Tesla: No self-driver, but exotic features and go-fast model Tesla Motors didnt announce the self-driving car that some had expected but did roll out an exotic suite of driver-aid and safety features Thursday night. And it said itll have a hopped-up version of its Model S that has all-wheel drive and blasts to 60 mph in little more than 3 seconds. Tesla announced Thursday that the all-wheel-drive versions of its Model S electric car will manage a slight increase in range of about 10 miles on a charge vs. the rear-drive models — for a maximum of 275 miles — because of efficiencies designed into the new system. The AWD cars have a second electric motor to drive the front wheels. AWD hybrids, such as the Lexus RX, likewise use separate electric motors front and rear to accomplish all-wheel drive. That eliminates the need for a front-to-rear driveshaft and other cumbersome hardware. The AWD cars will carry the designation D, and the new top version of the Model S, the AWD P85D, will be among the fastest-accelerating sedans ever: 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds, according to Tesla. Five or six seconds is considered very quick. The 85D models start being delivered to buyers in December. The other AWD models, 60D and 85D, arrive in buyers hands in February. The addition of all-wheel drive will allow Tesla to compete more vigorously in the snowy East and Midwest, broadening is buyer base beyond the Sunbelt. Tesla is adding innovations to those. Two highlights: •The new system will move the car over a lane when the driver uses the turn signal. •The car reads speed-limit signs and adjusts the car to the speed on the sign. Other features match the lane-departure warnings and other safety and driver-help features that are getting common. Tesla says the cars its building now have 12 sensors each able to see 16 feet to enable the safety tech. Those cant be retrofitted to older models, Tesla says. usatoday/story/money/cars/2014/10/09/tesla-musk-safety-driver-aids/16986665/
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 01:25:09 +0000
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