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Tesla Model S

The Journey to Owning the Tesla Model S

Published

11 years ago

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Can the Tesla Model S endure 7 years of constant usage? Can it see 200,000 miles of reliable use? Those questions and more have yet to be answered yet people are still lining up to take that $100k leap of faith. This is their story and journey to owning the Tesla Model S.

Research and Test Drive

Tesla Motors does very little marketing, if any at all, and most people learn about the Model S through word of mouth or by seeing it first hand at one of the many Tesla stores scattered across shopping malls of America. I can almost guarantee that once you come into contact with a Tesla, you won’t stop thinking about it. I first heard about the Model S about six months before I started down the path to ownership and once that seed of information was planted into my mind – pure electric, pure speed, grace, and serenity, it grew like wild fire that led to a phase of obsessive research, and finally culminating into a test drive. People approach research in a variety of ways, either through the Tesla forums, Tesla news & resource sites or independent bloggers. For many the finances may pose as  a big hurdle but if you do the math the cost of ownership can actually make sense.

Journey to Owning the Tesla Model S

Ordering

Journey to Owning the Tesla Model SOnce you’re convinced that you absolutely need to have a Tesla, as many of us do, it’s time to place the online order which starts with a fully refundable $2,500 deposit. The order can be placed directly after your test drive or from the comfort of your own home, and the process is no different than buying a product from any traditional e-commerce store. Configuring your Model S has never been simpler and it’s done directly through the Tesla Motors web site. There’s no price haggling needed and you can reconfigure your car as much as you’d like up until the time your place your credit card deposit. For me, I ordered my Model S in the Massachusetts Tesla store right after my test drive.

Confirmation

A two week count down clock starts shortly after placing your order. During this time you can decide whether you want to proceed with the order or cancel it in exchange for a full refund. You’re also given the option to forego the chance of a refund and confirm the order in order to speed up the delivery process by two weeks. The VIN to your new Model S will be assigned shortly after the order is confirmed.

Sourcing Parts

Journey to Owning the Tesla Model S

This is the longest and most painful part of the waiting process that starts right after confirmation. There’s not much information provided on what’s going on behind the scenes, but your Model S is basically in line to be built. Don’t expect the delivery or sales teams to be very engaged at this stage other than providing some guidance with items that require longer lead times such as financing and obtaining insurance.

In the background, Tesla is coordinating production so that cars of similar configurations are built together. This part of the process takes on average of four weeks in the US but known to be much longer for international orders. Many future owners of the Model S second guess their choices during this wait time and make last minute changes.

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Production

After what seems like an eternal wait time, the car finally enters production. National Geographic put together an excellent documentary showing the robotic manufacturing process for the Model S.

Waiting for delivery

The final and somewhat painful stage for owners is after their car has been built and they’re waiting to pick it up or have it delivered. It is very hard to think about the car you had custom designed sitting somewhere waiting for you. For those overseas this wait involves transatlantic shipments, boats etc and a lot more time. For those on the East Coast its waiting for the next batch to leave CA heading eastbound on a car carrier. For us East Coast guys, this transportation process takes about 2 weeks.

Delivery

Delivery can take place either at the Tesla factory in Fremont, CA or at the local Tesla Delivery Center. A Tesla Service Rep goes through a full walkthrough of the vehicle with the new owner during delivery (walkthrough videos). If you’re fortunate enough to take delivery in California you can also arrange for a factory tour at that time.

Timeline Summary

  1. Research and Test Drive – Time varies greatly, start now!
  2. Order – Often happens on the same day of the test drive or within a couple of days after.
  3. Confirm – By default this is 2 weeks from the date the order is placed, but can be accelerated if one choses to forgo the refundable deposit (quick confirmation) and initiate the next step of the order.
  4. Sourcing parts – This seems to take approximately four weeks.
  5. Production – It typically takes Tesla about two days to build the Model S to your specifications.
  6. Delivery – It takes about two weeks from production complete to delivery in the US.

The total time from order to delivery with quick confirmation is about 6 weeks in the US.

Tesla Motors has a great “what to expect” timeline which describes this journey to owning the Tesla Model S in further detail.

 

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Image Credit: Tesla Motors, National Geographic
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"Rob's passion is technology and gadgets. An engineer by profession and an executive and founder at several high tech startups Rob has a unique view on technology and some strong opinions. When he's not writing about Tesla

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Tesla teases new color while testing refreshed Model S, X

Tesla teased a new color that could be coming to the United States with the new Model S and Model X.

Published

2 weeks ago

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May 27, 2025

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Credit: @supergeek18 | X

Tesla appears to be teasing a brand new color while it was testing the refreshed Model S and Model X, which was spotted last week in California.

Tesla currently offers six paint options in the United States, but they are all pretty basic. This has not been a problem for owners as wrapping the vehicles is a common practice, but some people would likely see more versatility from Tesla in terms of their standard paint colors.

This is especially relevant as Europe has been able to have both Midnight Cherry Red and Quicksilver, which were, at one time, exclusive to the market.

Quicksilver made its way to the United States, and Tesla did release a new Red last year with “Ultra Red,” but Midnight Cherry Red never made its way outside the walls of Gigafactory Berlin.

Last week, as the first spy images of the new Model S and Model X were taken and released by The Kilowatts, there was a very noticeable difference with the vehicle, as other changes seemed to be relatively underwhelming: a new paint color.

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Many believed this was simply a wrap, but Ryan Levenson of The Kilowatts, a former Tesla employee, dispelled that rumor after several questions about it.

