Tesla Electric Car At The 2011 Canberra International Electric Vehicle Festival
Tesla Roadster at 2011 Canberra International Electric Vehicle Festival
Tesla Motors made an appearance at the 2011 Canberra International Electric Vehicle Festival with several Tesla Roadsters in action and display. These Teslas were giving people rides to enable the public to experience being in a performance Electric Car. What is even more interesting was that International Auto Exhibition (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany (sometimes known as the Frankfurt or German Motor Show) was happening around the same time.
Motor Shows in Germany are very high profile important events and car makers consider them important to have a presence at a German Motor Show. Tesla Motors is a technology company with many smart and experienced people working for them. They produce great cars and have made technological breakthroughs which many established car makers are trying to catch up to. They have set bench marks in Electric Car technology and have come up with a fantastic package of a fast Electric Car which has a range of several hundred miles. They produce cars that rival their gasoline competitors. What google has done for the Internet, Tesla Motors has done for motoring.
Many established car makers go to Tesla Motors for assistance in electrifying their cars and to learn from Tesla Motors about Electric Car technology and its implementation for real world conditions. Tesla Motors have broken many barriers such as top speed and range, making them the Technology leaders in Electric Car Technology.
When a high profile and smart company like Tesla Motors chooses to attend the Canberra International Electric Vehicle Festival over a German Motor Show, you can be sure that this decision would have been made very carefully and strategically. What is even more interesting, is that several Tesla owners traveled several hundred miles to the event and allowed members of the public to ride in their cars and happily answered questions. They were giving live testimonials about their Tesla Electric Cars.
Teslas are obviously great cars if their owners travel several hundred miles to a high profile event to promote the cars they love. When talking to owners or Tesla drivers, you can feel the passion when they talk about the Tesla. How many car makers at the German Motor show get their customers to rave about their cars? The enthusiasm I’ve seen amongst Tesla owners is similar to that of Ferrari or Porsche owners!
After the event, the Australian Country Manager for Tesla Motors, Jay McCormack took the time to speak to me. I told him a bit about my Electric Go Kart and I was interested in the next Tesla model that will be released soon, the Tesla Model S. This car is a 4 door car with a range of over 300 miles (if you choose the battery upgrade pack). The Tesla Model S is a car that will compete against the BMW 535, Mercedes E-Class and Audi A6. I personally believe it is a good contender to compete against cars like the Maserati Quartroporte and Porsche Panamera. The Tesla Model S is planned to be sold for around $80,000 Australian dollars (approximately USD $80,000 depending on what day you look at the exchange rate) when launched. (It should be noted that prices could change upon release to Australia as there are various circumstances at play, even though I do hope the prices come down upon release.) To put this in perspective, in Australia (at the time of publishing this blog article), I’ve seen advertised the following:
- brand new Audi A6 cars retail for above $88,000 Australian dollars;
- brand new Mercedes E-class 4 cylinder cars retail for above $82,000 Australian dollars;
- brand new BMW 5 series cars retail for above $83,000 Australian dollars;
The Tesla Model S can seat 5 adults and 2 children (a total of 7 people) in comfort. This is possible because the electric drive train consumes less room compared to its rivals. There is even more cargo space under the hood. The performance of the Tesla Model S is 0-60 mph (0 – 96km/h) in approximately 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 125 mph (200km/h). The range is dependent on battery options with entry level having a range of 160 miles (256km) and other battery options including one that can deliver 300 miles (480km). It has many luxury appointments
Tesla plans to continue their presence in the 2012 Canberra International Electric Vehicle Festival as they have been getting fantastic publicity and exposure for their brand. I’m not surprised by Tesla Motor’s decision.
My Opinion About Tesla Motors
In my opinion, Tesla Motors produce impressive cars. I would happily drive one, whether it is the Tesla Roadster or the soon to be release Tesla Model S.
Conclusion
Tesla owners are passionate about their cars. The decision for Tesla not to attend the German Motor Show in my opinion would not have been easy, but the fact that they had a strong presence at the 2011 Canberra International Electric Vehicle Festival speaks highly of the event. The response from the public regarding the Tesla was positive. Also, the fact that Tesla owners are willing and happy to support the brand at a major automotive event means Tesla much be producing great cars.
With Tesla about to release the Tesla Model S and I believe it will cost around $80,000 Australia (dollars), in my opinion, it represents good value for money. If you are looking to buy a Mercedes, BMW or Audi, in my opinion, I would wait until the Tesla Model S is released so you can check out the Tesla Model S as I believe it represents great value for money. Tesla have proven themselves to be a reliable producer of quality cars with an enthusiastic fan base and I have no doubt that the Tesla Model S won’t disappoint. Just as the Tesla Roadster set the benchmark for super cars, I’m confident the Tesla Model S will set the benchmark for luxury cars in the future.
This is Crazy Al Signing Out.
