Tesla And Radio Flyer - Whaddya Think?

A child looks up wide-eyed as the holiday tree twinkles. “Ooh! A Tesla! My own Tesla!” she cries out, a smile spread wide across her face. It’s a scene that’s been played out, in one form or another, for generations. This year’s holiday dream-come-true is the Tesla Radio Flyer Model S Electric Kids Car. In another generation long ago, it was the No. 4 Liberty Coaster — the first in the long line of historic Radio Flyer wagons to come from an immigrant named Antonio Pasin.

There’s another immigrant whose skills, like Pasin, brought him to the United States. Elon Musk, too, sought the refuge of new beginnings. After being bullied as a school child in Pretoria, South Africa, Musk attended college in Canada before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania in the U.S. Musk has been the driving force behind Tesla Motors, Inc., one of the most innovative technology companies of the 21st century, and has revolutionized how we think about transportation.

With a keen business sense, Musk knows that Tesla should be looking to the next generation of U.S. citizens in the same ways that other companies seek out branding opportunities. Branding, which is the marketing practice of creating a recognizable name that holds deeper symbolic meaning, identifies and differentiates a product from others in its line. And branding has the capacity to instill positive images of Tesla for generations to come through a sense of nostalgia.

Enter the Tesla Radio Flyer Model S Electric Kids Car.

Robert Pasin, a grandson of founder Antonio Pasin, is “chief wagon officer” for Radio Flyer and has run the company since 1997. He spoke about the connection between certain classic or nostalgic items from our childhoods and their associated branding. “People love them,” he admitted readily, while also acknowledging that a company is “always going to be innovating.” The idea of Tesla in the Radio Flyer business family also helped to solve some of the electric generating problems that the company had encountered.

“When we started looking at the category of battery-operated ride-ons, one of the main pain points consumers would talk about is whenever the kid wanted to ride the car, the battery was dead. Our team thought they could solve it with a lithium-ion battery, but it’s really expensive. So if we were going to do lithium-ion, we should partner with Tesla, because they have the hottest, coolest electric car on the planet. We pitched it to Tesla about three years ago.”

According to Tesla, “Every Tesla Model S for Kids is a battery powered ride on that comes equipped with high-end features to recreate the ultimate Tesla experience.” Like the Radio Flyer brand itself, the Tesla for Kids car has the potential to become an American icon.

For 98 years, Radio Flyer toys have sent children on countless voyages of fantasy. With beauty, simplicity, and standards of safety, Radio Flyer toys have encouraged adventure and discovery; they’ve helped to capture the wonders of youth. In the same way that the Radio Flyer is rediscovered with each new generation, so, too, can the Tesla become part of a nostalgia of the timeless symbol of childhood freedom.

Moreover, Tesla will be adding credibility from a parent’s point of view with the Tesla Radio Flyer Model S Electric Kids Car. Just like the full size Tesla, parents can choose the paint color, performance, accessories, and personalization. Pasin says of their pitch to Tesla, “They didn’t bat an eye at Radio Flyer, but it did take awhile to sign the deal and convince (Tesla) it was a good thing to do.”

Pasin thinks his grandfather would like the Tesla within their product line. “One of his nicknames was ‘Little Ford,’” Pasin remembers. “The idea was he did for wagons what Ford did for cars. He was really interested in the latest and greatest products; he was not a nostalgic person at all. Partnering with Tesla, he would have thought was just awesome.” And so will lots of children this holiday season when they discover a Tesla under the tree.

Tesla P85D Burns A Mercedes SLS AMG

A German Tesla Model S P85D owner recently had a bit of fun with his kids and wife creating a Tesla commercial of sorts. I think best is just to watch it, but if you are not up for that, I’ll describe and discuss it a little bit below the video.

So, basically, Matthias David sets it up whereby he is a stranger driving a Mercedes SLS AMG behind aTesla Model S P85D. He pulls up behind the Tesla at a red light, and sees two little girls in the rear-facing seats. He’s clearly in a rush and not into the kids. Little does he know that the driver of the Tesla has just put the car in “Insane” mode, and is about to burn his ass.

