Tesla has officially taken the wraps off the Model X, the company's family-sized all-electric SUV designed to essentially be the Model S for those that need a little more space than the Model S can provide.
The unveiling comes after months of production delays, as well as a number of media announcements about the status of the car by the company, which hasn't been as secretive as the likes of Apple. Tesla even went ahead and named the page for the live stream "Model X Launch."
As far as the car itself, it may be a bit bigger, but that doesn't mean it's not fast, able to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds in ludicrous mode, and 3.6 seconds otherwise. Not only that, but while it has a smaller range than the Model S, it beats out most electric cars, getting a whopping 250-257 miles on a single charge, depending on the version purchased. That's certainly enough for day-to-day activity, unless your day-to-day activity means driving across the country.
The Model X also can seat a total of nine people, with the seats each being designed to be large enough to seat an adult. Not only that, but the company says the car is the safest SUV ever released, boasting only a 6.5 percent chance of serious injury in a high-speed collision. In a side-on crash, Tesla says the Model X is also the safest in its class, which it illustrates with the images below, with the left being the Model X.
Of course, it's safest not get in an accident in the first place. The Model X includes automatic emergency braking, using the camera and sensors to detect oncoming obstacles, as well as the ability to steer away from cars coming toward the car's side by using ultrasonic detectors.
Next up is the car's air safety. The Model X features extremely large air filters, and Tesla has even included a "bioweapon defense mode," which uses the air filters to their maximum capacity.
As far as fuel economy goes, the Model X obviously doesn't use fuel, but it gets between 89 and 94 MPGe, the electric equivalent.
The Model X is available in two models, the Model X 90D, and the Model X P90D. The 90D is the base car, getting between 90 and 94 MPGe, with 257 miles of range. The P90D, which is the flagship, gets between 89 and 90 MPGe, has a range of 250 miles, and includes ludicrous mode, which enables the car to go from 0 to 60 miles in 3.2 seconds.
The Model X, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, only costs around $5,000 more than the Model S with the same options. The base Model S costs $70,000, putting the base Model X at $75,000. A fully loaded Signature Series version of the Model X is also available for $132,000.
Those interested in the Model X can head to the Tesla website to reserve one for themselves now.
