Model s beta prototype tour: Canada

[clea]

http://www.teslamotors.com/event/model-s-beta-prototype-tour-laval

come to me my pretty ...

probably too early for test drives/rides but it still helps to pass the time.

check out the events page as there are other stops in the Canada Model S Beta Prototype Tour.

Ottawa
http://www.teslamotors.com/event/model-s-beta-prototype-tour-ottawa
Toronto
http://www.teslamotors.com/event/model-s-beta-prototype-tour-etobicoke
Calgary
http://www.teslamotors.com/event/model-s-beta-prototype-tour-chinook-centre
Vancouver
http://www.teslamotors.com/event/model-s-beta-prototype-tour-pacific-center

[Jeeps17]

Yay!

I finally get to see one in person!

I agree rides are unlikely since the car will be in the center court of a mall...

... Not that this would stop me ;-)

[Doug_G]

Yay!

I finally get to see one in person!

I agree rides are unlikely since the car will be in the center court of a mall...

... Not that this would stop me ;-)

No rides, unfortunately.

Of course they are most welcome to stop by and use my HPC. :wink:

[mnx]

I wonder when we'll get Canadian pricing? I think at one point Tesla said 6 months before deliveries (which would be anytime now).

[Doug_G]

I changed the name of the thread to "Canada" instead of "Laval" since the original post talked about several Canadian cities, and we're likely to talk about them here.

[clea]

I changed the name of the thread to "Canada" instead of "Laval" since the original post talked about several Canadian cities, and we're likely to talk about them here.

Thanks. I thought about it after adding the other links but ...

You get to tell us first which car we are getting being as its coming to Ottawa first. My guess is that it is the one from the Sarasota Yacht Club.

[Doug_G]

Thanks. I thought about it after adding the other links but ...

You get to tell us first which car we are getting being as its coming to Ottawa first. My guess is that it is the one from the Sarasota Yacht Club.

I'm dropping in on the Tesla service center in Toronto in a few hours... I'll see if they know which one is coming.

[clea]

I wonder when we'll get Canadian pricing? I think at one point Tesla said 6 months before deliveries (which would be anytime now).

Doug added a thread to discuss this here (Candian Pricing (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/8331-Canadian-Pricing-and-Delivery?p=133602#post133602)) ...

(http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/8331-Canadian-Pricing-and-Delivery?p=133602#post133602)

[Steph]

Very... VERY cool :)

[Doug_G]

Word is that the car will be a newer beta, with a more polished interior. It won't have a drive train (apparently common for their static display cars). They didn't know the VIN or colour, but perhaps Hans does.

[clea]

Well being as we will only get to see one of the permutations, I hope at least that they come with the paint chip/leather samples so i can get a better idea of the options. I am tired of trying to come to a decision on interior/exterior options based on the design studio renderings.

[KBF]

I tried to convince Tesla to let me see into the truck on their way from Toronto to Calgary, but no dice. I thought it was worth a shot. Maybe if lots of Manitobans bugged them they'd stop in Winnipeg :P I wish

[KBF]

I might try to get off work and fly to Toronto for a day on air miles; when are you others going to be there?

[Alex_C]

I'm planning on going to the Laval show on Saturday morning, Hopefully we;ll be able to sit in the cars if we show that we are reservation holders!

Alex_C

[Doug_G]

Just heard through the grapevine that the Canadian tour will include:

Samples of the interior trim pieces
A functioning Design Studio with Canadian pricing (!)

[clea]

Just heard through the grapevine that the Canadian tour will include:

Samples of the interior trim pieces
A functioning Design Studio with Canadian pricing (!)


:biggrin:

That is what I was hoping to hear!

[mnx]

Sounds great, hopefully the beta is a performance version. :)


Just heard through the grapevine that the Canadian tour will include:

Samples of the interior trim pieces
A functioning Design Studio with Canadian pricing (!)

[Doug_G]

Sounds great, hopefully the beta is a performance version. :)

Well, it doesn't have a real drive train... but hopefully the styling will be performance.

[mnx]

That's what I meant. It'd be nice to see the perf seats, carbon fibre interior and carbon fibre exterior bits. :)


Well, it doesn't have a real drive train... but hopefully the styling will be performance.

[tomanik]

Just heard through the grapevine that the Canadian tour will include:

Samples of the interior trim pieces
A functioning Design Studio with Canadian pricing (!)


