Exclusive Peek Inside Tesla's Model S and Model X

This weekend, Telsa held an exclusive Model X preview for reservation holders. As the CEO of a mobile startup, I have mad respect for Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla. Here's a guy who, after starting and selling PayPal, started not one, but two companies with prescient timing: Tesla and SpaceX. As gas heads towards $5/gallon (with the imminent threat of shooting up higher) and the US retires its Space Shuttle program, Elon's two startups are positioned perfectly. For more background on Tesla, take a look at the blog post I wrote after touring the Tesla Factory.

Critics are raving over the Model X. As someone who's passionate about cars & motorcycles and hopeful for the future of electric vehicles that perform as well or better than their fossil fuel burning brethern, I was originally a reservation holder for the Model S. When I saw the Model X, I immediately swapped my reservation out. Now I'm #486 on the list for a Model X. You can get a reservation of your own here -- it's a $5k refundable deposit. Your only risk, really, is that Tesla doesn't stay viable as a company, but as someone in the tech industry, I really believe in Elon, his vision, and his ability to execute. I'm willing to take that risk.

My main reason for switching to the Model X from the Model S is the additional space (7 easily accessible forward-facing seats) and four wheel electric drive. The Falcon Wing doors give the vehicle a great unique feel, although I have no idea how practical they'll be with daily use. I also figure that by the time Tesla delivers the Model X in 2014, it will have gotten most "version 1.0" kinks out of the system with the Model S.

It was funny to see a temporary Philz Coffee stand set up at the Tesla event. I had just recently interviewed Philz Coffee CEO Jacob Jaber about how he was extending his brand. Seeing Philz at Tesla was a perfect example of two great brands I love promoting each other.

Below are some photos and videos of the Tesla event I attended today. What do you think about the Model X? I'd love to get your thoughts in the comments below.

And here are some pictures from the event: