Tesla goes Plaid to beat Taycan
Tesla has unleashed its tri-motor Model S Plaid to dethrone the Porsche Taycan Turbo S as the fastest four-door EV, writes Nile Bijoux.
After letting Porsche hold the ‘‘fastest four-door EV in the world’’ title for a few minutes, Tesla has respondedwith its muchhyped Model S Plaid at its annual Tesla Battery Day.
The electric super-sedan has some pretty hefty claimed figures. Range will be ‘‘more than 520 miles [837km]’’, acceleration from 0-60mph (97kmh) will happen in less than two seconds and the quarter-mile will be dispatched in less than 9 seconds.
Though, if the Model S Plaid crosses the line at more than 150mph (241kmh), it will need a parachute installed as per IHRA (International Hot Rod Association) rules.
How is it doing all that? Three motors generating somewhere north of 1100hp (820kw). One is mounted on the front axle and two are on the rear for all-wheeldrive traction.
Ah, I hear you say, but electric cars are only good for straight-line speed. Surely it will get thumped on the racetrack, right?
Wrong. The Plaid managed a 1 minute 30.3 second lap of Laguna Seca, with another three seconds potentially to be shed in time.
That would make it the fastest production car around the circuit.
Right now it’s faster than a Mclaren P1, to give some indication of the speed, although Elon Musk and Tesla have been quiet on just how many laps the Plaid can manage before either overheating or running low on juice.
And the price is still less than a Taycan Turbo S. Tesla New Zealand has the Plaid starting at $257,900, compared to the Porsche’s sticker of $366,900.
We’ll leave it up to you to decide where the money is best spent.