Tesla Model X: Electric, all-wheel drive, and crazy folding doors - CNET (blog)
LOS ANGELES--The highlight of the Model X introduction, Tesla's SUV, was not the electric power train, but what the company calls the falcon-wing doors. So during a preview for a small group of journalists at Tesla's design center in Los Angeles, Tesla CEO Elon Musk focused on the innovative side doors. Unlike gull-wing doors, Tesla's doors can open in much narrower spaces. Like the Model S, the Model X has its lithium ion battery pack in the base of the car. Tesla will likely offer the same battery configuration options that it does for the Model S, although the Model X should get 10 percent to 12 percent less range due to its increased weight. But in keeping with the Model X's SUV-style body, Tesla will offer an all-wheel-drive variant, along with a base rear-wheel-drive model. For all-wheel drive, Tesla puts another motor at the front wheels. Unlike gas engine cars, which can shift torque from front to back, Tesla can reduce or increase torque at each set of wheels individually. That means the car's computer can tell the front motor to apply, for example, 25 percent torque, while still giving 100 percent torque to the rear wheels, based on the driving conditions. Source: www.cnet.com
