Electric Car dreaming Androids? Move over Electric Sheep and forgive me Philip K Dick but Tesla recently came out with an update to their Model S that warrants the reference. The Tesla Model S Dual Motor P85D with Autopilot has just advanced vehicle technology into the realms of scifi.
The original Model S was rightly awarded Car of the Year in 2013 with accolades for it’s range, performance, safety and design brilliance but this updated version takes it to new heights of wow. OK, I’ll stop gushing so much and give you some detail – how’s about zero to 100kph in 3.2 seconds, the quickest acceleration of a production vehicle ever built, top speed of 250kms, the range extended to 500kms on a single charge, forward radar, a sensory bubble around the vehicle in all directions, digitally assisted braking and a host of safety updates that will enable the driver to select autopilot and relax.
It seems at Tesla they have hired graduates from Hogwarts to advance car design by acts of pure wizardry. The extra power and top speed have been achieved by having a drive motor on each axle. By constantly monitoring the drive conditions to achieve maximum efficiency the range has actually been extended despite the additional weight of the car. The autopilot feature set will help overcome driver distraction issues which are a major factor in many accidents and will eventually lead to the holy grail of autonomous driving.
Get ready for autonomous vehicles in 5 to 6 years according to Tesla founder Elon Musk. The technology is advancing faster than many have previously thought and will lead to major improvements in road safety and efficiencies. There’s still some way to go with the technology and there will need to be legislative changes to cover liability etc. but the writing is on the wall and Tesla is again at the forefront of the new tech in cars. Click here to visit MEC website to see Elon driving this dream car and talk about the autopilot features.
