After Elon Musk announced that 10,030 EVs have been delivered in the first three months of the current year, Tesla Motors is preparing for the next big thing - the Model X. The latest sighting of the all-electric jacked-up Model S comes from I-280 near Palo Alto.
Incidentally, Palo Alto is where Tesla Motors is based, while the Fremont plant is located some 25 miles from the HQ, so go figure what was the Model X prototype doing on California’s I-280. If you look closely, you’ll see that this prototype boasts with a tow hitch.
In any case, don’t get your hopes up too high on a truly versatile towing capacity because electric power isn’t similar to a traditional engine’s twist. Nevertheless, the production-ready Model X crossover SUV is going to get the same underpinnings as the D-ifiedModel S. In numbers, that translates to up to 691 all-electric ponies and 685 lb-ft (931 Nm).
All-wheel drive via two electric motors and more than 225 miles (362 km) of range at 100 percent charge are also on the menu. As you can see in the latest Model X sighting, much of the vehicle is camouflaged. Black rare windows, misaligned Falcon Wing Doors and masked bits and bobs are the elements engineers employed in order to keep us EV-heads as curious as ever before.
Slated to start production in the third quarter of 2015, the 2016 Tesla Model X will come in no less than three guises: 60 kWh, 85 kWh and 85 kWh Performance. If you want one, delivery estimates for new reservations is “early 2016.” Yup, that's a lot of waiting to get your hands on the long-awaited X.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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