Tesla Promises an Electric SUV Model After Their Sedan Hits Markets

In the world of electric vehicle manufacturers, Tesla Motors is known for their sporty and speedy Roadster that came onto the scene all at once and surprised even the most negative onlookers with their success. Now with the Roadster at their back, the Model S sedan in the works, and the partnership with Toyota still fresh in people’s minds, Tesla is taking their success as an opportunity to branch out with their newly announced sports-utility-vehicle Tesla Model X.

Though the knowledge that Tesla was planning to start working on an electric sports-utility-vehicle has been floating around for a while, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has recently announced that the company has started work on designing the Model X. Since it is currently in the design phase there are still a lot of specifics that have yet to come to light, but it is intended to act as a crossover between a van and a sports-utility-vehicle. The hope is that those who need the space and want a similar kind of vehicle would prefer to take an electric model instead of choosing to deal with the reduced gas mileage nearly all sports-utility-vehicles suffer from. Currently, Tesla seems to be optimistic that a prototype could be unveiled late this year or early next with a targeted production date of 2014.

With the Tesla Model X on the design table, Elon Musk is eager to make sure people understand that Tesla is concerned foremost with the production of the Model S that was announced in 2009. The Model S, which is Tesla’s all-electric sedan model, is expected to debut in 2012 with a price tag of $57,000. At current specifications the Model S is expected to have a range of almost 160 miles using the onboard lithium ion batteries and a recharge time of around three to five hours. The Model S will also have larger battery and hybrid variants that could extend the range of the vehicle to around 230 to 300 miles per charge.

Once the Model S is safely in production and on the market, the Model X should be set to finish the design phase and hit the production lines. Along with it, Tesla says that the consumers should also expect to see the design and eventual production of a mass market electric vehicle that would carry a price tag around $30,000. As it stands, it looks like Tesla plans to stick around for the next couple of years and continue showing just how innovative they can be with electric vehicles.

Article by Richard Cooke, appearing courtesy Justmeans.