Tesla’s Model S Plaid is the most impressive car on the road today. It’s not just that it looks great, but it has some serious power underneath the hood… or frunk. Recently, MotorTrend tried the Tesla Model S and declared it the fastest car they have ever tested. That’s saying something.
MotorTrend first appeared on magazine stands in 1949. With more than 70 years of experience driving thousands of cars, the Model S Plaid beat them all.
The Tesla Model S Plaid is a high-speed car, and the stats back it up. According to MotorTrend, the Model S accelerates from 0-60 MPH in an astonishing 2.3 seconds.
“When experiencing the acceleration of a Plaid, it’s abundantly clear that virtually the only force you feel is the Tesla’s seatback hurling you forward to a degree that genuinely makes the horizon the floor. Except that floor is rushing up at you far faster than any free fall ever could.”
Earlier in the article, the author explains that a free fall speed equates to accelerating from 0-60 in 3 seconds.
The Tesla website says the Plaid can go faster than MotorTrend reported, with a 1.99 second 0-60 time. Its three mighty electric motors, two in the back, power the all-wheel drive system producing a ridiculous 1,020 horsepower and 1,050 ft-lb of torque. The top speed is pegged at 200 MPH; for comparison, the maximum speed in NASCAR last season was recorded at 190.7 MPH.
Tesla’s Model S also laid down a blistering quarter-mile to earn the title of the fastest car MotorTrend has ever tested. The blue Plaid devoured the quarter mile time in 9.3 seconds. It should’ve been a red Model S because this car was burning the record books and lighting the track on fire.
It’s not just the motors; the cutting-edge software and aerodynamic design also contribute to its superior acceleration.
In addition to its blistering quarter-mile time, the Model S is able to achieve 60-0 mph braking in just 104 feet, while providing a maximum lateral acceleration of 1.02 Gs. This makes it one of the quickest cars ever produced and gives it the performance capabilities that rival some of the world’s top supercars.
In other tests, the Plaid had a record stopping time as low at 98 feet. The impressive stopping power of the Model S can be attributed to its combination of powerful brakes and low center of gravity. The regenerative braking system also helps reduce wear on the brakes and allows for maximum braking performance. In addition, the Model S also features an advanced stability control system that helps to keep the car stable and in control during hard braking maneuvers.
The Tesla Model S Plaid, which added track mode in 2021, has pushed the performance boundaries and set a new standard for high-performance electric vehicles. Its quarter-mile time of 9.3 seconds is remarkable, and its ability to reach 0-60 mph in just 2.3 seconds is extraordinary. Elon Musk wrapped it up best, responding to a tweet about MotorTrends results. He tweeted: Plaid is sickkk.
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Two industry giants have announced collaborations to achieve a seamless electric vehicle experience. First, in a bid to electrify road trips and facilitate easy overnight charging, Hilton will partner with Tesla to deploy an unparalleled number of charging stations across its hotels in North America. On a parallel track, Honda signs onto Tesla’s rapidly expanding North American Charging Standard (NACS), promising to streamline the charging ecosystem further.
Launching in early 2024, Hilton plans to modernize the hospitality industry by equipping 2,000 of its hotels across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico with a staggering 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors. This initiative sets Hilton to establish the industry’s largest overnight EV charging network, offering at least six chargers at each property to cater to the ballooning community of EV travelers.
Matt Schuyler, Hilton’s Chief Brand Officer, accentuated their commitment to evolving with their guests’ needs, offering experiences that echo their daily routines while promising unmatched hospitality. This partnership envisages a transformed North American landscape, teeming with convenient EV chargers to enhance travelers’ experiences and facilitate sustainable choices.
Tesla echoed this sentiment, with Rebecca Tinucci, Senior Director of Charging Infrastructure, emphasizing the strategic goal of surpassing the traditional gasoline vehicle experience. The venture promises to ensure electric vehicle adoption on a substantial scale, marking a historic milestone in Tesla’s endeavor to install low-cost, convenient AC charging solutions at prominent destinations.
Honda has officially ratified its agreement to integrate Tesla’s NACS into its fleet, initiating with their new EV lineup launching in North America from 2025. This integration will also grant Honda EV owners unprecedented access to Tesla’s Supercharger stations, augmenting charging convenience manifold. Moreover, Honda has assured compatibility with NACS even for its models released before 2025, equipped with the CCS port, leveraging a specially designed adapter.
This development trails Honda’s previous pledge in August 2023 to collaborate with Tesla, making it a vital player in the collaborative mission to foster a robust high-powered charging network for EVs in North America.
The list of NACS continues to grow, it now includes Ford, GM, Rivian, Volvo, Polestar, Electrify America, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Fisker and now Honda & Acura. While Hilton becomes a significant partner in offering EV owners a place to stay and charge up.
Tesla has finally introduced a blind spot indicator, more than 20 years after the technology was first introduced, but only in the new Model 3. This feature, commonplace in contemporary vehicles and initially integrated by Volvo back in 2001, raises questions on why the innovative company lagged in adopting such a fundamental safety feature, and yet the version it did release seems a little flawed.
The implementation of the blind spot indicator has a peculiar placement – tucked away in the speaker grill of the driver’s door. While this step marks Tesla’s bid to align with a standard safety feature present in other vehicles, it inevitably conjures questions regarding the prudence behind the choice of location. Possibly, a revision in the hardware could have presented an opportunity to explore more ergonomic spots that facilitate easier and quicker reference for the drivers.
Moreover, early reviews and an examination of the European Model 3 owner’s manual suggest that the blind spot indicator has only been installed on the driver’s side, which seems nonsensical considering the equal prominence of blind spots on the passenger side. It appears somewhat unbalanced and potentially neglects the safety concerns of changing lanes or turning in the opposite direction.
In the video below by Automobile Propre, you can see Tesla’s blind spot indicator light up at the 9-minute, 15-second mark.
Historically, Tesla relied heavily on its Autopilot camera system, providing visualization features that necessitated drivers to glance at the vehicle’s center screen to gauge their blind spots, a system arguably not ideal due to its diversion of the driver’s attention from the road. Despite their efforts to improve upon this through the new indicator, whether they’ve achieved a solution that matches the industry standard set by many other automakers years ago is questionable.
However, it’s undeniable that Tesla has attempted to create a comprehensive blind spot assist system, including features such as an automatic blind spot camera and a blind spot collision warning chime. These add-ons indicate that Tesla aims to offer a multi-faceted assistive system, primarily focusing on auditory and visual screen alerts rather than physical indicators, maintaining its penchant for tech-heavy solutions.
What is clear is that Tesla has responded to a long-standing request, although not with an earth-shattering innovation but with a feature that has been standard for many years in the automotive industry. While the effort is commendable, one cannot overlook that it comes with a shade of playing catch-up and carries with it a slew of questions concerning the execution of the feature in terms of its placement and partial implementation. Perhaps a birds-eye 360 view is next?
See all the features included in Tesla’s latest update, version 2023.32.1.
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Take a look at features that Elon Musk has said will be coming soon.
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