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Tesla's Model X Is Now on Roads, and, Yes, it's Got Some Weird Features

Elon Musk wants you to cower in your car in the result of a bioweapons attack.
Gif from reveal video above. Image: Tesla

If you're just finding out about Tesla Motors's Model X right now, well, too bad—it's sold out until at least the middle of next year. But if you've got one preordered or if you're simply a tech or car geek who likes to live vicariously through the people who can afford the six-figure price tag, rejoice: The Model X is here and on roads.

The Model X is Elon Musks's first foray into the SUV sector (it strikes me as more of a minivan, as you're not going to be lugging two-by-fours in this thing), and it's got all of the bells, whistles, and Easter eggs that Tesla has become known for. There's a "blind holster" for your cell phone that'll somehow allow you to plug your phone in without looking at what you're doing, and the car's "Bio-weapon defense mode," which kicks the car's air filter into overdrive, is getting all the blog headlines this morning, precisely because it's the kind of feature that is both totally bizarre and sort of makes sense.

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"This is a real button," Musk said at the unveiling, noting that the car's air filtration system is extremely good at removing toxins from the car. "We're trying to be a leader in apocalyptic defense scenarios," he added, probably only partly joking.

The company noted that its filter is several hundred times better than the average one at filtering bacteria, viruses, and allergens.

The big unveil event also featured quite a long demo on the car's distinct "Falcon Wing" doors, which open vertically and have sensors that automatically change the angle the wings spread at to avoid obstacles such as poorly parked cars. It looks like this:

The car is fast, with two engines (a 259 horsepower one up front and a 503 one in back), a top speed of 155 MPH, and goes 0-60 MPH in 3.2 seconds in "Ludicrous" mode. It's also expected to get a five-star safety rating in all categories, and has a 257-mile maximum range.

This is all to say that the Model X looks like it'll probably be looked at as a best-in-class SUV (or crossover, or whatever), just as the Model S was looked at as a best-in-class sedan.

"We showed you could make a sports car electric," Musk said. "We showed you could do it with a sedan, now we're going to show that you can do it with an SUV."

Next, he'll try to show us he can do it for an affordable car. The $35,000 Tesla Model 3 is expected to drop in 2018, and, if Tesla is going to make cars for the masses, it's got to be a hit.