Tesla is the leading company in making electric vehicles, and it seems as time goes along, the vehicles are starting to show issues that other companies seem to be wanting to take advantage of, but Tesla itself seems to completely look over.
The new Tesla Model S has had much hype attached to its release, what with charismatic CEO Elon Musk making every announcement about it seem like it would be the greatest car Nikola Tesla has ever made, but new data shows that the car has many problems to face, and things may only go downhill from there.
Consumer Reports recently revealed the results of their annual service, which rates car customer satisfaction and reliability. Tesla received a “worse-than-average” rating in reliability, and the announcement caused a 10% drop in the company’s stocks almost instantly.
Tesla Isn’t Perfect, and Neither is the Model X
Tesla is good at making headlines and hyping people up, but these announcements turn out less than surprising results. The only recent announcement that did get appropriate hype was the unveiling of its Model X, but otherwise, it has been quite disappointing.
Nick Jaynes writes in a report about the new model of the Tesla that the price, for starters, is steep. The Model X is set to hit the market for $132,000-$142,000, which means the targeted market is vastly different. While other Tesla models have been more accessible and targets customers new to the electric vehicle, the Model X aims for a more select crowd. The Model X, two years behind schedule, is forecast to be bought by current Model S owners by Elon Musk himself, which gives the project a surprisingly dark sense of publicity.
The Model X, as revealed at the unveiling event, runs on the same platform as the Model S and features the same powertrain. One of the differences is that the car was delayed from its 2013 debut and had more money invested than originally planned.
The Flashy Features that Delayed the Project
The Model X comes with Falcon Wing doors, which were developed by the company by manipulating ultrasonic sensors that can see through metal. The doors also required a restructure of the roof of the car to maintain crash safety. It looks like this was done just for aesthetics and not for functionality, apparently in Tesla’s attempt to compete as a luxury car.
The car also comes with a panoramic windshield, reaching well past the front passenger’s necessary line of sight. It is the biggest glass ever fitted to a production car, and required, according to Musk, a series of layered, gradient-tint glass to be possible. GM has been working on these kinds of windshields for 50 years, but it proved unreliable and unsafe. Tesla Chief Technical Officer Jeffery Straubel, Jayne writes, says it was made to enhance visibility. There’s also the tidbit about the Tesla coming with a feature called Bioweapon Defense Mode, which, in an apocalyptic situation, could keep passengers safe.
The Model X Won’t Be Available Until 2016
The Model X won’t get delivered until the summer of 2016, and in the meantime, Tesla has already made some more flashy announcements, including one for a Tesla Model 3, set to go on the market for $35,000, but there is a long way to go if Tesla hopes to re-engage working class customers.
Currently, the company seems to be focusing on marketing less than reliable cars to the wealthy, and it could potentially mean the end for the company as a whole or a serious downgrade.
