Musk unveils Model S Plaid, Tesla’s fastest car to date
Elon Musk billed Tesla’s newest vehicle, the Model S Plaid, as a halo product that proves the superiority of electric cars.
Elon Musk billed Tesla Inc.’s newest vehicle, the Model S Plaid, as a halo product that proves the superiority of electric cars at an event marking the start of deliveries to customers.

Tesla finally held the long-awaited, and once rescheduled, “delivery event” for its ultra-fast Model S Plaid at its factory in Fremont, California. The electric vehicle company will begin with 25 deliveries on Friday evening, expanding to several hundred cars per week and a thousand cars per week in the next quarter, CEO Elon Musk said at the event.

There were no huge surprises with the newest iteration of the Model S, which features a new battery pack design, an improved heat pump, carbon over-wrapped rotors on the motors and a new record for drag coefficient of 0.208, a figure that Musk emphasized as perhaps a poke at up-and-comer Lucid Motors. The Lucid Air, which is slated to go into production later this year, has a drag coefficient of 0.21.

While wielding a sledgehammer as prep for “breaking a few records,” Tesla Model S designer Franz von Holzhausen kicked off the event, introducing Musk himself, who drove a shiny black Model S around the test track, gliding right onto stage to the dulcet sounds of dubstep.
The four-door electric sedan goes from 0 to 60 in 1.99 seconds, which Musk says breaks the two-second barrier that no production car has ever been able to break. It produces 1,020 horsepower, has a top speed of 200 miles per hour (with the proper tires) and can complete a quarter mile in 9.23 seconds, according to Musk and the company’s website. The battery can travel 390 miles on a single charge, but Musk added the car can go to 412 miles with the dual motor configuration (The Model S Plaid has a tri-motor set up). The improved charging speed gives drivers 187 miles of range in just 15 minutes.

The new Model S also has a new battery pack, but Musk didn’t elaborate past that detail. He spent considerable time describing the carbon-sleeved rotors for the motor, which Musk claims is a first for a production electric motor due to the difficulty of pulling it off. The end result is a motor that goes up to 20,000 RPM.

The new heat pump that powers the Plaid’s HVAC system has 30% better cold weather range and requires 50% less energy for cabin heating and freezing conditions, meaning little degradation in cold weather, said Musk.
Tesla Model S Plaid specs

390 miles (628 km) of EPA est. range
battery capacity: N/A
0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 1.99 seconds (*with rollout subtracted)
1/4 Mile 9.23@155 mph trap speed
top speed of 200 mph (322 km) †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)
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)
Tesla Model S Long Range specs

405 miles (652 km) of EPA est. range
battery capacity: N/A
0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 3.1 seconds
top speed of 155 mph (249 km)
dual motor, all-wheel drive (one motor in the front and one in the rear)
system output: 670 hp (about 499 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 4,561 lbs (2,069 kg)