Fingers crossed on the pricing, thanks for the info Doug!

[KBF]

I've never been this excited to fly to Toronto in my life! :^) Booked my flights today and I'll be spending the afternoon of May 23 in a Model S.

[Doug_G]

The Model S is in Ottawa!

5924

They don't have the Canadian pricing yet... Hans said probably by next week.

[Spenny818]

What's the VIN# they are touring here Doug?

[Doug_G]

What's the VIN# they are touring here Doug?

Doh I forgot to check. I'll be dropping by again and will make note of it.

[Jeeps17]

Doh I forgot to check. I'll be dropping by again and will make note of it.

Doug,

Does the canadian beta have the rear-facing seats?

[Doug_G]

Doug,

Does the canadian beta have the rear-facing seats?

No, I didn't see any.

[Jeeps17]

No, I didn't see any.

That's unfortunate... I really wanted to see them (and possibly bring the kids along to try them - a clear marketing ploy directed at my wife).

[KBF]

I believe its VIN #44. Other than no rear-seats, it might be exactly what I'll order (I'll decide when I see it live).

[Doug_G]

I just wish it had the performance wheels... I want to see what they look like on sig red. It doesn't look that great in the design studio. I've see the performance wheels on a white S and they looked great.

[Jeeps17]

The Model S is in Ottawa!

5924


Is it me or does the car look like it has the air suspension on high?

Hope we get to play with it!

[Doug_G]

Is it me or does the car look like it has the air suspension on high?

Hope we get to play with it!

Yes, they raised the air suspension to bring it in, then couldn't get it to lower again for some reason. Rather than tinker with it they left it on high. Really shows how much it lifts!

Yes, you can play with it all you want.

Oh, and the VIN number is 44.

[AnOutsider]

Doug, if you go back, can you take a shot with the suspension fully lowered?

[Doug_G]

Doug, if you go back, can you take a shot with the suspension fully lowered?

They appear to be leaving it raised.

[VolkerP]

Is it capable of driving? Because some show cars were reported to neither have battery nor motor = big difference in vehicle weight.

[Doug_G]

Is it capable of driving? Because some show cars were reported to neither have battery nor motor = big difference in vehicle weight.

It's a show car and has no battery pack. They use a 12V power system to get the touch screen etc. online. Apparently they couldn't get the car to lower after bringing it in to the mall, and decided to leave it raised rather than tinker with it.

[AnOutsider]

It's a show car and has no battery pack. They use a 12V power system to get the touch screen etc. online. Apparently they couldn't get the car to lower after bringing it in to the mall, and decided to leave it raised rather than tinker with it.

Ah, then maybe not enough power?

[Doug_G]

Ah, then maybe not enough power?

Exactly. I think the 12V power supply they are using is underpowered. The touchscreen goes dim if you turn on the headlights.

[Jeeps17]

Exactly. I think the 12V power supply they are using is underpowered. The touchscreen goes dim if you turn on the headlights.

Kind of a bummer that the only time we get to see the car they don't bring the equipment to demo it properly...

[clea]

Kind of a bummer that the only time we get to see the car they don't bring the equipment to demo it properly...

hopefully they will have this all sorted out by the time they bring it to us in Laval ...

[Jeeps17]

hopefully they will have this all sorted out by the time they bring it to us in Laval ...

A man hopes...

(gratuitous Game of Thrones reference :biggrin:)

[Spenny818]

I am assuming that the door handles and panoramic sunroof are disabled as well?

[Doug_G]

There is no pano on this car. The doors handles are indeed disabled.

Eli says he will sort out the air shocks tonight, so it should be back to normal tomorrow.

[Jeeps17]

There is no pano on this car.

Now I'm really bummed...

[Doug_G]

Now I'm really bummed...

The various demo cars are outfitted with different options. There's still plenty to see - it's a gorgeous car.

[Jeeps17]

The various demo cars are outfitted with different options. There's still plenty to see - it's a gorgeous car.

My disappointment stems from my expectation that since this is a unique / rare opportunity for many canadians to see the beta car, they might have thought to bring one with more options rather than fewer.

The pano roof is showed off at all the US stores for a reason...

I'll still go, of course.

[KBF]

I'm glad there's no pano: otherwise I might be tempted to get it.

[tomanik]

I'm glad there's no pano: otherwise I might be tempted to get it.