The girls enjoy waving to him and smiling as they zip off, and the videography is clever as it skips between the silent and fast Tesla P85D and the loud, throaty, archaic-sounding Mercedes SLS AMG. Honestly, people who think the annoying “sound” of a “powerful” car is still cool… well, no offense, but I think it’s time to retire an association that is well in need of retiring. Loud does not necessarily = powerful. And powerful certainly doesn’t have to be loud. The future is coming, and it is electric.

Swedish Business Owner Buys Two 60 KW Tesla Superchargers

With nearly 500 Supercharger locations spread out across the word, Tesla is moving fast to ensure its customers have easy access to their fast and free charging network. Yet there are still plenty of gaps in the Supercharger network’s coverage, and the much slower “destination chargers” just aren’t enough for some people.

That prompted Swedish business owner and Model S driver Mikael Blomqvist to contact Tesla about buying some Superchargers to install at his business center. Electrek.co reports that Tesla sold Blomqvist two 60 KW Superchargers for his business center, which are only half as powerful as the standard Supercharger, but still faster than the Level 2 destination chargers at many hotels and resorts. If the 120 KW Superchargers can top off a S85 in an hour, then the 60 KW chargers probably take about twice as long, all the way around.

Blomqvist wouldn’t specify exactly how much each 60 KW Supercharger cost him, saying only that each was “less expensive than the car”, putting it under $75,000. In its most recent SEC filing, Tesla quoted a price of about $55,000 per Supercharger unit, but I assume that’s for the 120 KW version. Tesla hasn’t publicly acknowledged that it’s willing to sell Supercharger stations to individual owners, and given its relutance to embrace a traditional dealership sales model, I’m not entirely convinced this is a new business model, and not just a one-off special case.

Then again, with the announcement of the Tesla Energy home battery system and the growing prevalence of destination charging stations, I don’t see why Tesla wouldn’t want to add an additional revenue stream to its balance sheets.

Consumer Reports Locked Out Of Their Tesla P85D, But Still Loves It

While Consumer Reports has been one of the biggest fans of the Tesla Model S, testers found themselves locked out of the $127,000 P85D after just 27 days and 2,300 miles of testing. You’d think that’d diminish Tesla’s allure for Consumer Reports, but once again Tesla’s exceptional service saved the day.

When the Fisker Karma that Consumer Reports bought to test out broke down on the way back from the dealership, it did not bode well for the fledgling automaker. Beyond just breaking down, it took Fisker techs quite some time to get the Karma tester backup and running. But in the case of the Tesla P85D tester, a Tesla tech came to Consumer Reports the next day and replaced the door-control module, a common part failure for those fancy pop-out door handles. The Model S didn’t even need to be brought in for service. The whole on-site repair took just a couple of hours.

Though Tesla has had to deal with a few reliability concerns with both the battery pack and electric motor, the door handle issue seems to be one of the most common problems Model S owners deal with. Getting locked out of your six-figure vehicle is no fun, but Tesla’s response it what continues to set it apart from other automakers. When’s the last time Ford or Mercedes sent a technician to fix a car in your driveway?

Even in the way the Model S breaks down, Tesla is setting a new standard.

Introducing Pre-Owned Model S

From an e-mail by Tesla:

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Tesla Pre-Owned Model S Program in North America. This program offers a new way to experience Model S, starting as low as $55,000. Tesla's award-winning Model S is an evolution in automobile engineering and performance, offering an unprecedented driving experience and the highest safety rating in America. Every Pre-Owned Model S has passed a comprehensive 200+ point inspection completed by Tesla Service Technicians. The Tesla Pre-Owned Model S Program also includes: Four-year or 50,000-mile (80,000 km) Limited Warranty which begins on the date of delivery Balance of Tesla Battery and Drive Unit Warranty (eight years or 125,000 miles for 60kWh; eight years or unlimited miles for 85kWh) CarFax Vehicle History Report in United States 24 Hour Roadside Assistance over the warranty period Tesla now makes it easier than ever to purchase a Model S, offering various financing programs, as well as assistance with the trade-in of your current vehicle. Find your perfect Pre-Owned Tesla here.

