Tesla has launched the new Model S Plaid. It is the flagship version of the electric carmaker’s long-range pure electric sedan, designed to put Tesla ahead of rivals like the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and Audi RS e-tron GT.
The Tesla Model S Plaid is powered by the company’s new three-motor, all-wheel-drive electric powertrain, and the stats are staggering. It develops 1,006 bhp, and Tesla claims a 0-60 mph time of 1.99 seconds, faster than any road car currently for sale. The EV will also cover the quarter-mile in 9.23 seconds, which according to the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, is faster than any factory-delivered road car currently on sale. Find a long enough track, and the Model S Plaid will reach a top speed of 200 mph.
At the car’s launch event at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California, Musk said, ‘I think there’s something that’s quite important for the future of sustainable energy, which is that we’ve got to show that an electric car is the best car, hands down. Sustainable energy cars can be the fastest cars, can be the safest cars, can be the most kick-ass cars in every way.’
Tesla wants to emphasize that all this extra performance hasn’t made too much of a dent in the Model S’s range. Thanks to the upgraded battery technology, the Plaid will cover 390 miles on a full charge, and when a battery top-up is needed, the company’s newest 250 kW fast-charging tech can add 187 miles of range in just 15 minutes.
When the new flagship Model S was introduced earlier this year, we were also expecting a longer-range Plaid+ variant of 520 miles. Since then, this project has been canceled by Musk, who, as usual, made the announcement to his large following on Twitter.
Tesla’s goal was to make the Model S Plaid more than just a straight-line rocket, so the company’s engineers have fitted a series of aerodynamic tweaks and chassis modifications designed to aid handling and dynamic ability.
Cosmetic revisions include a deeper front splitter, wider side sills, a huge rear diffuser, and a ducktail spoiler, the latter two elements helping to increase aerodynamic downforce. Tesla has also fitted larger brakes, a lower suspension, new suspension dampers, and a wider track, along with a revised torque vectoring system, which will help boost agility.
The styling tweaks and lower suspension also give the Tesla Model S Plaid the lowest drag coefficient of any production car currently on sale, at 0.208Cd. For comparison, the Porsche Taycan has an aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.22Cd.
The cabin has also been redesigned, featuring an unusual yoke-style steering wheel, a new digital instrument cluster, a 22-speaker stereo system, and a massive 17-inch landscape-oriented infotainment system, which Musk says is more suitable for watching movies.
There are more wireless charging pads for smartphones, with space for two devices in the front and two in the rear. Rear-seat passengers also have their own screen mounted on the center console, which can be used to watch movies or play video games.
Unusually, Tesla has removed some fairly important physical controls, such as the gear selector and indicator stalks, with Musk saying, ‘overall, all input is error.’ Once in the car, the Model S Plaid starts up automatically and can use the autopilot system to know where obstacles are when indicators are needed.
You still have to select reverse when parking, but once you’ve done it once, the car stores the location, so if you park there again, it will automatically select reverse for you.
The tech fest is also backed up by some practical physical tweaks. Tesla has redesigned the rear bench to give passengers more legroom and headroom by moving the front seats forward and increasing the angle of the rear seatbacks. There is also slightly less trim, helping the cabin to look more airy.
Tesla has also ramped up its focus on safety, with Musk making the bold claim that, in the event of a crash, the Model S Plaid could soon have the ‘lowest probability of injury of any car ever tested.’
According to the U.S. road safety authority, NHTSA, the top five safest cars for sale in North America are all Teslas, with the Model S Plaid coming in second behind the rear-wheel-drive Model 3.
Record Attempts of Model S Plaid
Before the car’s official launch, Tesla put a Model S Plaid prototype through its paces on the Laguna Seca race track in California. The car set a time of 1:30.30, and Musk has said his ultimate goal is to make the Model S ‘achieve the best track time of any production vehicle.’
Tesla is also gearing up for a record attempt at the Nurburgring. Last year, the company claimed that a Model S Plaid prototype lapped the Nordschleife circuit in around seven minutes and 20 seconds. An official lap time has not yet been released, but this preliminary time would make the Tesla more than 20 seconds faster than the Porsche Taycan.
