Model S - Spy Shots

[EV_de]

... we won't see charge ports until betas ...

Where are the Betas ? ... month went by , without infos , not even rumors ...

 

[Doug_G]

Where are the Betas ? ... month went by , without infos , not even rumors ...

It's been a while since any new information has surfaced... maybe they're saving up for some big announcement? Perhaps coincident with their next securities filing...?

 

[Cobos]

When is their new securities filing anyway?

Cobos

 

[Mycroft]

It appears to be August 3rd.

 

[Todd Burch]

Where are the Betas ? ... month went by , without infos , not even rumors ...

It's been floating around that we'll see the betas in late summer or early Fall.

 

[vfx]

Maybe when the last Roadster sells?

 

[Tommy]

More spy photos... this time in Death Valley, California.

Picture 4 - It Lives! Tesla Model S pre-production prototype spied

There's about a dozen photos, below a sample:

 

[Todd Burch]

More spy photos... this time in Death Valley, California.

Testing the air conditioning, no doubt. :tongue:

Despite being in pieces, I think the proportions look pretty good in these shots.

 

[doug]

Sweet!

Is that a gas cylinder in there? Perhaps part of the suspension system.

As previously mentioned there does appear to be a some sort of sensor behind the rear view mirror.

Much of the 17" screen is legible.

Looks like just a simple speedo for the instruments screen.

 

[Todd Burch]

So is the missing panel on the B-Pillar a hint to the charging location?

 

[NigelM]

Not sure about the low-tech parking brake!

And wearing dress socks with shorts is definitely not on!!

 

[goyogi]

So is the missing panel on the B-Pillar a hint to the charging location?

I hope not and doubt it. Getting in and out of the car to fetch something would be a little bit of a hassle with the charge cord in the way. If the port is near the back I'll need an extension for my Coulomb charger, unless I park the car backwards. My charger is located at the front of my garage on the right hand side as that was the best place at the time. It reaches the charge port on my Volt which is on the drivers side front fender.

I really think it's gong to be a wicked robot arm that pops out from the bonnet and grabs the charger and plugs itself in.

 

[strider]

I hope not and doubt it. Getting in and out of the car to fetch something would be a little bit of a hassle with the charge cord in the way. If the port is near the back I'll need an extension for my Coulomb charger, unless I park the car backwards. My charger is located at the front of my garage on the right hand side as that was the best place at the time. It reaches the charge port on my Volt which is on the drivers side front fender.

From: Model S: Designing the Perfect Endurance Athlete | Blog | Tesla Motors

Where is the charge port located?

Franz: The charge port is located toward the rear of the car, on the driver’s side. The majority of charging happens at home so this is the most functional location. Similar to the door handles, the charge port door hides when not in use. It was important to me to make charging a unique experience. You’ll see on the Beta vehicles, the charge port looks nothing like a traditional fuel door.

 

[Kevin Harney]

What are the two dark ovals on the hood located at the front down by the headlights ? In the shot with the hood up it looks like there are brackets in the same spot.

 

[WhiteKnight]

What are the two dark ovals on the hood located at the front down by the headlights ? In the shot with the hood up it looks like there are brackets in the same spot.

They look like hood pins to raise the hood up. You can see them in use in the picture where the hood is raised. Perhaps the plexiglass bolted onto the nose of the car is covering where the hood release latch would be.

 

[Hache]

I would say they are missing a pretty lock for the hood in this alpha. On beta/production car, there should be the usual unlock knob/button/whatever from inside the cabin.

 

[Tommy]

What are the two dark ovals on the hood located at the front down by the headlights ? In the shot with the hood up it looks like there are brackets in the same spot.

From these photos, my guess is there used to "secure" the hood; either the hood release hasn't been installed/fully developed or they provide a means to lock the hood to keep it from being opened without Tesla engineers being present. In any case, I believe they will not find their way onto the production model.

 

[Tommy]

I see everyone is up early this morning, got two posts stating my same observations in front of me while I was getting photos downloaded to my post.:tongue:

 

[doug]

Sorry for the typos I meant "gas cylinder". It got spell corrected to calendar.

Didn't they say it would have a hydraulic suspension system? Perhaps up front they have some kind of 'accumulator' for hydraulic fluid?

Pneumatic, not hydraulic, but yes.

 

[ckessel]

Boy, that's a really tall rear end on the car. I don't know that I'd noticed that before. I'm guessing it's to fit headroom for +2 seats.