If you have any questions please call us at 1 (888) 518-3752.

Tesla Certified Pre-Owned Website Officially Launches

After a “soft launch” earlier this year, the Tesla Motors Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program officially launched with a new page to the Tesla website. If you’ve been waiting for a bargain price on a Tesla Model S while wanting the security ofa Certified Pre-Owned program, then your time has finally arrived.

The Tesla CPO program has launched without much fanfare or so much as an official announcement yet, but the website is live and so are the prices. You can choose an area of the country to search through CPO Teslas for, centered around 11 American cities like New York, San Francisco, and LA, but also Hawaii, Cleveland, Chicago, and Atlanta among others. Some places, like Denver and Hawaii, only have a handful of cars to choose from, but other cities where the Model S is particularly popular have a wide range of options.

Now comes the question of price. Just how much cheaper is a CPO Tesla Model S? Well obviously that depends on options and whatnot, but the bottom-dollar vehicle I could find for sale on the Tesla CPO site was about $53,000 for a 2012 60 kWh Model S with the Tech Package and about 26,000 miles. That’s about $20,000 below the original MSRP, though for another $10,000 you could find yourself in a nicely-equipped P85 with about 37,000 miles on the odometer. Tesla stands to make a nice chunk of change through its CPO program.

And here I thought I was going to have a productive Saturday. Instead, I’m going to end up spending a few hours trying to figure out a way to finagle myself into a CPO Tesla.

2015 Tesla Model S P85D review

Dual motors and a power hike give Tesla's electric family car supercar acceleration - and the rest of the package is as strong as ever

What is it?: 

The Tesla Model S has already wowed us in conventional form - if, indeed, the rear-wheel-drive, fully electric family hatchback could ever be called ordinary. Described in its full Autocar road test as "practical, refined and desirable - a triumph", the Model S has been available so far in a couple of guises: the regular 85, with 376bhp and a range of 310 miles, and the more modest 60, which has a smaller battery and a reduced range of 240 miles.

The P85D is something else altogether. Instead of a single electric motor driving the rear wheels, it gets one on each axle to run in four-wheel drive - and the upgrades don't stop there. The rear-mounted motor gets Tesla's Performance designation (the 'P' in the model name), raising it to 464bhp, and with the front wheels offering an additional 218bhp, you suddenly end up with an entirely respectable-looking five or seven-seat family hatchback, with a combined output of 682bhp and 687lb ft.

The resulting performance figures are pretty staggering. The top speed is a run-of-the-mill 155mph, but 0-60mph is claimed to take just 3.2sec. Let's think about that for a moment: that's the same time, to the tenth, as the official Autocar benchmark for the Ferrari 458 Speciale (the regular Italia is 0.1sec slower). It has the potential to make the P85D's list price of £79,080 look a bit of a bargain - especially when you consider that free access to Supercharging - Tesla's ever-expanding network of quick charging points - is included as standard.

Nor should P85D users be any more susceptible to range anxiety than owners of more conventional Model S editions. Tesla claims that the car's digital power controls can utilise two motors more effectively than one - so there's actually a modest gain in range over the old rear-drive P85. It's now 300 miles, just 10 miles shy of the regular 85.

Incidentally, the new model sits on top of a revised range, where the twin-motor four-wheel drive set-up (identified by the 'D' suffix) is also available as a £4100 upgrade to the regular 85. That edition gets a regular 50/50 power split between front and rear axles, though, with the same combined output as the 85. In the meantime, Tesla has quietly dropped the rear-drive P85 from the line-up; its reasoning is that anyone who wants the extra grunt will be happy to pay for the four-wheel-drive model that can make better use of it.

