All-American, All-Aluminum: Tesla's Electric Model S Arrives

Tesla Motors' aluminum-bodied electric Model S is set to begin shipping to U.S. buyers on June 22, the company has announced.

Since Tesla's announcement three years ago that it would build an aluminum-bodied sedan, 10,000 people have paid $5,000 up front to reserve a vehicle. Only half of those orders will be filled this year, with Tesla planning a production run of 5,000 cars in 2012, ramping up to 20,000 next year.

To date, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based vehicle manufacturer has released only its acclaimed Roadster, which paired an extruded aluminum chassis with carbon fiber composite body panels. Tesla exchanged composites for aluminum for the larger Model S.

Explains Tesla Design Director Franz von Holzhausen: "For limited or low-volume production cars like the Roadster, carbon fiber is a great material to reduce weight. It's not a solution for higher-volume production due to cost and manufacturing time. For Model S, we are using aluminum for the body panels and chassis. Aluminum is as strong as steel but lighter in weight, and has similar manufacturing capabilities. Lighter weight translates directly to efficiency."

Tesla has made much of the idea that the Model S is the first all-electric luxury sedan to be built "from the ground up"—with the aim of creating a vehicle with optimal rigidity, lightness, aerodynamics, and interior space:

• Tesla engineers fit the vehicle's slim-line battery pack below the floor in a perfectly flat array to provide the Model S the under-car airflow and aerodynamics more commonly associated with a racecar—while maximizing the occupancy space above (the vehicle can seat up to seven passengers).
  
• The battery pack—a high-performance aluminum structure in its own right—when married to the state-of-the-art aluminum body structure becomes three times stiffer, according to Tesla engineers.
  
• The body shell itself is aluminum spaceframe architecture comprising castings, extrusions, and stampings. Cast cross members and aluminum extrusions in the front-end crumple zone, unencumbered by the presence of a gasoline engine, are designed to maximize impact absorption in the event of a crash. (Model S is engineered with the intent of achieving 2012 five-star NHTSA safety ratings.)
  
• Tesla's rear multilink suspension—unique to the Model S—is made from lightweight but exceptionally rigid extruded aluminum, helping the vehicle to achieve sportscar-like ride and handling performance.

The Model S comes with the option of three different battery packs: 40 kWh, 60 kWh, and 85 kWh—with the latter yielding a 300-mile range, easily the greatest of any production electric vehicle now on the market. The 85-kWh battery pack provides acceleration to 60 mph in a swift and silent 4.4 seconds.

Pricing for the Tesla Model S starts at $57,900 (minus a $7,500 federal tax credit). But you'll have to get in line.