Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
The 2021 model year will see Tesla redesign the Model S and Model X full-size sedan and crossover, and the big news is the introduction of a three-motor option. Elon Musk tweeted back in September 2019 that the “Plaid powertrain is about a year away from production,” and the Roadster II will also get it.
A hacker and Tesla enthusiast going by the name of Green on Twitter has revealed more information concerning the 2021 upgrade, and from his findings, the Model S and Model X are expected to receive “two new battery types.” Their capacities aren’t known for the time being, but a new charging port and a new suspension option are also in the offing, along with wireless phone charging.
“New lumbar” and “new hardware” round off the list, and according to Green, the techy personnel at Tesla have realized that this information is easily accessible if you know your way around the car’s software system. As such, the programmers “froze releases on week 40 and backported stuff to limit leakage.”
When an automaker that relies so much on software takes this sort of measure in such timely fashion, there’s no denying that Green might be onto something here. We’ve talked about the hacker and Tesla owner in the past as well, namely December 2019. At that time, Green uncovered a 100-kWh battery option for the Model 3. Going forward, the Model Y should receive the 100-kWh pack as well at one point.
Equipped with the Plaid three-motor powertrain, a Model S prototype is capable of lapping Laguna Seca in one minute and 36 seconds. That’s as fast as the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and the Jaguar XE SV Project 8, not to mention the likes of the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera.
Plaid would be the next level of straight-line performance after Ludicrous entered the scene in 2016. One of the three electric motors drives the front axle while the other two handle the rear axle, a setup that mirrors the Cybertruck in range-topping specification.
As for the interior of the Model S and Model X, it is expected of Tesla to switch from a vertical touchscreen to a horizontal display like the Model 3 and Model Y. When we reported about this change in August 2018, the rumor mill suggested that Tesla would roll out the redesigned infotainment system in the third quarter of 2019.
“New lumbar” and “new hardware” round off the list, and according to Green, the techy personnel at Tesla have realized that this information is easily accessible if you know your way around the car’s software system. As such, the programmers “froze releases on week 40 and backported stuff to limit leakage.”
When an automaker that relies so much on software takes this sort of measure in such timely fashion, there’s no denying that Green might be onto something here. We’ve talked about the hacker and Tesla owner in the past as well, namely December 2019. At that time, Green uncovered a 100-kWh battery option for the Model 3. Going forward, the Model Y should receive the 100-kWh pack as well at one point.
Equipped with the Plaid three-motor powertrain, a Model S prototype is capable of lapping Laguna Seca in one minute and 36 seconds. That’s as fast as the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and the Jaguar XE SV Project 8, not to mention the likes of the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera.
Plaid would be the next level of straight-line performance after Ludicrous entered the scene in 2016. One of the three electric motors drives the front axle while the other two handle the rear axle, a setup that mirrors the Cybertruck in range-topping specification.
As for the interior of the Model S and Model X, it is expected of Tesla to switch from a vertical touchscreen to a horizontal display like the Model 3 and Model Y. When we reported about this change in August 2018, the rumor mill suggested that Tesla would roll out the redesigned infotainment system in the third quarter of 2019.
New hardware incoming.
— green (@greentheonly) January 25, 2020
Integrated inductive phone charger (Qi) for S/X cars.
Two new S/X battery types in several configs (not yet sure of the capacity - TBD)
new lumbar (so new seats?)
New charge port type.
New suspension version.
I would speculate all these are imminent 1/
due to FW timing. Tesla seemed to have realized no matter what they do stuff leaks through firmware so froze releases on week 40 and just backported absolute necessary stuff to limit leakage
— green (@greentheonly) January 25, 2020
And now past the new year this must be hw they put into cars now/vsoon so cannot avoid it
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