My wife see's little value in sunroofs but was sold as soon as she sat in a beta with it. It is unfortunate the beta being toured does not have the pano roof as it is a bit of extra eye candy for Tesla to show off imo. Looking forward to sending all of our friends and family down to see it at Chinook since I have been going on for years about this car, maybe they will finally get it too. : cool:

[agileone]

pano roof = cool but does pano roof = cold ? There are long threads about how much sunlight the pano roof let's through, but I am afraid that in -30C weather, it will become an extra source of consumption of energy, as I assume you will have to use more heating than with the standard roof .

Anyone seen specs as to the insulation factor of the pano roof ? I would hate for it to cost an extra 5% range during winter ...

[rabar10]

Planning on stopping by in TO on the 26th to see my first Model S...

[Jeeps17]

Went to see the S at the Carrefour Laval this morning. For those who are planning to go, it is located in the small plaza in front of the Swarowski boutique (and in front of a giant pink wall where a Victoria's Secret store is being prepped).

I had never seen an S in the flesh, and overall was very pleased with what I saw. I knew that this beta had some fit & finish issues, but nothing that cannot be corrected.

The francophone rep (Martin, works for Tesla in TO) told me that the first signatures are planned for september delivery in Canada. Pricing is still vague (60-90K as had previously been reported), as was information about a winter tire package.

I did learn that they are planning test drives "this summer" in major canadian cities (TO for sure, MTL and Vancouver very likely), and that canadian reservation holders would get to drive the car before anyone else (including journalists). Whether that is true or not, the prospect of local imminent test drives is really cool!

The air suspension is still locked in the highest setting. Martin told me that these setting could be locked while driving (i.e. you could drive at moderate speeds at the highest setting, if you need to).

I met another 5 reservation holders, who were not TMC members with numbers ranging from 70 (!) to 88xx (got an american reservation by error yesterday :biggrin:). I pointed them to the forums and hope they will visit.

Also got a Tesla key chain for being a reservation holder!

My wife came to drag me away telling me I had been there for two hours... had a good time!

[Jaff]

Thanks for the report Jeeps!

September delivery would be great! :smile:

[agileone]

Heading to Carrefour Laval for close encounter ...

[agileone]

Heading to Carrefour Laval for close encounter ...

Some highlights of what I heard tonight, from Hans (TO rep) and Eli (tech - ranger) :

- Deliveries should start in September (mentioned before I think)
- Service center in september " between Montreal and Laval ", so I would guess north of the Metropolitain, I suggested Ville St-Laurent, my town of residence, and Eli smiled, so I hope I guessed right
- TPMS - the on screen options should be there to change your tires at home and switch the monitoring to the new set of TPMS
- audio system is the high end package but was not that impressive, just ok, missing bass for my taste. Eli mentioned that is does not have the all the production components, so I remain hopeful
- no glove box, no places to store anything, hopefully this is improved.

All around nice looking car...

[Doug_G]

- Deliveries should start in September (mentioned before I think)

I'm really hoping for that... and not October. It would be really sad if the snow flies before we can put our cars through their paces.


- Service center in september " between Montreal and Laval ", so I would guess north of the Metropolitain, I suggested Ville St-Laurent, my town of residence, and Eli smiled, so I hope I guessed right

September, huh? Too late for my Roadster's annual service! At least next year the Ranger fees will be cut in half - or I could drive it to Laval on one charge.


- TPMS - the on screen options should be there to change your tires at home and switch the monitoring to the new set of TPMS

That's great! I always switch my own wheels. Might be worthwhile posting that on the Model S section, so non-Canadians will see it.


- audio system is the high end package but was not that impressive, just ok, missing bass for my taste. Eli mentioned that is does not have the all the production components, so I remain hopeful

Probably missing the subwoofer.


- no glove box, no places to store anything, hopefully this is improved.

That is incorrect. There's a little button on the RHS of the touchscreen. It flips open a HUGE glove compartment, on the underside of the dash in front of the passenger seat. It is hard to notice until it opens. It was disabled on this beta, though.

There is also a large storage area on the floor between the two front seats. Rumour has it that there will eventually be some sort of "space organizers" available for it.

[AnOutsider]

Don't forget the little cubby in front of the seat(s)

[agileone]

Doug : you are right, the button must be disabled somehow, as I did push this but nothing happened. Good to hear it is a good size glove box.
On the floor space : I did put my camera bag there, so that is useful, even though it looks bare ...

