Elon Musk Launches Tesla’s Model X Electric SUV

Tesla unveiled the Model X on Tuesday. Elon Musk, CEO and product architect of Tesla, took to the stage to present what the electric Model X is all about. He stated that Tesla’s mission is to “accelerate the advent of sustainable transport”. Musk started off with safety. The Model X is big on safety, and by big we mean ‘surviving an apocalypse’ big. That is literally the case with the Model X, which comes with its own “bioweapon defense mode” button, and Musk made sure that the feature was no joke.

The “bioweapon defense mode” button is very much a real button that can be activated if you ever find yourself in “an apocalyptic scenario of some kind.” All you have to do is push the button and the Model X’s air filter – which is 10 times bigger than a normal car filter – should be able to keep you safe from whatever apocalyptic disease might be out there. Paranoid, much?

Musk said that the Model X falls in the 5-star category in terms of safety, which is the company’s safest vehicle. While a 5-star safety means the probability of sustaining injury falls below 10%, the Model X gives a 6.5% probability, which actually brings the SUV closer to a 6-star rating (below 5% probability of injury). The Model X promises the least damage caused to passengers from a front or side car accidents than any other SUV. However, to guarantee no collision at all, the Model X features an Active Safety feature that allows automatic emergency breaking and side collision avoidance. The SUV uses camera and radars to prevent collisions.

Furthermore, the Model X comes with a massive primary hepa-filter that dwarfs the size of typical air filter. Musk stressed on clean air and made a sly yet obvious comment about the Volkswagen scandal when he said “recent events have illustrated the importance of air saftey”.

After speaking at length about the safety of the car, Musk went on to describe other neat features. The Model X can sense when you walk towards the front door and will open the door without you having to touch anything, and will also close the door automatically once you’re in the car. Another feature is a ‘panoramic’ windshield that provides “unbelievable” visibility, giving you the ultimate driving experience.

The much hyped ‘falcon-wing’ doors also got its moment on stage. The wing doors allow easier accessibility to the third row if the second row is filled, and moreover, it “looks cool”. The doors can easily open up and over the SUV if the car is trapped closely between two cars in a parking lot. If the SUV is in a low ceiling garage, the car automatically senses the height of the ceiling and side obstacles, allowing the falcon-wings to open up accordingly.

Finally coming to performance, the base model 90D has a 257 mile range and can make it from 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds. The P 90D Model X SUV has a 250 mile range and makes it from 0-60 mph in a mere 3.2 seconds, which is as fast as the Porsche 911 Turbo.