model, equipped with an 85-kWh battery, gets to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.
Motor Trend says the Tesla's performance isn't what makes it the Car of the Year. "When compared against our award [program's] six key criteria, the Model S stood out in each and every category," said Edward Loh, editor-in-chief of Motor Trend.
The Tesla's range is 265 miles, and it takes less than 5 hours to recharge the car using a 240-volt power outlet. Tesla is building a network of Supercharger stations that will provide a 50% charge in just 30 minutes. "As far as range anxiety goes, we've not only validated the EPA's 265-mile range rating, we've exceeded it," said Loh. "I personally drove a Tesla Model S 285 miles from Las Vegas back to Los Angeles on a single charge."
Tesla began delivering the Model S to customers in June of this year. The company has received more than 13,000 reservations worldwide for the Model S.
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