More answers I forgot to relay:

- Eli mentioned that annual maintenance would be less than the Roadster. He did point out that working on the Roadster was a lot more work that Model S will be because of the packaging
- I inquired about 12V outlet(s) remaining operational in the trunk(s), while the car is parked. Yes! Handy for the occasional camping trip...

[Jeeps17]

Don't forget the little cubby in front of the seat(s)

I looked for that, and found it!

Small pocket, but big enough for an RF card or cell phone / cable.

[clea]

One thing they weren't sure about was whether the Quebec rebate could be applied for the Tesla HPC. First answer was a definitive yes but then i pointed out the requirement for the EVSE to support j1772 and then they were supposed to get back to me on it (they confused the idea that the car could support J1772 when it is req the charge station). They said that, if needed, they might lobby to get it approved to be part of the rebate program.

[clea]

One other question i keep forgetting to ask (and hope someone else will remember) is whether or not they will accept trade ins. We have heard rumors about this for the US cars but have not had any confirmation if they plan on supporting this for the Canadian market (would make a big difference for the sales tax we will be hit with).

[Jeeps17]

One other question i keep forgetting to ask (and hope someone else will remember) is whether or not they will accept trade ins. We have heard rumors about this for the US cars but have not had any confirmation if they plan on supporting this for the Canadian market (would make a big difference for the sales tax we will be hit with).

One of the reps that was there wednesday (didn't get her name...) told me that they are "looking into trade-ins".

I had also asked her about leasing, she had no info on that.

[Doug_G]

I believe they already have leasing available for the Roadster in Canada, so the Model S should be a no-brainer.

[Jeeps17]

I believe they already have leasing available for the Roadster in Canada, so the Model S should be a no-brainer.

I hope so, since what I really need is a model X, but the S is just too sexy (and is the only car that can actually pitch in for the X or our current minivan with the rear-facing seats). A lease would allow stress-free transition from one to the other.

As well, my current lease expires in May 2013, too early for an X... so unfortunate... :wink:

I may also consider buying and trading in my S if Tesla makes it financially viable, but an S lease would allow me more time to save for a purchased performance X :cool:

My wife was with me at the Carrefour Laval, and she said the S looks sharp, high praise from her since she couldn't care less about cars (except our AWD Sienna, which she loves).

[AnOutsider]

May 2013 is only 6 months away from the first X deliveries. Maybe extend the lease for a bit, or have an interim vehicle?

[KBF]

I had a great day with my dad flying in and out of Toronto! We spoke with Hans, Ranger Mark and a few others, and all my questions were answered (although several were still, "we don't have official word yet"). Everyone was personable and friendly, including the people just looking at the Model S. Since the reps were pretty busy, I also helped answer a few questions from those completely new to Tesla. I took a lot of pics for my wife, met a few forum members who aren't super-active, and then, to top it all off, I met Dave who took me for a ride in his Roadster Sport around the mall! THANKS!! :D

The car in person looks really nice, but I'm still torn between Sig Red and Pearl White, and I like carbon fiber the best (but I there's no way I'm convincing my wife to go for performance). I may get the white leather, it isn't super-white, actually fairly comparable to a vehicle I've had before. I'll just keep it clean, and I don't wear jeans anyway. I found the interior very nice (apart from where over-eager spectators have literally broken the car); I like the simple look, and I never use cupholders anyway. The 10% of the interior not finished (at least in Beta #44) is stuff like missing sun visors and there will be compartments in the centre console; the USB plugin will be somewhere beside the 12V plugin, and there will be space for a cellphone (not sure if that's been mentioned, probably somewhere on this large forum!).

The head Canadian technician (forget his name) was clear that Canadian winters are absolutely not a problem for batteries - it is the extreme hot weather that will be the problem. I found out that the 110V plug adapter actually is useful (since it is so slow) - basically for the times when you just need to keep the car heated in winter (ie. long-term airport parking).

Canadian pricing is not yet released, but "will be soon" (as in within weeks, not likely days, according to Hans). If I recall correctly, Ranger fees will be .65/km from the nearest Tesla store/repair centre. September 2013 I will be taking a road trip to Calgary to eliminate the distance fee for my annual checkup (by then there should be Tesla presence there). Warranty work will not have this charge at all. If it's minor non-warranty things like needing new rims, they'll ship out the parts and let us do our own installation if we are comfortable doing this (that's what it sounded like, anyway, not 100%).

