Tesla launches Tesla Model S Plaid super-car with 0-60 mph in 1.99 seconds, more

Tesla has just closed its Tesla Model S Plaid launch event, with the delivery of the first 25 units of the $130,000 super-car.

At the event, Tesla revealed the stand-out new features of the 4-door sedan, which now comes with new electric motors, faster charging and a computer that can play CyberPunk.

The Model S Plaid achieved its astounding performance courtesy of new carbon-sleeved rotors in its electric motors and tri-motor power train.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that there has been a production electric motor with a carbon over-wrapped rotor. This is a super hard thing to do because carbon and copper have very different rates of thermal expansion. In order to have a carbon over-wrapped rotor, you have to wind it with extremely high tension and that’s an extremely hard thing to do.”

The result is an extremely efficient, small and yet powerful motor which Tesla says delivers the perfect power curve, which is much improved even from Tesla’s own earlier models.

This allows for 0-60 mph in 1.99 seconds, a quarter-mile in 9.23 seconds, and a 200 mph top speed, and the new radiator allows for better repeatability due to improved heat management.

The car is also assisted by a drag coefficient of only 0.208, which Tesla says is the lowest for any production car.

The car also comes with a new battery pack with faster charging, delivering 187 miles of range in 15 minutes, a new heat pump and new thermal system.

“It’s 30% better in cold weather range it requires 50% less energy for cabin heating in freezing conditions,” Tesla said.

Tesla also says their car will be their safest yet, delivering the lowest probability of injury in any car tested.

The Tesla Model S Plaid also offers interior improvements, with a yoke steering wheel for improved visibility,  more space for the second row, the concerning auto-shift feature, which uses Autopilot to predict what driving mode (Drive, Reverse, Neutral, or Park) the vehicle should use, a new in-house sound system with a new audio codec for the best sound possible, and new acoustic glass to improve cabin noise.

Tesla also showed off their new car computer, powered by the AMD RDNA 2 GPU (same as the PS5) with Tesla showing it running Cyberpunk on the entertainment system.

See the full presentation below:

via Electrek