1. 13.03.2016 / 33
What little noise there is comes
from the sound of giant 21in
wheels on the bitumen.
All the while you are driving, the
large screen at the centre of the
dash relays information about
battery charge and energy
consumption. With the average
person commuting 32km a day,
the Model S caters to the need of
all but the longest-distance
commuters. Tesla reckons the
battery will last 10 years if treated
well. Buyers get an eight-year
unlimited mileage warranty that is
transferable should you decide to
sell it on.
Instead of taking the Tesla to the
dealership for feature upgrades,
software updates are downloaded
over wi-fi or through the in-car
3G network. Early adopters are
usually stung for investing in new
technology but with the Model S
there are few drawbacks other
than price, which is expected to be
in the region of €130,000.
While it doesn’t quite do away
with range anxiety altogether, the
Model S overcomes the main
hurdle to electric vehicle
ownership in this country.
Ludicrous speed (I kid you not)
that shaved 0.3 seconds off the
sprint time. SpaceX’s Falcon 9
rocket isn’t the only vehicle in
Musk’s portfolio that feels like it
can defy earth’s gravity.
Take your foot off the throttle
and regenerative braking does the
job of the four-piston Brembo
brakes, reducing speed gradually.
Lorraine O’Sullivan
I came close to an eight-wheeler
but the on-board computer’s
precise steering adjustments
let me know I was safe
lights, plus power-folding and
heated side mirrors.
Select drive using the column-
mounted stick and the car silently
creeps forward. Put the foot down
and the response is instantaneous.
Despite its width, it wasn’t long
before I felt confident with the
handling, even on the narrow
roads around Clontarf, and then I
headed to the motorway to test the
car’s headline feature, Autopilot.
I had seen YouTube videos
showing people driving Teslas on
autopilot suddenly grabbing hold
of the steering wheel as the car
lurched towards the side of the
road. I knew a software update,
downloaded via the car’s 3G
hotspot connection, was the only
thing preventing me from a similar
fate and yet I felt confident enough
to turn to the passengers in the
rear seats for a brief conversation.
Autopilot works at motorway
speeds and can take the car round
bends. It will keep pace with the
car in front and slow down in
traffic. Changing lanes is a case of
indicating and relying on the car’s
sensor suite to ensure nothing is
in the way, although the current
version needs you to place your
hands back on the wheel even
though it does all the work. At
one point I came close to an eight-
wheeler lorry but the on-board
computer’s precise steering
adjustments let me know that
I was in safe hands.
One Autopilot feature I didn’t get
to try was Summon mode, which
lets owners call the car to them
using their phone and gives you
the option to jump out at your
destination and let the car park
itself. Sadly O’Connell Street is not
deemed ready for Summon yet —
its use is confined to private roads.
With a substantial battery at its
heart, the 2 tonne Model S is a big
chunk of car by anyone’s standards
and you would expect it to handle
like a barge. Levels of feedback
cannot match a full-blown sports
car but steering is direct and the
car has a low centre of gravity that
roots it to road surfaces.
Our model was the flagship
P90D. The P stands for
Performance and the D stands for
all-wheel drive. Standard zero to
100kph time is 3.1 seconds but our
car was equipped with optional
LOOK, NO HANDS:
IT’S A KIND
OF MAGIC
Technical front
The Model S,
with its 17in
touchscreen
display, inset