Going on a tracking adventure with your all-electric sprint machine is something you might consider doing from time to time. That’s what this guy wanted to do as well, but he had to end the driving session faster than scheduled. The 2019 Tesla Model S Raven suddenly lost its brakes.
Misha Charoudin is a YouTuber that has a knack for Nurburgring. He admits he loves the track and says the famous place is like his home. So, it’s no wonder he chose to take a 2019 Tesla Model S Raven for a spin. Unfortunately, the day didn’t go as planned. It ended poorly.
Nobody expects a used all-electric car to perform incredibly well on the track. It still retains that awesome acceleration and that taking-off feel, but it won’t provide the same experience as when it was brand-new. And that’s even more true if the car has seen a circuit more than once.
But the two guys who tested a Model S Raven on Nurburgring never thought the car could have such a massive braking failure while heading into a corner. The brake pedal didn’t offer any feedback at all and turned extremely soft. Moreover, the regenerative braking was also set on “low.” This meant the car couldn’t properly harvest the kinetic energy, turn it into usable power, and slowly decrease the speed in the process.
The dashboard immediately flashed an alert that said “Brake fluid low” and advised the driver to “Pull over safely.” The hold and emergency braking functions were also disabled.
They continued driving on the track with little to no braking power available and the regen still on “low.”
Surprisingly, the man behind the wheel said he “knew this might happen” and just then decided to enable the regen by putting in the standard-setting. Now, this didn’t work because the battery was overheating. He suspected something might be off with the brakes because “they felt funny” from the beginning.
Fortunately for them, a straight came. This meant they could safely remain on the right side of the track. Drivers on Nurburgring are also aware such situations might occur, and they know how to overtake without causing further issues.
It might’ve been a good idea to check the brakes before tracking the car or, even better, update the stock pads and the rotors. Then there wouldn’t be a reason to worry at all.
This distinct 2019 Tesla Model S is known as the “Raven Edition” because it came with next-generation motors. The units were named Raven during the development process. After people found out about it, they decided it would be cool to add the term to the whole name of the car. The only Raven EVs the American automaker manufactured were Model S, or Model X exclusively bought in Long Range or Performance trims.
Fortunately, Tesla figured out that this much power and weight needs proper braking to avoid dangerous incidents. That’s why the Plaid versions come with $20,000 carbon-ceramic brakes and 163 lb of weight shaved off.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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