The Rise of Tesla: Part 2 – Big S3XY Vision
Elon Musk likes grand visions, setting near unobtainable goals, he dreams big. Founding Space X, Solar City and part founding Tesla are all part of a ‘master plan’ in his head to drive humans to become a multi-planetary species. He may be right. With our poisoned air and slowly decaying climate, a plan B home would be a good option to have. His stated mission is to create a human settlement on Mars with a population of one million.
10 years ago, despite the relative success of the Roadster, Tesla was still heavily loss-making, but Musk set out the SEXY grand plan. His plan was simple to explain and, in his words, stated as:
Create a low volume car, which would necessarily be expensive
Use that money to develop a medium volume car at a lower price
Use that money to create an affordable, high volume car
Provide solar power to help charge EVs as well as provide domestic power
The MODEL S, 3 (because E is used by Mercedes), X and Y formed the grand plan – S3XY. The Tesla Semi Truck, Cybertruck and a new 25k Tesla now also form part of the range bringing seven electric models to the market. Musk is not afraid to take risks - sinking practically all of his windfall from PayPal into Tesla.
The Model S – a sleek, luxury saloon designed by Franz von Holzhausen and inspired by the modern Aston Martin brand, is the flagship of Tesla and was launched in 2012. This ground-breaking vehicle was a step-change from the Roadster. An eye-catching car with eye-watering performance, 100% electric with a minimalist sparse interior. The centrepiece is a massive 17-inch touch screen (this was designed before Apple’s iPad had even hit the market) challenging the very core of how a car’s cockpit had been designed for a century.
Save for a front nose job, the design of the Model S hasn’t changed for almost a decade. Its sleek design has stood the test of time.
What has changed is a host of features and functionalities thanks to the regular software updates. Battery preheating to maximise supercharging efficiency, a new entertainment module, complete with retro 1980’s arcade games and Netflix (for use when stopped). Navigation is simple and intuitive, using a Google Maps interface. You can search for a business address for example without having to search for streets and postcodes.
The Tesla Model S and Model 3 scored a 5-star safety rating by Euro NCAP. There is mostly empty space in under the hood creating a large crumple zone. There is also the low centre of gravity with the evenly distributed floor weight, thanks to the heavy battery pack in the floor. The battery pack is also strong giving side-impact rigidity. On top of the physical safety, there is then the autopilot, activated or not it is constantly watching road conditions and alerting drivers to dangers from its multiple cameras.
The X is a giant futuristic SUV. With electric, DeLorean style, gull-wing doors and a huge interior, the X is built on the same ‘skateboard’ as the Model S.
The skateboard comprises the entire floor plate of the car, containing thousands of battery cells, drive motor and induction motor. This skateboard configuration is now the default for almost every electric car. The Model S and every Tesla since is hyper-efficient, lightweight and aerodynamic to offset the weight of the battery pack and increase range.
Both the Model S and Model X are luxury class vehicles. They were not intended to be the cash cow, profit makers. That title was reserved for the Model 3, the much anticipated ‘affordable’ electric car. Musk’s original vision was to create a $25k car for the masses with the 3. That dream was not realised, in part due to the still relatively high cost of battery production and the lack of a matured production process with large economies of scale.
In Europe the standard range plus costs as much as €45-€50k in most countries with subsidies, keeping the Model 3 in the luxury segment. The 3’s interior is even more spartan than the S with a single centre horizontal touchscreen and no traditional dashboard. It has been a huge success, earning Tesla the title as fastest growing brand with half a million pre-orders prior to going on sale.
The Model Y completed the SEXY vision, essentially a mini-SUV variant on the 3. Almost one million Model 3 and Model Ys were sold in the first 3 years bringing Tesla to eventual quarterly profitability and catapulting the brand to global stardom. Getting to this position, from an obscure Californian electric car start-up to one of the most recognised brands in the world didn’t come smoothly. Tesla and Musk have had a baptism of fire scaling up production with many serious setbacks and near bankruptcies along the way.
