Photo: Design Studio screenshot
It wasn't so long ago the P90D version was the most potent Model S money could buy. Well, if there was ever a story on how ephemeral power can be, this is it.
It can't be more than two months since Tesla introduced the P100D, the performance version first revealed by Jason Hughes after he hacked into his Model S and found out a piece of encrypted code that turned out to be the badge for, at the time, the upcoming range topper.
The whole story behind that little stunt is actually funny as even though it's just eight months old, it dates back to the time when Elon Musk still had time to deal with what he must have perceived as threats personally (even though he denied it). After Hughes had tweeted Tesla about his discovery to get a reaction, the company attempted remotely to revert his car to an older firmware version to prevent other leaks. You can read the full article here on that subject here.
Now, though, the 100 kWh battery pack is here, and it has already proven its superiority over the 90 kWh version in both maximum range and performance. Which is probably what prompted Tesla to remove the P90D completely from its website, making the 90D model the first beneath the most expensive P100D.
The 90D also loses the Ludicrous mode upgrade, together with the rest of the non-P(erformance) models, which means the P100D is the only one left with this capability. It all points toward Tesla looking to differentiate more accurately between the various Model S versions as well as convincing clients to go for the $145,000 P100D.
Clients who are looking at a 90D are urged to "Max out their Tesla" and "Upgrade to a P100D for maximum range and maximum performance" via a box on the website. It doesn't say anything, however, about the $40,000-plus gap between the two models - which is enough to buy a pretty well-equipped Model 3, mind you.
The next logical step for Tesla would be to introduce a non-performance 100D model, a move that would bring the total number of Model S powertrain options to seven, and also cover that chasm that has now formed between the P100D and the 90D.
The whole story behind that little stunt is actually funny as even though it's just eight months old, it dates back to the time when Elon Musk still had time to deal with what he must have perceived as threats personally (even though he denied it). After Hughes had tweeted Tesla about his discovery to get a reaction, the company attempted remotely to revert his car to an older firmware version to prevent other leaks. You can read the full article here on that subject here.
Now, though, the 100 kWh battery pack is here, and it has already proven its superiority over the 90 kWh version in both maximum range and performance. Which is probably what prompted Tesla to remove the P90D completely from its website, making the 90D model the first beneath the most expensive P100D.
The 90D also loses the Ludicrous mode upgrade, together with the rest of the non-P(erformance) models, which means the P100D is the only one left with this capability. It all points toward Tesla looking to differentiate more accurately between the various Model S versions as well as convincing clients to go for the $145,000 P100D.
Clients who are looking at a 90D are urged to "Max out their Tesla" and "Upgrade to a P100D for maximum range and maximum performance" via a box on the website. It doesn't say anything, however, about the $40,000-plus gap between the two models - which is enough to buy a pretty well-equipped Model 3, mind you.
The next logical step for Tesla would be to introduce a non-performance 100D model, a move that would bring the total number of Model S powertrain options to seven, and also cover that chasm that has now formed between the P100D and the 90D.
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