The long-awaited Tesla Model S Plaid has just been announced by the U.S. carmaker and it’s looking to steal the thunder of the Lucid Air. The new flagship variant of the aging Model S is powered by a trio of electric motors that combine to produce over 1,100 hp. Tesla says it will hit 96 km/h in less than 2 seconds, run down the quarter-mile in less than 9 seconds and hit a 320 km/h top speed. If the acceleration claims prove to be accurate when the car is launched, it will comfortably be the quickest production car ever (until electric hypercars like the Rimac C_Two, Pininfarina Battista, Lotus Evija, and Tesla Roadster) arrive.
A quarter-mile time of less than 9 seconds
will also make the Model S Plaid quicker than the forthcoming trio-motor
version of the Lucid Air that has recorded a 9.3 second quarter-mile during
testing. At the car’s announcement, Elon Musk also revealed it recently lapped
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in 1:30.3, approximately three seconds quicker
than a tri-motor Lucid Air prototype. Tesla first lapped Laguna Seca with the
Plaid in September last year, setting a best time of 1:36.55. Over the last 12
months, it has clearly extracted much more performance from the EV.
The Model S Plaid isn’t just the most
performance-oriented variant of the Model S, but it also offers the most range
and can travel more than 836 km on a single charge, again eclipsing
the Lucid Air. Prices for the Model S Plaid kick off at US$ 139,990 with the first
deliveries scheduled for late 2021.
