Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Recreating the highly charged Tesla test drive

Published: Monday, 18 Feb 2013 | 7:29 PM ET

Tesla's Test Drive: Charge!

CNBC's Phil LeBeau is on the road with the latest update on his electric journey, driving Tesla Motor's Model S car from Washington, DC to Boston.

Tuesday morning, CNBC's Phil LeBeau left on a one-day test drive in the Tesla Model S from Washington, D.C., to a suburb just outside Boston. He is not the first, nor will he be the last to recreate the same test drive that led to a very public spat between New York Times reporter John Broder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Here's how the test drive is going so far:

9:48 a.m. ET: Phil filed a live report on "Squawk on the Street" while driving shortly after he left the Tesla charging station in Newark, Del. (Yep, he's hands free!). He was just getting on the New Jersey Turnpike.

The next stop is Milford, Conn., about 185 miles away at the time of this update. That's where the next Tesla charging station is located.

8:28 a.m. ET: Phil pulled the Model S into Newark, Del., to plug the car into the Tesla charging stations there, which are part of the company's Supercharger Network.

His first impressions on the drive: "I'll be honest, it took me a while to get used to all the information, but once I did, the instrument panel was no more distracting than the center stack in any other car."

LeBeau's Tesla Test Drive Update

CNBC's Phil LeBeau provides an update on his Tesla Model S test drive from Washington, DC to Boston.

The trip to this point was 95 miles. The car with an 85 kWh battery has a range of 265 miles from full charge, so Phil made it with plenty to spare.

Phil said the more he accelerated the more juice he used. "If you are driving on cruise control and moderating your speed, the battery life and miles left decreases at a steadier, more gradual rate," he said.

The charging was expected to take an hour to "top off the tank," if you will, with enough power for the next leg of the test drive to Milford, Conn.

This is the part of the trip that's sparked the "he said, he said" controversy between Broder and Musk.

***

6:11 a.m. ET: Phil started his journey on "Squawk Box," pulling away from the curb in downtown Washington, D.C.

Next stop: Newark, Del., and a Tesla charge station there. Then it's onto Connecticut and eventually a suburb outside of Boston.

CNBC's Tesla Test Drive

CNBC's Phil LeBeau hops behind the wheel of Tesla's Model S and drives from Washington, DC to Boston to test the range and performance of the automobile.

Phil said when he left Washington: "Immediately two things stood out ? the instant feedback you get from the Model S and a tendency to constantly look at the range and battery power left."

He described the instrument panel on the center counsel as "basically a large iPad. It gives you as much, or as little information as your want. Navigation, energy use, car controls, infotainment, etcetera."

***

(Watch: Highlights from the Road)


Earlier....

So, it's worth noting that if you haven't followed the back and forth between the NYT's Broder and Telsa's Musk, it's worth going back on CNBC.com and reading what both men wrote about Broder's test Drive of the Model S.

(Read More: CEO: Report About Tesla Electric Car Is Bogus)

Whether you believe Broder or Musk, one thing is clear: This is a watershed year for Tesla and the Model S.

It's one reason Musk responded so vehemently to Broder's article and a picture showing a dead Model S being loaded onto a flatbed and being towed away.

(Read More: Tesla Review Raises Questions About Reporter Test Drives)

On Tuesday, CNBC will attempt to recreate the test drive of the Tesla Model S, which has been the subject of a dustup between an NYT reviewer and Tesla?s CEO. Regardless of the outcome, 2013 is shaping up to be as watershed year for the automaker.

Source: http://bit.ly/12I3N8p

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