Tesla Model S earns near-perfect score from Consumer Reports

Tesla Motors, which just announced that it had earned a profit in the last quarter, has now earned kudos from Consumer Reports magazine. According to CR, the Tesla Model S, an all electric sedan, is the best car it has tested since 2007. In that year, the Lexus LS 460L held the lofty position. The magazine awarded the Tesla a score of 99 out of 100. It beat every other car tested, in every category. No plug-in electric vehicle has ever achieved such high grades.

Tesla-Model-S-Toronto-EDIWeekly
Tesla Motors’ share prices surged after the company announced a first quarter profit. The news is all good for the electric car maker as the Model S was ranked better than every other car tested in every category, by Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reports praised the Tesla Model S, a car that costs $89,650, for its technological innovations, saying, in a statement, “It accelerates, handles and brakes like a sports car, it has the ride and quietness of a luxury car and is far more energy efficient than the best hybrid cars.”

Powered by an 85 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery, the Tesla Model S accelerates from 0–60 mph in 5.6 seconds, comparable to a sports car, and it handles like one too, comparable, the magazine says, to a Porsche sports car.

Comparisons to other high-end cars included the interior, which the magazine said was beautifully crafted and “calls to mind an Audi.”

The car is practical as well as good looking. It can travel 483 kilometres at a speed of 88 km/h, more than twice the range typical of electric cars.

And, despite its high cost, it does save on gas: CR says it achieved the equivalent of 135 kilometres per US gallon of gas. It costs just $9 to fully charge the battery, which is comparable to paying $1.20 for a gallon of gas. The magazine did find fault with the long charging time required.

Tesla’s profitability is somewhat surprising. It earned $11 million in the first quarter, the first profit it has earned since launching in 2003. Other electric car makers have not yet been able to achieve this. General Motors admits that it loses money on its Volt. Analysts say Tesla has managed to increase production and reduce production time, so it can deliver more cars faster. The company expects to deliver about 21,000 cars this year. Tesla earns additional revenues by making the electric powertrains used in the electric version of the Toyota RAV4.

Did you miss this?

Other Popular Stories

  • Ozone-Destroying Emissions Rising Unexpectedly, Scientists Baffled
  • Record Shipping Costs Creating Issues in the Automotive Industry
  • $2 Billion expansion of Nova gas pipeline planned by TransCanada Corp to increase pipeline capacity
  • Volvo to Expand Production of XC40 SUV in Europe and China
  • DART Mission's kinetic impactor could save the Earth from rogue asteroids — successful planetary defense test proves effectiveness
  • Modular WORMS Prototype: Revolutionizing Lunar Exploration with LEGO-like Robotics
  • California mandates energy storage to bring more renewables into grid
  • Canadian car sales break record amid concern about investment in the industry
  • Wood proponents pushing higher with hybrid construction
  • New Boeing 737 Max 8 crash mystery. Why did Lion Air flight 610 crash, killing 189 people, only 13 minutes after take-off?
  • World's building industry told to decarbonize, cut emissions drastically
  • Construction industry will boom in Northern Ontario, GTA: report
  • Alberta's oil and gas rebounds - must contend with shortage of workers
  • Recovery continues as NA car sales head for year 2000 levels
  • Fewer building permits in February for non-residential construction
  • Engineers Canada calls for more women to enter profession
  • Propane suppliers condemn Ontario government's support of natural gas expansion
  • SpaceX launches Immarsat 5 F4: continuing the Elon Musk tradition of innovation with commercial payback
  • Large Ontario wind power project gets go-ahead, now hiring
  • NA clean energy goal of 50 per cent can't be met without nuclear, industry says
Scroll to Top