Among other juicy Tesla tidbits discussed at a recent town hall-style meeting between Tesla chief Elon Musk, Tesla head of technology JB Straubel, and an audience of Tesla owners in Norway, Musk hinted that an all-wheel-drive Model S is on the way. "There's potential for an all-wheel-drive model S but it's not going to be for the next several months . . . it's going to be close to when [the Model X crossover] happens." Musk stated earlier in the meeting that volume production of the seven-seat Model X would commence by the end of the first quarter of 2015.
Musk's quotes echo what we reported last summer, when Tesla sources revealed that an all-wheel-drive Model S was on its way. Given Musk's timing and the fact that the Model S and Model X share a platform, it seems logical that the pair would share an all-wheel-drive system, too. When the Model X was introduced two years ago, it debuted with a dual-electric-motor setup: one at the front of the SUV to drive the front wheels, and another driving the rears.
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No details about the combined strength of the powertrain were provided, or what sort of effect the all-wheel-drive system would have on range, but at an earlier point in the meeting, Straubel described the Model X' all-wheel-drive system as "energy-neutral," since it doesn't involve an energy-draining longitudinal drive shaft to transfer power from one end of the car to the other.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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