Tesla Model X road test: An electric experience with smarts – and farts

The Driven

It was hard to judge which aspect of the Tesla Model X provoked the strongest reaction from the crowd.

Was it the on-demand fart noises prompted by the indicator that sent the four-year-old (and his grandparents) into paroxysms of laughter?

Was it the falcon wing doors – a show-stopper whenever they were opened in public, although one suspects not always subject to universal approval.

Or was it the genuine shrieks and gasps when the bonnet was opened to reveal a front boot big enough for a golf bag, and not an engine in sight. “Where’s the motor,” came the cry. Shouldn’t there be an electric one?

Where indeed. In Tesla EVs, it’s hidden from sight, unlike other aspiring EV makers (like Jaguar and Hyundai) who have fashioned their electric motors to look like the internal combustion engines (ICE) they are designed to replace, and put them in the very same spot.

The reactions to the Model X, and the sheer novelty of electric cars and driving, however, do highlight that despite all the talk about EVs and the transition ahead, just how little is understood about what an EV does – how it operates, how it is charged, and how smart it can be.

Read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven…