Today’s the big day for American automaker Tesla, and for the wider EV world – the company’s new Model S electric sedan is officially going on sale.

Today’s the big day for American automaker Tesla, and for the wider EV world – the company’s new Model S electric sedan is officially going on sale (in fact, this year’s planned production run has already sold out by advance reservation, so there’s no need to camp out at your local dealership). The company will be streaming the "delivery ceremony" live today at 3:30PM PDT. 

Earlier this week, the EPA issued fuel economy ratings for the car’s 85-kWh battery configuration (Model S is available with a 40-kWh, 60-kWh or 85-kWh battery pack). The new luxury sedan has by far the longest range of any pure EV on the market – 265 miles on a full charge. Combined fuel efficiency is 89 MPGe, and power consumption is 38 kWh/100 miles.

Model S is the first full-size electric sedan to go on the market, so there’s nothing to directly compare it with. However, taking its size and performance into account (it seats five, with both front and rear trunks for luggage, can do 125 mph, and hits 60 mph in 5.6 seconds), the Silicon Valley standard-bearer’s specifications seem quite respectable. At a price of $77,400 for the 85-kWh model, one would expect nothing less.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/evsbs.shtml

Source: EPA, Tesla
Image: Tesla