Tesla's 'Ludicrous' Model S is a 2.8-second monster If you’ve watched any YouTube drag races lately, or read our Speed Week head-to-head between the Tesla Model S P85D and the BMW i8, you’ll be aware that the range-topping electric Tesla is fairly brisk.
In fact, with a verified 0-62mph time of 3.2 seconds in ‘Insane Mode’, it’s hardly the sort of family saloon crying out for a power boost.
But the P85D just got faster anyway. Clearly disappointed that his space rockets accelerate faster than his cars, Telsa founder Elon Musk has announced a new $13,000 option package for the 682bhp Model S.
Complete with a beefy new 90kWh battery back, the tweak unlocks ‘Ludicrous Mode’. No joke – that’s its official name. And the numbers are indeed crackers.
Musk claims the flagship Tesla’s front motor now develops 259bhp – pretty much the same as the output of the petrol engine from the Nürburgring-crushing Seat Leon Cupra 280.
But pushing from the Model S’s rear is another e-motor, creating a Mercedes C63-sized 503bhp. That’s 762bhp in total, on tap from standstill, and without a single upgrade to the motors themselves.
How? Well, the limiting factors in the Tesla’s already bonkers performance were its poor fuses, which simply couldn’t cope with the monster battery pack lobbing full amperage at the motors all at once.
So Tesla’s come up with a new ‘intelligent fuse’ – with its own little battery – which can adapt its resistance tolerance every millisecond, depending how heavy the driver’s right foot is. In Ludicrous Mode, that equates to 0-60mph in a fuss-free, gearchange-free 2.8 seconds.
And, presumably, streaks of flames left in the road behind you.
http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20150720-teslas-28-second-model-s-the-p85d-ludicrous
