It's Unanimous, the Tesla Model S is Motor Trend's Car of the Year

[jimmy olsen]

Elon Musk!

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/12/autos/tesla-model-s-motor-trend-car-of-the-year/

Motor Trend's Car of the Year: Tesla Model S   

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Motor Trend magazine has named the Tesla Model S its Car of the Year. The magazine's staff selected the all-electric plug-in luxury car out of a field of 11 finalists that included models such as the Ford Fusion, Porsche 911 and Hyundai Azera.

It is the first time the magazine's Car of the Year award has ever gone to an all-electric car.

Just being electric wasn't enough to earn the Model S the prize, though.

Ed Loh, Motor Trend's editor-in-chief on Monday said that, with eleven finalists, it was a strong field this year. But in the end there was no question about who the winner was. "The vehicles that placed second and third didn't get more than three votes. But it was a unanimous decision for the Tesla Model S."

"At its core, the Tesla Model S is simply a damned good car you happen to plug in to refuel," editor-at-large Angus MacKenzie wrote in an article about the award.

Motor Trend calls the Model S "as smoothly effortless as a Rolls-Royce" to drive fast while having the cargo and passenger capacity of an SUV.

The Model S was one of the most efficient cars the magazine has ever tested, averaging 74.5 miles per gallon equivalent -- a measure of how far the car goes on an amount of electricity equivalent to the energy in a gallon of gasoline -- during ordinary street driving. Still, the big car can bolt from a standstill to 60 miles an hour in just four seconds, according to Motor Trend's tests.

At the New York City announcement ceremony Tesla CEO Elon Musk said, "This is a point at which the gears of history moved," adding,

"I hope that other automakers will copy us and follow through and do electric cars with more vigor."

To be eligible for Motor Trend's Car of the Year award a vehicle must be, first of all, a car rather than an SUV or truck. The magazine gives separate truck and SUV awards. It also must be either completely new or substantially redesigned for the new model year. In all there were 25 models competing for the award this year.

After testing all the models at the Hyundai/Kia proving grounds in the southwest California desert, the magazine's staffers narrowed the list to just 11 finalists. Those cars were then tested on roads and highways around the town of Tehachapi, Calif. After further debate, the writers and editors selected the winner through a secret ballot.

It's impossible to say if the Model S would have won had it been a standard gasoline-powered luxury car, said McKenzie. That's because it would have been a different car in nearly every respect. Its strong, quiet performance is attributable to its electric motors while its roomy interior is thanks to the design flexibility they provide.

The Model S can hold up to seven people when equipped with an optional pair of rear-facing child seats. Since there is no engine, both the back and front of the car can be used for cargo, giving it functionality very similar to an SUV.

The Model S ranges from $50,000 for a car that can go 160 miles on a charge to almost $100,000 for a richly equipped model that can go 300 miles. It went into production this summer, and by the beginning of October Tesla said it had sold about 250 Model S sedans. It expects to sell about 3,200 by end of this year.

One thing Motor Trend can't promise is that Tesla Model S will be a dependable car over the long haul. Only more exerience with the car will show that.

Also, Tesla Motors (TSLA) is a start-up in an industry that's notoriously hard on newcomers. But that's not what Motor Trend is looking at, said McKenzie.

"It's not auto business plan of the year," he said.

[Zanza]

Now they just have to figure out how to earn money with this car.

[Ed Anger]

160 miles on one charge? Wouldn't work for me.

[Eddie Teach]

Since there is no engine,

Surely there have to be some mechanisms involved in turning the electricity into forward momentum. 

[Josephus]

160 miles on one charge? Wouldn't work for me.

I'm guessing it has a gasoline tank for backup.

[Grey Fox]

Since there is no engine,

Surely there have to be some mechanisms involved in turning the electricity into forward momentum. 

It does, a motor.

[garbon]

160 miles on one charge? Wouldn't work for me.

I'm guessing it has a gasoline tank for backup.

From what I've read it doesn't. However, for some of the models you can get some sort of super charger that charges up half the battery within 30 minutes.  But yeah, still seems insufficient.

[Zanza]

160 miles on one charge? Wouldn't work for me.

I'm guessing it has a gasoline tank for backup.

You are probably thinking of the Chevrolet Volt, which has a gasoline range extender. That comes with its own set of problems though - space and weight.

[Josephus]

Well if it doesn't have an emergency gas tank or anything, then it's pretty much useless for long range trips. Yeah, I was thinking about the Volt. I think it's battery only has a range of 80kms or something, but it does have a gas tank.

[Berkut]

A gas tank doesn't do much good unless there is an internal combustion engine along for the ride to burn the gas in said gas tank.

[Malthus]

A gas tank doesn't do much good unless there is an internal combustion engine along for the ride to burn the gas in said gas tank.

You could use it to set yourself on fire in protest, once your battery runs out. 

[Josephus]

A gas tank doesn't do much good unless there is an internal combustion engine along for the ride to burn the gas in said gas tank.

Well not sure how it works, but the Volt does just that. It is a full electric car but has a backup gas tank, which I imagine, obviously, means it has a combustion engine.

[edit: the internal combustion engine apparently powers the electric generator to extend the car's range once the battery runs out]

[The Minsky Moment]

I'm guessing the Tesla people are thinking their buyers fall into one of two categories:
1) Urban or suburban drivers who never need to go more than 160 miles at a time, or
2) People who only need to go 160+ miles in a go on occassion and who have more than one car.