He said that this is absolutely a factory paint color and not a wrap:

More images were shared by @supergeek18 on X:

Tesla released a new color earlier this year, but it was just a revision to Black, now called “Diamond Black,” featuring speckles that give a reflection and refraction of light as a diamond would.

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However, this new color is certainly quite different than anything Tesla has previously offered in the U.S. before. It is relatively similar to Glacier Blue, a color Tesla launched in Asia. Earlier this year, Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Chief Designer, talked about bringing the color to the U.S.:

“Glacier Blue is just a color that we’ve been talking about with our team — the team is like right through that window by the way — and we were looking at the impact of silver, how do we get pigment into silver and really add a little bit of personality to it. If you look at our palette, you know it was either darks or white, and so we were looking for something in between. Blue is always a fairly popular color.”

It would be a refreshing addition to the options Tesla currently offers, and a breath of fresh air for those who have been wanting a different look altogether.

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Tesla’s new Model S and X spotted, but they leave a lot to be desired

The Model S and Model X testing mules spotted by The Kilowatts have few minor visual changes.

Published

3 weeks ago

on

May 23, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has been hinting for a few months now that the flagship Model S and Model X would be getting some attention in 2025 as the vehicles continue to be sold in extremely low volumes.

Both models seem to be under the knife, especially as their newest versions were spotted in California earlier this week.

However, images of the vehicles seem to show that Tesla is not planning a major overhaul, which begs the question: why even do it in the first place?

Tesla makes a decision on the future of its flagship Model S and Model X

The Model S and Model X are grouped with the Cybertruck in Tesla’s quarterly delivery releases, and Q1 saw just 12,881 units of the three cars delivered. The Cybertruck likely made up the majority of this number, as some outlets reported around 6,400 deliveries of the all-electric pickup in Q1.

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This is unconfirmed.

The Model S and Model X have stuck around for “sentimental reasons,” according to CEO Elon Musk, who said back in 2021:

“I mean, they’re very expensive, made in low volume. To be totally frank, we’re continuing to make them more for sentimental reasons than anything else. They’re really of minor importance to the future.”

However, the cars seem to be in need of a serious refresh. As Tesla changed up the exterior aesthetic on both the Model 3 and Model Y, recent images captured of the Model X by The Kilowatts seem to show this is not the strategy with the Model X or Model S:

As we can see, the overall aesthetic of the X, if this is what Tesla plans to release, has literally no changes from a purely visual standpoint. There is the addition of the front bumper camera, which was first implemented on the Cybercab unveiled in October 2024, and then on the new Model Y this year.

There are some new 20″ wheels, and the interior has been fitted with ambient lighting.

The Model S looked to be relatively the same, other than these few hardware changes, including a rear diffuser on this Plaid that was spotted:

While these changes are welcome and should be beneficial, they don’t seem like they will encourage major sales growth, which might be something Tesla is okay with.

Admitting the two cars are low volume and not contributors to the company’s long-term goals, Musk is likely willing to just upgrade things to make these more compatible and better functioning with the Full Self-Driving suite.

Earlier this year, VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said the S and X were not going anywhere and would get “some love” before the end of 2025:

“Just give it a minute. We’ll get there. The upgrade a couple of years ago was bigger than most people thought in terms of architecture and structure of the car got a lot better, too. But, we’ll give it some love later this year and make sure it gets a little bit…you know, with the stuff we’ve been putting in 3 and Y. Obviously, with 3 and Y, the higher volume stuff, you’ve gotta focus there.”

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It seems these strategies have held true — the S and X appear to be getting what the 3 and Y got with the ambient lighting and front bumper camera (at least on the Model Y).

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Elon Musk

President Donald Trump buys a Tesla at the White House – Here’s which model he chose

Published

3 months ago

on

March 11, 2025

By

Credit: cb_doge | X

U.S. President Donald Trump was greeted by a convoy of Tesla electric vehicles today at the White House after he said last evening he would be buying one of the company’s cars in support of Elon Musk.

A variety of Tesla EVs, including the Model S, Cybertruck, and Model Y, all arrived in Washington on Tuesday around lunch time where the President sat in, examined, and mulled over which car he would choose. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters today that President Trump would be paying “full market price” for the vehicle.

CEO Elon Musk was alongside Trump to help make his decision:

Which Tesla did President Trump Choose?

After mulling the decision for several minutes, President Trump seemed to have gravitated toward the Tesla Model S Plaid in Deep Red, the company’s quickest and most luxurious offering, suitable for the leader of the U.S.

Trump said:

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“The one I like is that one (Model S). And I want that same color. I’m going to give [Tesla] a check. I don’t want a discount.”

According to images shared from Washington, it seems Musk brought two Model S vehicles — one in Deep Red and another in Deep Blue Metallic — knowing that the President would probably choose that vehicle, but was unsure about the color.

Tesla makes a decision on the future of its flagship Model S and Model X

President Trump’s Comments on Tesla and Elon Musk

President Trump has truly gained a meaningful working relationship with Musk, who he has called “a genius” and “brilliant” on several occasions. Regarding Tesla, the President said:

“Tesla’s a great company; They’re American cars, it’s American made. He employs thousands of people. He has the most modern plants in the world.”

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In regards to the Tesla lineup, President Trump said:

“I know people that have these cars; It blows them away. They love them.”

When talking about the polarizing design of the Cybertruck, he said:

“In terms of imagination, and I think I have a pretty great imagination, who else but this guy would design this and everybody on the road is looking at it. As soon as I saw it, I said, ‘That’s the coolest design.’ You gotta give him (Elon) credit.”

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