Throttle House recently had an opportunity to review the Tesla Model S Plaid and see whether it's as good as people say it is.
The video starts with a pretty humorous idea of how "solve" Tesla's yoke steering with something more conventional:
The test drive was mostly focused on high-speed driving around the track. The Tesla Model S Plaid appeared to be one of the fastest cars tested by Throttle House, but there are some drawbacks too.
Despite the ultimate, raw acceleration of the Plaid, the car is considered too heavy for high-speed corners. Its power steering, suspension, brakes and the lack of a track mode make it challenging - "Please, don't bring it to a track."
As a cruiser and for occasional acceleration blasts, it could be a perfect executive EV, which as we know, has plenty of other advantages - like space, range, access to Supercharging infrastructure, etc.
Gallery: 2021 Tesla Model S
Tesla Model S Plaid specs:
- up to 390 miles (628 km) of EPA est. range
- battery capacity (see the pack here): N/A (about 99 kWh and roughly 95 kWh usable)
7,920 lithium-ion 1865-type cylindrical cells (Panasonic)
5 modules (1,584 cells each)
22S72P (22 rows in series, each of 72 cells in parallel)
about 450 V system (indicatory value) - 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 1.99 seconds (*with rollout subtracted)
0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.1 seconds (*with rollout subtracted)
MotorTrend's 0-60 mph (asphalt, no rollout): 2.28 seconds - 1/4 mile 9.23 seconds at 155 mph trap speed according to Tesla
Jay Leno's 1/4 mile record of 9.247 seconds at 152.16 mph trap speed
DragTimes' run: 9.248 seconds at 151.83 mph
record time of 9.081 seconds at 154.10 mph trap speed with removed interior pieces - July 24, 2021 at the World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis - Nürburgring Nordschleife record of 7 minutes and 35.579 seconds (September 9, 2021)
- top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h) †when equipped with the proper wheels and tires (available fall 2021)
- three-motor all-wheel drive (one motor in the front and two motors in the rear)
Permanent Magnet - Synchronous Reluctance Motors - PMSRM - system output: 1,020 hp (about 760 kW)
- DC fast charging: at up to 250 kW (Superchargers)
can replenish 187 miles (301 km) in 15 minutes - Drag Coefficient 0.208 Cd
- Wheels 19" or 21"
- Cargo 28 cu ft
- Weight 4,766 lbs (2,162 kg)
See also