As it turns out, the world is changing quite rapidly. From a technological standpoint, technology is updated almost every second to a level that growth and development are happening at a pace that’s never thought possible. As is the case with automobiles. The rate of innovation and the introduction of modern production techniques keep pushing the engineering boundaries.
Tesla became one of the early adopters of the concept of EVs. They’ve spearheaded the campaign of why it’s the future. With multiple carmakers following suit, it’s pretty clear where things are headed.
Quite rightly so, the idea of Elon Musk being a visionary superhero is the talking point on all if not most social platforms. The recent reveal of the Model S Plaid has taken the automotive community by storm. The 1000+ horsepower 4-door sedan is all the rage at the moment. The Model S Plaid according to Tesla, is the world’s quickest production car.
While there was an even quicker Plaid+ on the cards, Tesla recently announced it’s not going to happen. Fret not, as the reasoning is plain and simple. The Model S Plaid already delivers all the performance most buyers will ever need.
Here’s a closer look at the 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid—the world’s fastest accelerating production car.
2021 Tesla Model S Plaid: Ludicrous Wasn’t Enough
The Tesla Model S was already among the fastest cars in the world. With a 0-60 mph time of 2.4 seconds, it bested some of the million-dollar cars like the Koenigsegg Agera RS, and Pagani Huayra. It shares the spot with the Bugatti Chiron, which is a $3-miilion+ hypercar. The Model S Performance as it was previously known came with a dual motor setup pushing roughly 770 horsepower and a mountain load of torque; 841 lb-ft combined. However, the lineup has changed a bit for 2021 as the Model S is now available in two trims: Long Range and the Plaid.
With the Tesla Model S Plaid though, output has skyrocketed to 1020 horsepower. That’s primarily due to having a third motor. Yes, the Model S Plaid has a tri-motor setup as opposed to the Performance’s dual motors. Also new is that with the help of these three motors, the 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid completes 0-60 mph in under 2 seconds, 1.99 to be specific. Making it officially the fastest accelerating production car in the world. The Plaid will continue to top at 200 mph, all while capable of doing 390 miles with a full charge. As for the “underpowered” Model S Long Range, it delivers up to 412 miles. Also helping with the performance and efficiency of the Model S Plaid is an aerodynamic body with a drag coefficient of only 0.208 Cd.
Another record bagged by the Tesla Model S Plaid is a quarter-mile time of 9.23 seconds, the fastest for any production car. The electric motors of the Model S Plaid feature carbon sleeves, which Tesla says improves efficiency whilst also helping the motors to spin at more than 20,000 rpm.
2021 Tesla Model S Plaid: No Gear Selector Or Column Stalks
One of the controversial bits when Tesla announced the Model S Plaid was its futuristic “yoke” steering wheel and lack of physical stalks behind it. As it turns out, the new Tesla Model S is capable of “guessing” what you as a passenger want to do when you get inside. Also, it learns the practices and remembers them by geo-coding to the car’s system. Rendering a conventional drive selector redundant. This is quite impressive if the Model S manages to pull this off in the real world.
The main infotainment screen is now positioned horizontally, allowing you to enjoy watching programs while your car charges. Tesla has also improved the audio system along with introducing an all-new UI. The system is more powerful than ever before to the extent that it can deliver PS5-levels of performance.
2021 Tesla Model S Plaid: Should You Buy One?
At $131,190, the 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid is an expensive piece of kit. Although, we’d suggest going for the base Long Range model as it’s cheaper at $81,190. The reason being, all the performance benefits mentioned are appealing for the first time or two. Post which, it’s just another gimmick for showing off. Also, we’re not so sure about the whole no gear selector vibe too. However, the available range paired with impressive fast-charging capabilities is enough to attract your attention. Also impressive is Tesla’s range of superchargers that are increasing by the day.
There are other problems that are common to Teslas like questionable reliability and build quality. Seeing as they’re pacing their way through the vast and sophisticated world of automobiles, it might take some time to level the expertise of established names in the industry.
Sources: Tesla, Caranddriver