Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has apparently started shipping its latest dual-motor Model S sedan to the customers, according to a claim made by a Tesla investor who posted it on Reddit. The investor is a member of the Tesla Motors Club forum and keeps a record of Model S deliveries.
New version spotted
Another user published a picture of the latest car, the P85D, which is the most expensive model, beside another Tesla Model S in a parking lot. According to the user, the car was seen at the Motor4Toys event on Sunday in Woodland Hills, Calif.
The Palo Alto-based company unveiled the dual-motor Model S in October. It comes with a better speed and acceleration and a new “autopilot” feature that can identify speed limit signs and lets the driver drive in the same lane without hands on the wheel. Previously, Tesla did say that it would start shipping the new Model S in December.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed the new Model S85D will have marginally better range compared to the previous model, but the car is still showing a range of 265 miles per charge, says Gas2. Customers willing to go for the 691 horsepower P85D would have to forgo around 10% of the maximum driving range with an EPA-rated 250 miles per charge, primarily due to a precipitous drop in city range. If the customer gets 21-inch wheels for his Model S, then the range further declines to 242 miles, but that is quite typical. The official EPA ratings have not been published yet, but most probably it will come down, says Gas2.
Why Tesla was down Friday
On Friday, Tesla shares took a dip of 2% as investors were concerned about speculations it will face severe competition from Volkswagen AG because the German auto manufacturer has purchased stake in start-up QuantumScape Corp. The start-up develops battery technology aimed at increasing the mileage of electric vehicles twofold.
According to Global Equities Research, LLC’s Trip Chowdhry, the drop in the share price was due to the delay in P85D deliveries. P85D deliveries were delayed by almost a week because the company had to get stickers that convey the new mileage estimates to the Environmental Protection Agency. According to the new rules, the electric vehicle manufacturers have to calculate mileage when the battery is charged 80% and 100%.