I'm tired, hopefully the above is all lucid! Great day!

[Doug_G]

Thanks KBF for the update!

Just FYI, the head service guy is Eli. And he's right about the batteries and cold weather - my Roadster handles a cold start far better than my gas car does.

[Prime Mover]

Hey KBF. It was great to see you and your father's enthusiasm for Tesla Motors and the Model S. Thanks for flying in from Manitoba to see the car on display in Toronto. I overheard you answering many people's questions about the vehicle while it was being shown at Sherway Mall.

I was glad to give you a ride in my Roadster Sport since you are such a Tesla fan but had not had a chance to "go for a stroll" in one of these amazing EVs.

You and your wife will be very happy to be the Model S #1 owners in Canada. Hope you had a wonderful visit!

[Jaff]

Glad you had a great time at the Wednesday event Kyle and I'm sorry that my schedule did not permit me to attend...I'll be heading down this afternoon with mnx to see the S...hope not too much is broken on it. :scared:

Nice of David to provide both you and your Pop a Roadster ride!

Better get used to being an unofficial "Tesla Rep" as it comes with the territory! :wink:

I'm not sure between the Sig Red & white as well...I think I prefer the Red, but it will be my wife's choice in the end.

I found the best way to deal with (the wife on) the Performance Model was not to deal with it...what she doesn't know...:wink::biggrin:

[KBF]

Like I said to others there: I've been happily married to my wife for 10 years this June, and I want that to continue! :D My dad seems to be warming up to Tesla; he was skeptical at first, and around me he still tries to be devil's advocate (which is good, more perspectives is healthy). It was great he could come with me, so he could talk to these reps himself. I'm working on him to try him to pick up a Sig, but we'll see.

BTW, Tesla owners are great!!! I'm looking forward to continuing that trend. ;) Hopefully I'll convince enough people in my area to buy to bring Tesla into Winnipeg!

[Duckjybe]

Better get used to being an unofficial "Tesla Rep" as it comes with the territory! :wink:



I was there on Wednesday between 11am and 2pm as well. I certainly felt like somewhat of a Tesla rep as people were asking me questions that I happened to have the answers to. However the one concern I couldn't help some of them with was price! Too bad I missed getting a ride in a Roadster. I saw Doug at the Auto show and he offered me a ride next time I'm in Ottawa which would be great.

This may not interest many who are not getting the third row seats but according to Eli, or the another rep??, the rear facing third row seats (absent from the display car) may not be able to be folded let alone folded flat. They seem to think they may be fixed although you will be able to remove them altogether. This configuration would not appeal to me as they would not be used on a regular basis. I would like to have them out of the way but still easily accessible. The US website does state they are fold flat. We'll have to check on this one.

Also, Eli indicated that the reason the suspension is not able to be adjusted on this display car is that a software upgrade was performed on the main control unit (??) which was incompatible with the older firmware of the suspension, rendering it inoperable.

Can't wait for test drives in July! Hans, please get a car with rear facing seats and a pano roof!

[Jaff]

Duckjybe, I'm often in Hamilton / Burlington / Oakville...pm me a few days & times that work for you and I'll take you for a ride.

[Duckjybe]

That would be fantastic. Thanks! I have 240v outside my garage to charge my Volt and ready for the Models S so you can top up anytime you need to.

[rabar10]

Headed to Toronto early this afternoon to stop by and take a look. Excited to see Model S in its aluminum flesh, not just in pixel form!

[Jaff]

I must have just missed you Ryan...I had to leave around noon to get back home, swap vehicles, and get back down to YYZ to pick up my wife who was flying back from Portland.

As it turned out, her flight was delayed for 90 minutes...had I known, I could have stayed a bit longer.

[rabar10]

I must have just missed you Ryan...I had to leave around noon to get back home, swap vehicles, and get back down to YYZ to pick up my wife who was flying back from Portland.

As it turned out, her flight was delayed for 90 minutes...had I known, I could have stayed a bit longer.
Yep, the female Tesla rep said you were there earlier in the day.

Quite crowded, between 10-30 people around the car at all times. Got to play with the touchscreen for a bit - it's intuitive for the most part, though it did have some unexpected behavior occasionally. One thing I noticed was the volume control went from 0-10, and the individual steps between each were quite large -- most people would be used to having a finer-grained control of volume than that. Of course the trade off is repeated tapping on the screen to adjust each step. Perhaps there's another screen or mode with a sliding bar...

