Tesla goes from insane to ludicrous
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has introduced a new “Ludicrous Mode” for the dual-motor version of the Model S, allowing the all-electric sedan to go from zero to 60mph (96km/h) in 2.8 seconds.
The upgrade costs an additional US$10,000 ($15,000) for new buyers and results in a 10 per cent acceleration improvement. The hold music before the conference call during which the announcement was made was a loop of the rap song Beast Mode by Ludacris.
Ludicrous Mode “is an extension of Insane Mode”, Musk explained. With acceleration of 1.1Gs, “it’s faster than falling”. Tesla will also offer Ludicrous Mode for its coming Model X SUV, which will probably clock in at zero to 60mph in 3.3 seconds, according to Musk. “We haven’t tested it yet, so that’s just a guess,” he said. “That’s mad for an SUV, obviously.”
Here’s how Tesla squeezed out the extra juice to go from insane to ludicrous. The limiting factor for acceleration during the first 30mph is traction — basically getting the wheels to stay connected to earth.
Tesla had already solved that engineering roadblock. The limiting factor when accelerating from 30-60mph, on the other hand, is pulling enough current from the battery pack.
Ludicrous Mode lets the car draw 1500 amps instead of 1300 amps all the way past 60mph, which pre- viously it couldn’t do. In other updates, Musk offered an improved battery pack with 24km of additional range. He announced that the cheapest version of the Model S will drop in price by US$5000, while the highend version will jump US$10,000.
The company was cagey prior to the conference call. Reporters were emailed a heads-up before Musk tweeted that the announcement would be about the Model S: he favours tweets and secretive press conferences for product announcements, big and small.
Tesla watchers are eagerly awaiting news on two vehicles: the Model X SUV, which Musk said is on track to roll out in the coming months, and the Model 3 mass-production vehicle, slated for 2017.