Later this evening, I’ll be reporting live from the airport in Hawthorne, Calif, where electric car company Tesla will unveil what CEO Elon Musk has been teasing as “the D” as well as “something else” mysterious that will be shown off. Yes, it’s all very cryptic, “Elon Musk-style,” but we’ll very shortly bring you the details of exactly what Tesla plans to reveal at this event.
There’s been a lot of speculation that the “D” will stand for a new version of the Model S, including possibilities of a dual-engine version, an all-wheel-drive version, or even a dual motor version. There could also be some autonomous driving features showed off on the Model S, as Musk said at Vanity Fair’s tech conference on Wednesday that “One of the things is already there, and people just don’t realize it.”
If it is something like AWD, I’ll try not to be too disappointed. If they show off something more unexpected, like an early version of the Model 3, then that will be pretty killer.
Doors open at 7pm (PST), but the unveiling will likely start closer to 8pm. When I attended the Model X unveiling back in early 2012, the event was at least an hour behind the published schedule. Check back in around 7 to 730 for some on-the-ground commentary and hopefully an on-time event shortly after.
So turns out there were no real big surprises from the launch itself. Dual Motor, AWD, a super fast, high performance Model S. And the “something else” was some cool autonomous driving features for the current Model S. Woot. I’ll go get more details from Tesla PR (how much is the D?) and see if I can get a test drive.
The autopilot is 4 different systems. First is forward-looking radar. That’s scanning cars in front of you, and its quite long range, says Musk. It can see through fog, snow, sand, anything.
All the cars produced for the past two weeks have the autopilot hardware on it, says Musk. Every car coming off the line at the factory now has the autopilot on it.
Tesla has been able to “accelerate autopilot,” says Musk about the “something else”
They’ll keep updating the software for the dual motor car, and it’ll keep improving by nuances over time, says Musk.
“This car is nuts” says Musk of the P85D. “It’s like taking off from a carrier deck. It’s just bananas. Its like having your own personal roller coaster.” It can do zero to 60 in 3.2 seconds. You can choose three settings, ‘Normal,” “sport” and “insane.” It’ll actually say “insane”.
The efficiency actually increases, says Musk, with the dual motor. Most AWD systems are less efficient, he says, but because the Model S can optimize each motor it becomes more efficient.
Sorry for the delay, word press was being funky for a bit. Here’s a picture of the “D”, which as we reported before stands for dual motor. Elon Musk compared it to “a digital system” compared to non-dual motors that are more like analog systems.
Sorry, folks, WordPress is having a little fun with us. More updates to come.
But its still at “autopilot” not “autonomous.” You cant safely fall asleep and arrive at your destination, says Musk.
Part of the autonomous system is like long distance sonar, that makes a “protective cocoon” around the car.
The “something else” is “autopilot,” including forward looking radar. Can see through fog and snow and “really anything,” says Musk.
I figured it was “delay” at this point.
The D stands for a Model S with Dual Motor and AWD!
Katie went up to the stage to try and get some better pictures, she’ll be back in a second. Still doesn’t seem like they’ve gotten started yet, which you sorta have to expect at events involving cocktails.
Apple does events at 10am, so….
I’m thinking this is pretty different from an Apple fanboy event. It’s outside, it’s 85 degrees in LA (we’re at the airport), there’s no chairs/seats, and there’s multiple bars. And food. Tom, Kevin T and Om you guys should switch beats.
And now they’re blasting Robyn. Which is helping me recover from the broken embargo thing. Love me some Robyn (for non fans she’s like the Swedish Madonna, when Madonna was cool)
USA Today reported early (and now looks like they pulled offline) that the Tesla D is the all-wheel-drive and high-performance version of the Model S – 0 to 60 in just over 3 seconds. They also say the “something else” is driver aid and safety features. And Business Insiders quotes from that USA Today article: http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-is-about-to-reveal-the-tesla-d-2014-10. The now pulled article was here:
Finally inside. Crazy long line out there. And dozens and dozens of Model S cars in the valet line. Since this isn’t just an event for the media, the space is filled with Tesla customers and even potential Tesla customers.














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