In tonight’s tweetstorm, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has just confirmed that the Tri-Motor Tesla Model S Plaid will have the new Structural Battery with the new 4680 form factor cells.
This is exciting news for the people who are willing to buy the Tesla Model S Plaid with the supercar-like specs for a $139,900 price tag. If Model S Plaid is going to have the structural battery pack it means that it is also going to have the same single-piece front and rear underbody diecasts currently seen for the Model Y.
The 4680 cells are going to significantly contribute to the less than 2.0 second 0-60 mph time of the Plaid Model S. This is close to the 1.9s time of the Next-gen Tesla Roadster but the SpaceX thrusters package is going to further reduce Tesla Roadster’s time to 1.1s according to Elon Musk.
Since opening the Model S Plaid pre-orders, it is expected that Tesla is getting a good number of reservations, especially from the car enthusiasts who require extreme performance.
Social media influencer and current Tesla Model S Performance owner Marques Brownlee aka MKBHD just posted to Twitter that he’s resisting the temptation to book a Tri-Motor Model S Plaid, to which Elon Musk replied “It’s next-level.”
Model S Plaid vs. Model S Performance
If we look at the Tesla Model S online configurator, we cannot see a visual difference between Model S Long Range, Performance, and Plaid as of now. Although the exterior looks the same, there will be changes to the interior for sure when the car goes into production.
Mainly the center touchscreen is going to be like the popped-out horizontal display like the Tesla Model 3. Model S Plaid prototypes were spotted with the Model 3-like center touchscreens when the cars were coming back home after rigorous track testing at Nurburging.
| Options / Features | Model S Plaid | Model S Performance (P100D) |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Pack | No Info | 100 kWh |
| Range (EPA est.) | 520+ miles (840+ km) | 348 miles (560 km) |
| Acceleration (0-60 mph) | <2.0s | 2.3s (with Cheetah Stance) |
| Top Speed | 200 mph (322 km/h) | 163 mph (263 km/h) |
| Quarter-mile | <9.0s | 10.41s (source) |
| Price | $139,990 | $94,990 |
For an additional $45k, Model S Plaid offers next-gen battery cells (4680), new diecast underbody, increased rigidity and safety, reduced weight, +37mph top speed, below 2s acceleration, and a quarter-mile time to brag about.
The only thing beyond Ludicrous is Plaid
Elon Musk
A new EV startup Lucid Motors recently showed a drag race between a Tesla Model S Performance and its Lucid Air luxury sedan where the Model S was beaten by the Air. Lucid boasted about its car’s below 10 sec quarter-mile time but Tesla has many tricks up its sleeves, Model S Plaid will be the answer to Lucid’s audacious behavior.
Update: Tesla has launched the Tesla Model S Plaid and Plaid+
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