Yesterday Tesla held its Plaid delivery event, where first batch of 25 cars were handed to their owners. Plaid is the new Model S’ high-performance version, also being world’s quickest production car.
Here’s the full list of Model S Plaid specs and facts Elon Musk showcased from the stage, placed right by Tesla’s test track.
The specs are quite promising:
— 1020 PS
— 390 miles range
— 187 miles of range during first 15 minutes of charging
— 0-60 mph in 1.99 sec
— 9.23 sec to finish 1/4 mile
— 200 mph top speed
Though, right before the event Tesla added a disclaimer to Model S Plaid configurator, which says that so far the car won’t be able to achieve 200 mph. It would need a special wheels&tires upgrade that will be available this fall.
Model S Plaid has a tri-motor configuration, and the electric motors are designed from scratch. They have carbon-sleeved rotors, allowing it to reach 20,000+ RPM.
Also, Tesla focused on designing an efficient heat pump - and Plaid is equipped with a new one, which differs from the unit used for Model 3/Y. New heat pump is expected to be 30% better in cold weather range and requires 50% less energy for cabin heating.
Even though refreshed Model S does not differ a lot from the older generation, Plaid version brings quite major improvement in drag coefficient. It reaches 0.208 considering rotating wheels (some automakers are being not quite fair, presenting drag coefficient figures with the vehicle’s wheels standing still, even though their rotation causes additional drag).
Refreshed Model S also continues Tesla’s tradition to be one of the safest vehicles ever created. Tesla claims Model S is about to become the car with lowest probability of injuring in accidents.
Elon Musk also made some claims on the car’s interior. Yoke steering wheel allows to create an unprecedented view from the driver’s seat without any obstacles. The driver’s ergonomics is designed for maximum comfort of using autopilot. The flagship sedan became smarter, that allowed Tesla to get rid of some controls. For instance, Model S will ‘remember’ its driver’s actions based on the car’s position, and then repeat them automatically. Let’s say, if you always drive in reverse to get out of the garage, Model S will automatically set the R driving mode every time you’ll be ready to drive from your place.
The Model S interior got some extra space, especially at the rear seats. There are two USB-C charging ports in the front and two more in the rear, and Bluetooth supports multi-device connection.
The central 17-inch display has 2200x1300 resolution and provides a hometheater-like experience. The latter is also a result of a new 920 W audio system with 22 speakers. The car is equipped with a powerful graphic chip providing the PS5-like performance - it’s capacity would be enough for both high-end videogames and Autopilot needs. Someone actually played Cyberpunk 2077 without any freezes right during the event, with gameplay streamed to the screen on stage.
Tesla also focused on improved UI. The widgets on a main screens may be managed with a simple gestures. Navigation received waypoints and became smarter as well. It may automatically set the destination point based on where you should drive - to your home, to work or to the meeting scheduled on your calendar.
First 25 Model S Plaid were handed to their owners during the event. The deliveries already began right after the event. Tesla plans to deliver 1,000 Plaid versions every week stating next quarter.