The best part of being there was people-watching. Some knew of Tesla and were quite educated about the Model S. Others were attracted by the crowd and then were stunned or confused to find the 'frunk' without an engine. None of the displays touted the fact that the car is an EV -- interesting and I think intentional on Tesla's part.

[AnOutsider]

One thing I noticed was the volume control went from 0-10, and the individual steps between each were quite large -- most people would be used to having a finer-grained control of volume than that. Of course the trade off is repeated tapping on the screen to adjust each step. Perhaps there's another screen or mode with a sliding bar...

Steering wheel has a roller knob

[rabar10]

Steering wheel has a roller knob
Ah, was in passenger seat - thanks!

[Spenny818]

I never caught your name today, but it was nice to meet you Mr. Sig #99.

[KBF]

Did anyone here go to the Calgary event? It would be interesting to know how well-attended it is.

[Xelloss99]

Did anyone here go to the Calgary event? It would be interesting to know how well-attended it is.

I was at the Calgary event yesterday (the first day) from about 2:00 to 4:30. It was at the center of the Chinook mall below the food court, which was in a prominent position that had good views from multiple hallways and from above.
It had a few people earlier on (about 2-5 at all times) but really picked up at about 3:30 to 4:00 or so where there were 5-10 people at least milling about the booth.
There were 3 Tesla staff available.

Excuse my poor photography, but here's my album from the event. The overhead shots are mainly from my iPhone 3GS as I ran the batteries in my camera dry by that time.
Photos - Google+ (https://plus.google.com/photos/111285469522378301263/albums/5751363126440231793)

Pic from 4:30-ish:
Photos - Google+ (https://plus.google.com/photos/111285469522378301263/albums/5751363126440231793/5751363489718773378)

Some notes:
- It is still VIN #44, Signature red, black Signature interior with Lacewood, non-panoramic roof, 21" rims, regular sound system. Rear seats have no headrests but they should be in production version. There's no jump seats or cargo shelf.
It was mentioned that this was a road test car so should have batteries and motor, but was not street legal in Canada yet.

- Outer door handles were disabled and were marked as such. Alas they were "disabled by the engineers" so they could not give me a demo. The inner handles worked fine.
Photos - Google+ (https://plus.google.com/photos/111285469522378301263/albums/5751363126440231793/5751364359562539026)

- Frunk was missing the latch on the frunk/hood itself so I didn't try closing it. It has an emergency interior release in the frunk.

- Trunk lock was working, I suspect this was the non-tech-package trunk, as while it did unlock and open automatically, it only looked like gas shocks and did not have a motorized closing mechanism that I can tell.

- Trunk has 2 convenient grab handles for the outside plus what looks like 1 for the inside.
Photos - Google+ (https://plus.google.com/photos/111285469522378301263/albums/5751363126440231793/5751364137679100306)

- Rear seats fold reasonably flat in a 60-40 split. There's a secondary flap near the back of each seat which covers over the seam between seat and floor nicely.
Photos - Google+ (https://plus.google.com/photos/111285469522378301263/albums/5751363126440231793/5751364962214011362)

- Rear view visibility is a bit limited for shoulder/rear view mirror checks
Photos - Google+ (https://plus.google.com/photos/111285469522378301263/albums/5751363126440231793/5751365018872086658)
Photos - Google+ (https://plus.google.com/photos/111285469522378301263/albums/5751363126440231793/5751365079395132546)
Photos - Google+ (https://plus.google.com/photos/111285469522378301263/albums/5751363126440231793/5751365285566478578)

- Most lights were disabled (no fog lights, no daytime running lights), only headlights, parking lights, accent lights, signal lights are enabled

- Accent lights are on the interior, below the "arm rest" portions of the doors (in the notch below the arm rest, to the rear of the window controls) to provide some diffuse light in the cabin.
Photos - Google+ (https://plus.google.com/photos/111285469522378301263/albums/5751363126440231793/5751364412599399346)
(photo does not show accent light in operation though)

- Front driver/passenger heating/AC vents are very flimsy and currently not adjustable in this beta but I was told they would be in the production version.
Photos - Google+ (https://plus.google.com/photos/111285469522378301263/albums/5751363126440231793/5751365184739524290)

- Touchscreen software is not current and is missing a few options (no bluetooth pairing, no air adjustment, selecting AM or FM radios indicate "Coming soon", etc.)

