You have to give Elon Musk some credit for having created a global brand from nothing but in just less than 20 years Teslas are pretty much everywhere and have almost 20% of the global electric car market.
But are they any good? Tesla has gained popularity for its electric vehicles, innovative technology, and high-performance capabilities. If you have not driven an electric car then be prepared – the days of milk-float acceleration are long gone. Teslas, like most electric cars have stupidly fast acceleration, the electric motors kick in and take you into warp speed in just a few seconds. The car interiors are fine the massive iPad type display in the centre is a great idea and there are some neat styling ideas like pop out door handles etc.
Tesla vehicles also offer competitive electric ranges, allowing drivers to cover significant distances on a single charge and are supported by a Supercharger network to make sure that long- distance travel is pretty convenient. That being said electric vehicle charging infrastructure in general is still developing. In some areas, access to fast-charging stations may be limited.
Now, beauty may be in the eye of the beholder so while we find Teslas to be ugly and with little finesse in their exterior styling, there is no getting away from the fat fact that they are ridiculously overweight. The lightest Tesla (Model3) weighs 1.8 tonnes whereas the heaviest (Model X Plaid) is 2.8 Tonnes. To put that into a crazy context… the Model X is the equivalent of four old Austin Minis. So in a way driving a Tesla has the same effect on our roads as driving 4 minis…are electric cars killing our roads? Seriously though, these beasts may have less emissions but you wonder whether cars really need to be so big and heavy.
The batteries are of course the main reason Teslas ( and other electric cars) are so heavy. In a Tesla they are roughly 0.7 tonnes – imagine 0.7 tonnes of Duracell AA batteries loaded into your car. Tesla have an 8 year or 150,000 mile warranty on their batteries which is not bad – as long as you are the first owner. Anyone buying a second had Tesla better watch out because the price of a replacement battery will set you back around £15000.
Tesla has been working on improving their build quality which was a serious concern for some owners. In the past, some Tesla owners and critics raised concerns about build quality issues, including panel gaps, paint quality, and other fit and finish concerns. Still, Tesla is a new company and there are car companies with 75 years of experience that still struggle.
Going forward we can expect more innovation and updates. Tesla has been a pioneer in introducing advanced driver-assistance features, such as Autopilot. While full self-driving capabilities are still a work in progress, Tesla cars often come with software updates that improve their autonomous driving capabilities.
It’s important to research and test drive any car, including Teslas, so we took one for around West Sussex. Dynamically the car is not bad at all. It is fast, the sort of fast that puts a smile on your face. It is comfortable, the seat give good support and the general ergonomic design of the cabin is fine. As a vehicle for getting from A to B (where B is within range) it is as good as any other car out there. Our only beef with this slab of automotive meat (other than it is ugly) is whether anyone should be driving a 3 ton vehicle around towsn and inner cities – there are smaller and more environmentally ( as well as road friendly) cars out there.