What's it like?: 

To activate the P85D's full potential, you press a button on the huge central touchscreen marked (and I'm serious about this) 'Insane'. And that's pretty much how it feels. Tesla's acceleration test track was a well-abused mixture of greasy cold asphalt and coarse gravel, but the P85D still managed to deliver a level of acceleration that would be difficult for anything else to match in the same conditions. It's the initial punch that does it - the kind of uncompromising shove from 0-30mph that comes with the torque characteristics of electric motors in general, now mixed with four-wheel drive.

What's missing, of course, is any sort of soundtrack. There's none of the sense of occasion that you get with a 458 attempting similar feats - or anything approaching the aural pleasure that can be delivered by a hard-worked AMG V8. Instead, you hear a distant whoosh as the twin motors kick in, accompanied by - and this is perhaps oddest of all - the sounds of the tyres themselves grabbing hold of the surface beneath them (on a dry road, presumably, you'll not even hear that).

Once you're up and running, there's even less standing in the way of the P85D's colossal torque; you'll need to be well beyond the UK speed limit before you'd detect any discernible reduction in the car's ability to gain momentum.

Try to carry too much speed into a corner and the P85D will simply understeer; behave yourself and the nose tucks in with more conviction than it does on the 85 (itself not a bad steer, by any measure). Regardless of how hard you're pushing, it stays admirably flat in corners - and there was enough compliance to dial out the worst road surface imperfections on Tesla's Norwegian test route. 

There's still not much communication, though; you get three weights of steering to play with, but despite this, and regardless of the P85D's ability to thrill and delight every time the traffic lights go green, this is not a car that makes you feel truly connected to what the tyres are doing. In that respect, at least, the P85D feels like one of the family - a slightly more planted and considerably quicker stablemate to the 85 and 60.

The same can be said for refinement, really, because the large alloy wheels still create a fair amount of road roar once you're above 40mph. It's by no means noisy aboard the P85D, but nor is it as silent as you may expect a fully electric vehicle to be.

The cabin remains a clever bit of packaging, with room for five adults and potentially two further children in rear-facing seats in the boot. The luggage capacity is still enormous, with space under the bonnet and in the traditional boot totalling almost 1800 litres. The finish on materials is of a remarkably high standard compared with any other American car - although a few elements are half a notch behind the best European executive models when you get to a close-up inspection.

The showpiece of the cabin is still the Model S's gargantuan centre screen, a 17in behemoth of a touchscreen through which you control the majority of the vehicle functions, let alone infotainment or navigation. It's still a bit worrying to see the system redrawing chunks of map as it struggles to keep up with sheer amount of real estate it has at its disposal, and there are occasions when you'll wish they'd just fitted a permanent button - Volvo's new system on the XC90 does a better job of fast-tracking you to regularly used functions - but in the most part it's a triumph.

Tesla has also rolled out the music streaming service Rdio to its cars via an over-the-air upgrade. In theory, the system allows you to press a steering wheel-mounted button and request any song - and voice recognition and a data connection will do the rest. In practice, you may find the search facility and data speeds more limiting than your own imagination.

Should I buy one?: 

If you're in the market for a Model S - and we can think of plenty of reasons why you could be - then it's going to be hard to resist the all-round performance increase and all-weather ability of the P85D. It does feel noticeably quicker and a little more secure than a conventional 85, and the four-wheel drive means that it stands a chance of keeping you moving on those three days a year where the weather grinds Britain to a halt.

You're paying a fair old premium, though; the four-wheel-drive 85D is still a car that can crack 0-60mph in just over five seconds, and there's a £14,000 hike from that car to the Ferrari-rivalling pace of the P85D. Even if you finance (the most appealing way into a Model S, realistically), you're looking at a premium of around £300 per month for a couple of seconds off the 0-60mph time.

Many will look at the raw figures, do the maths and, with a tinge of regret, allow head to overrule heart. Those who don't will be picking one of the most remarkable production cars on sale today.