Tesla dropped two models at the same time, the Model S and the Model They don’t come. From now on, Tesla buyers will have to make do with the already quite stale Model 3 and Model Y.
Whether the new Roadster promised by the CEO will ever actually materialize is a mystery. The Cybertruck, the bizarre electric monster pickup, is not coming to the Netherlands and in America it is a debacle according to the media, although I saw a suspicious number of them driving around in California before a flop. Indeed, less so in the Midwest, where they remain loyal to their dirty gasoline trucks with Trump’s backing.
In the US, the transition clock has been set back at least ten years, and what a crazy idea that the revolutionary Musk, with his help and assistance to Trump, has contributed to a climate that is destructive to his EVs. Maybe he doesn’t care. In the meantime, he and his fellow tech giants rule half the world undisturbed. They have wiped out entire cultures with technology. It creates the miracles of today, although they are not real, because there is no mystery in them. The shortage will cost people dearly, but they will only see that when it is too late. And then there will be no turning back as economic and political power merge. If Musk comes up with a gasoline Tesla today, Trump will make him CEO of Iran tomorrow. Then another rocket full of contractors and gardeners to Mars and he is God.
Robotaxi
What motivates Musk to reduce his range now, while Tesla has to work hard with its compromised market position?
Firstly, with rockets, satellites, robots and AI, he has so many irons in the fire that he can take a little more time to make big steps than his languishing competitors. Secondly, his interest in the car as a consumer product appears to have declined sharply. The Cybercab, the latest Tesla model, is a self-driving two-person taxi that will reportedly be used as a Tesla Robotaxi without a steering wheel and pedals. The car is being tested in several American cities and is expected to go into production next month; a self-driving Model Y is already driving in Texas.
Isn’t Musk too late? In cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, Waymo autonomous taxis have been operational without any problems for some time. Still, it appears that Musk’s latest mobility street battle will play out in this domain, and in that case, the end may be in sight for Tesla’s consumer car division.
From a psychological perspective it would make sense. Musk wants to be at the forefront as an obsessive pioneer, and that has become more difficult with plug-in cars than when he was the sole ruler on this playing field. In 2011, nothing came close to what the Model S could do; fast charging, covering long distances, beating the fossil top class with sound comfort, technology and unheard of performance. Now, according to their manufacturers, new BMWs and Mercedes can reach up to 800 kilometers on a single charge. They charge faster than Teslas with 800 volt technology and, for the first time, can compete with the previously unbeaten Muskmobiles in terms of energy efficiency. With the Mercedes CLA I achieved an average consumption of 13 kWh per hundred kilometers and in that class only the Model 3 was so economical.
Musk’s playful twist on a steering wheel is called Yoke. Never take it, disaster to drive. Fortunately, it is also available with a normal steering wheel.
The exotic sports seats seem exaggerated until you discover that this Model S produces 1020 hp and accelerates faster than the fastest Porsche.
Lo and behold, real stitching in the two-tone door panels, finally some atmosphere for the spartan Tesla.
The tech geek can have fun with the extensive and surprisingly up-to-date multimedia system, and the sound quality of the audio system is above average.
Photo Merlijn Doomernik
The Model S is one of the most important cars in history, together with the Ford T, the Beetle and the Duck, the Fiat 500 and Volkswagen Golf.
At a time when makers are judged on their level of innovation, you could say: Tesla’s heyday is over. Just fine, say all decent people now. But I drive my last kilometers in the Model S with a slight stomach ache. You now feel how big his lead was. He has kept up to date astonishingly well. The software is up to date. For a large family car with 1,020 hp, it is breathtakingly economical, with consumption dropping to 17 kWh per 100 kilometers in regional traffic.
Gaping body seams show Musk’s continued disinterest in finishing, but he fast-charges with 250 kW and lasts long enough to keep charging stops pleasantly short. The Model S is one of the most important cars in history, together with the Ford T, the Beetle and the Duck, the Fiat 500 and Volkswagen Golf. Yes, but Musk is mean. No, performance is ideologically neutral, Sebastian Haffner wrote in his Anmerkungen z Hitler justifiably. How sad that this masterpiece with the stigma of its creator travels its last meters as Swasticar. Goodbye, Model S.