- Likewise the steering wheel roller controls ("push to change display" function mentioned in other threads) did not seem to do anything on this version. Holding the right roller down appeared to activate a voice control mode but I didn't test it.

- The infotainment touchscreen "locked up" when I was playing with it, but it watchdog reset itself and came back up a minute or two after. The dash screen continued working other than the music panel part of went to background color until the infotainment touchscreen came back up.

- The steering wheel adjustment in/out and tilt is motorized and has a huge range.

- They still had banana leaf in the physical design studio but mentioned that it was changed to Obeche Wood.

- They are aware that grey interior is for November but that should be okay for us because that is when first Canadian production cars are expected.

- It was running on the 3G internet. It was mentioned that it is a SIM card, but they are unsure if the SIM will be Tesla or customer provided - they are still working that out.

- Browser is not capable of viewing flash videos; the Tesla blog videos prompted that it needed flash.

- One thing that I was relieved of was the nose body panel appears to be plastic, not aluminum, so it will probably take parking lot scuffs and bumps a bit better than metal.

- Canadian pricing expected soon.

[tomanik]

I dropped by yesterday morning at 10am (mall opens at 9:30 I believe) and Telsa was busier than I had hoped, was selfishly hoping I would be the only one interested :tongue:

I was there for almost half an hour and it seemed like they drew in about half of the people walking by to stop and look, jump in the frunk or ask a question. Sure hope they have more than 2 staff for Friday and Saturday as I would expect they will be overrun. I'm planning to head down again on Saturday afternoon with some family so let you know.

6617

[KBF]

Tomanik, they just need you to spend a few hours there as the independent consultant for noobs. :D

[Spurkey]

Cool that they let you sit in it - they wouldn't even open the door the last time they brought one through. If some of the seats are missing headrests I wonder just how 'final' the seats are... Would any of you Calgarians heading down to the display mind asking the reps if they know anything about how the test drives announced on the Tesla blog will work for Canadian reservation holders?

[Xelloss99]

Cool that they let you sit in it - they wouldn't even open the door the last time they brought one through. If some of the seats are missing headrests I wonder just how 'final' the seats are... Would any of you Calgarians heading down to the display mind asking the reps if they know anything about how the test drives announced on the Tesla blog will work for Canadian reservation holders?

They asked me if I wanted to come to Toronto for the test drive so they are aware of it. I think the first batch of test drives for Toronto works like the rest, Tesla contacts the people with reservations in reservation number order with their preferred test drive city and close the drives for that city when they have all the spots booked.
I'm not sure if us Canadian owners have any choice or if we will be contacted for Toronto only. I'd likely pick Seattle over Toronto although might hold out for a factory test drive instead.

Model S Canada P172

[Spurkey]

I'm not sure if us Canadian owners have any choice or if we will be contacted for Toronto only.Ah, yeah I probably should've specified that - I'll be in and around Seattle the first week of July which by dumb luck coincides with the test drive slot for that area, I was hoping to snag a spot there instead of having to go all the way out east.

[tomanik]

So went down to chinook with the whole family yesterday afternoon. It was busy as expected but they had 4 staff on hand, some from the Toronto store and some from headquarters. My wife is now fully bought in and was even explaining the car to a few people that just couldn't understand what was so special about the car. Lots of families were there as youd expect in a mall and the kids all seemed to enjoy the frunk and large touch screen.

Few observations about this beta
Fan was working and seemed to move a good amount air both in the from and the back. No a/c or heat of course.
Front and side turn signal are amber but the rear flashed red. However I don't think the rear lights were final as the lights on the lift gate don't work on this beta.
Was told that the ambient light feature is likely to include lights under the door arm rests and in the foot wells, beta did not have them
Steering wheel telescope and tilt was working, seems to tilt up more than down, moves in and out a good distance
Home link is thought to be in the touchscreen, however they were not sure
center console storage option is in the works but no idea of what it is or, timing or costs
Keyless entry will require you to push on the handle to extend it (hopefully this will change in the future), car can auto lock when you walk away
Heated steering wheel and heated rear seats, smaybe ome day in the future
Test drives can be done at any of the locations and if room exists you can go to multiple test drive events.
No details on a prairie service center so should expect ranger service for the first year
Pricing, still coming

Cheers