All sorts of reviews of the first serial full electric Tesla Model S in the network a lot. Almost all of them are united by the fact that they are written by professionals, one way or another connected with the automotive business, industry and relevant online and offline publications. Without in any way questioning their experience and knowledge, it is worth noting that their sophistication does not allow them to look at this innovative car from the point of view of the average user.

Today I want to fill this gap and tell about the Model S just from the position of a motorist. The opportunity to get acquainted with the car presented to me right at work: our CEO Dmitry Grishin bought a car about which I want to tell everyone, and invited everyone from among my colleagues to examine, touch and try Tesla in action. So far, only as a passenger. But all I would like to share a story about the cabin, instruments and controls of this curious car.


')
Now to become the owner of the "car of the future" is quite simple. The main thing is to have a little more than 5 million rubles available. And then there are options: you can entrust intermediaries to deliver a car from Europe / USA or bring it yourself. To go, choose, buy, drive, customs clearance and enjoy all the delights of owning an electric car in Russia. But even despite the abolition of import duties on this class of cars, there is still a lot of taxes, transportation costs, and so on. Therefore, the cost of the car here grows twice.





Not cheap, yeah. Add to this the lack of service workshops (the closest is in Austria), the inability to insure a car against a hull insurance (according to the owners, this can be done only through leasing for a legal entity) and difficulties in charging the battery. However, by the end of the year in Moscow promise to install more than 500 charging stations.

And the problem with the service should not be too acute due to the absence in the car of a number of complex components and assemblies, such as the same gearbox. Also, in an experienced way, the few Model S owners found out that some Jaguar parts fit the car.

You can charge the car in three ways:

• from home outlet (full charge takes 15 hours);
• from a special charger worth about $ 1200 (full charge in 6-8 hours);
  
• on the “fast” charging station . Within only 20 minutes, the battery charges up to 80%. In the US, there is also a physical battery replacement service for fully charged ones. This procedure takes a couple of minutes.

Such stations are already in Moscow, their addresses can be found here . By the way, the cars themselves can exchange with each other information about the existing charging stations and their employment, constantly updating their database.

In general, the Model S comes in three versions with batteries of different capacities. The most expensive model, the P85 +, with an 85 kWh battery, can travel about 420 km without recharging. And up to hundreds of P85 + gets in 4.2 seconds. Maximum speed: 190 km / h.

European versions of the Model S are equipped with a cold climate package, which includes seat heating, heated rest zones for wipers and washer nozzles. According to the owners, even at a temperature of -20 the car drives well, and the battery charge decreases slightly. At the same time, the Model S has a remarkable feature: if you release the gas pedal while driving, the engine starts working as a generator, recharging the battery! At the same time there is a gradual "engine braking". Of course, the power consumption is not fully covered, but it is noticeably reduced.





Despite the lightweight aluminum case, the absence of a combustion engine and a gearbox, the weight of the car passes over 2 tons. This is due to the battery, which is located almost along the entire length of the bottom. And the electric motor is located between the rear wheels, so the car has two trunks: 150 liters in the front and almost 900 liters in the rear. A third row of seats can be installed in the rear trunk, for children.



Thanks to the battery (from 350 to 550 kg depending on capacity), the car has a very low center of gravity. In turn, this made it possible to make a fairly high variable clearance (from 15.5 to 20 cm) without the appearance of "valkost" and the deterioration of controllability. By the way, this Tesla version of the battery consists of about 7000 "batteries", laid down in a sly way.

When touched, the door handles slide out and then automatically hide back. By the way, when the driver approaches, the car “recognizes” him and cautiously pushes the handle. Of course, there is no face recognition, it is all about the presence of a radio module in the ignition key. By the way, to move the key itself, you do not need to insert anywhere. The car starts by pressing the brake pedal.



Salon at Model S looks very unusual. Finish - only leather and carbon. There are only two buttons on the torpedo - emergency gang and glove box opening. By the way, closing the glove box will still come the same way. Somehow it is illogical.



There is no familiar gear knob. The Model S has a single-stage automatic transmission. So there is simply nothing to switch.



All mechanical controls are assembled on the steering wheel and steering column: the control levers for turn signals and driving mode, as well as buttons and wheels, which are responsible for sound volume, switching music tracks and changing information on the dashboard.



The dashboard is made in the form of a display, which displays the motion parameters and various information about the condition of the car. The resolution of the panel display is 1280x480 pixels. Instead of the number of revolutions of the engine, the panel displays information from the ammeter.



All control and adjustment is made using a huge touch screen with a diagonal of 17 inches, located in the center of the torpedo.



The resolution of the display is quite decent - 1080x1920. Through it, you can control the clearance, adjust the brakes and steering, display navigation information, control the climate in the cabin and many other systems and parameters. Even the door of the charging connector and the sunroof are controlled by virtual buttons and sliders. Ubuntu is used as the operating system.

The display can be divided into two parts: one will display the settings of the car, the other can show the movie passengers or display a map. I wonder how shocking the display is? It is good that the car does not start from the display. And then I would have to call a tow truck if this 17-inch TV was accidentally broken.

In addition, Model S is able to independently update its software via Wi-Fi. You can also remotely turn on the heating or air conditioning through a mobile application.

Here is a very interesting video about using the control display:



The car is stuffed with sensors that determine the state of the units and structural elements. In the event of an accident, the system turns off battery power. It's no joke, take after the collision with your hand for the body under such tension! In general, Model S is officially recognized as one of the safest cars in the world according to the results of all kinds of crash tests. Even the position of the driver is monitored so that at the right time the security systems work optimally. There are 8 airbags in the cabin.

Test drive (almost)

And now I want to share my impressions of the trip on this car. Yes, yes, I still managed to ride a little on it, albeit in the passenger seat.



So, up to a hundred, this car accelerates in 4.4 seconds. And it remains just a dry number, until you feel this acceleration in your own skin. To be honest, I didn’t even immediately manage to somehow formulate my feelings, at first I didn’t understand what was happening. But as soon as the driver presses the gas pedal, the world outside the car’s windows begins to rush to meet you. At the same time, the brain hangs a little. We are all accustomed to: pushing on the gas, the car accelerates, while you hear a growl, rumbling or tarahtenie engine, which is stronger, the stronger the acceleration. In the case of Tesla, everything is different. No sound. Cotton silence. The world rushes at a speed of 100 km / h in absolute silence, even the rustling of tires on the asphalt is not audible (or is it my ears?). Therefore, in the first seconds it is generally impossible to understand what is happening, but then the brain adapts, and you already clearly realize and understand what and how.



There are no transmissions in the car, so the car responds to pressing the gas instantly, the gears do not switch, the fuel is not supplied, so the acceleration force does not fall - the sensations from this are rather unusual, but you get used to it quickly.

You can drive around the city almost without using the brake pedal - you just let go of the “gas”, as something similar to engine braking happens: the car slows down quite strongly, so you can drive to the traffic lights just by releasing the gas pedal.



Another of the features of the car: the batteries are located under the bottom, which means that the center of gravity is very low, so even at a speed of 80 km / h, Tesla makes a snake flawlessly and enters corners with virtually no heels. I had to make 5 doubles to catch at least a small roll of the car in a turn (in the photo).



Three people can easily accommodate in the back row - there is plenty of legroom, but there is no central tunnel. And you can also order a seven-seater version (!) With child seats in the trunk, which are installed against the driving course (and use the “engine compartment” as the trunk).



Here is the future!