The Tesla Model S electric saloon is updated in design and substance, with a faster battery charger and a bioweapon defence-grade air filtration system. Prices rise.
The batteries of the Tesla Model S electric saloon are becoming increasingly easy to recharge: the new generation of the American car adopts a 48A charger – previously 40 amperes – guaranteeing faster cell regeneration times at high-capacity stations known as Tesla Superchargers. An evolution that, according to the management of the Californian factory, will have a positive impact on the car's usability whilst also giving a further boost to the expansion of the rapid-charging network. In Italy, for example, 12 stations are currently available, covering the north and part of the central regions, while the opening of new "charging points" in the south and in Sicily is expected during the course of the year.
Riding the wave of the Model 3's success and record reservations, Tesla has dedicated both an aesthetic and mechanical restyling to the Model S, unveiled in 2013 and since become the technological manifesto of the American marque. Spacious and elegant, featuring an aluminium body and five comfortable seats to which two fold-down seats can be added – arranged facing opposite to the direction of travel – suitable for children, the updated electric saloon draws on the lines introduced by the Model X crossover for its grille, full-LED headlight design and front bumper. From the Model X, the American car also takes the bioweapon defence-grade air conditioning system.
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"The new Model S," stated Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, "brings with it a breath of fresh air… in the truest sense of the word! The Hepa (High efficiency particulate air filter) filtration technology is in fact capable of removing 99.97 per cent of external pollutants, as well as bacteria and pollen." A feature that on the one hand enriches the car's technical credentials, and on the other contributes to a rise in prices: the list price starts from €84,800, that is €6,000 more than before.
Produced at the Fremont plant in California, the Tesla Model S is available, as tradition dictates, with both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive: in the latter case a second electric motor is fitted at the front wheels. Four versions are available, differentiated by battery range and powertrain output. The base version, in detail, is called the "70" and can count on 320 hp, while the top of the range, until yesterday known as the P85D and now evolved – in name as well – into the P90D, boasts electronically managed 4WD, an average range of 509 kilometres and a 0 to 100 kilometres per hour sprint in 3.3 seconds.
After the first generation had impressed with its performance and design, the new Model S prepares to face the market with the advantage of improved usability, a revised design and technical refinements that justify, at least in part, the price increase compared to the past. What is certain is that, with a list price significantly above €80,000, the American saloon becomes even more exclusive, definitively handing the baton to its "younger sibling" the Model 3 in the ideal relay race for the mass adoption of electric mobility.