2012sday

"bwp240" (bwp240) 04/28/2015 at 14:05 • Filed to: 2sday

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Yeah, 12sday still sounds dumb...

Welcome to another installment of the weekly series 2sday where we the Oppo community take a look at cars of years ending in 2. This week we look at 2012. Fresh out of the new millennium, cars began incorporating technology into the driving experience with touchscreen infotainment systems, ESC, traction control, and rear-view cameras. One could argue that 2012 is part of the era where automakers began idiot-proofing their cars (i.e. government mandates on stability control and A-pillars the size of cows), but 2012 remains an era of innovative technological inclusions into the driving experience.

The 2010s also saw a real push in alternative energies for propulsion. Gas prices were (and still are) very high compared to 10 years past and new government requests for efficient vehicles left automakers scrambling. The two leading alternative fuel technologies were electricity and hydrogen fuel cells. Unfortunately, hydrogen fuel technology still hasn’t gotten anywhere on the consumer front outside of rockets, but in 2012, the greatest front in electric cars began sale.

The Tesla Model S, in my opinion, is the first successful mainstream modern all-electric car. Yes, Tesla had the Roadster, but compared to the Model S, very few were sold and the Roadster is nowhere near as practical as its sedan counterpart.

The first iteration of the base Model S came with a 270 kW electric motor which converts to around 362 horsepower. Its range was between 230 and 300 miles (depending on battery pack and driving characteristics) which equated to a MPG estimate of nearly 89 MPG.

The early versions of the Tesla Model S were not known for performance. However, for being an all-electric vehicle, the performance figures weren’t too bad. 0 - 60mph took a little over 5 seconds and top speed ranged between 120 and 140 miles per hour.

Initial price points for the Model S were attainable for those looking for a luxury sedan at around $60,000; however, later iterations of the car have now pushed that price point to ~$80K - $100K.

The Tesla Model S is the first mainstream all electric car. It proves the feasibility of alternative fuels for consumer transportation needs. The P85D models also show that electric vehicles do not need to be wimpy machines capable of only doing 32mph downhill with a tailwind. Further implementation of electric charging stations along America’s highways continue to expand the possibilities of using electric vehicles for long distance travel.

Does this mean the death of petrol performance? I highly doubt it. However, what the Model S does show is that we won’t be stuck in a future driving around in golf carts and Smart cars.

So Oppo what other cars from 2012 can you find?