Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Alright, so sitting through the entire Tesla event was pretty painful. The first part, the one dedicated to the shareholder meeting was awkward as hell, and the mood didn't really change once Elon Musk got on stage.
The Tesla CEO was at his twitchiest ever as he emerged on stage dressed in black and shaking his shoulders as if there was some sort of fit issue with the t-shirt. And that's without counting the constant jerky movement and lip licking - a trained psychiatrist could probably identify a list of things that are wrong with Elon - and we wouldn't be surprised if one hasn't already done it, only for Musk to completely ignore it because changing the status quo of the industry is more important.
We're not going to go into the more technical details surrounding the presentation of the company's battery technology advancements - not here and not now, at least - but we'll focus on the reason that kept us going throughout the entire event: the Model S Plaid.
With the impending arrival of Lucid's Air and its tendency to better the Model S under every aspect, it was clear Tesla wasn't going to just sit there and take the beating. Not after it led the segment for so many years it wouldn't.
The Air began to systematically take down all of Tesla's records, starting with the maximum range (517 miles/832 km for the newcomer), the quarter-mile time (9.9 seconds, compared to the 10.4 seconds of the Model S), and the Laguna Seca lap time (an unofficial 1:33 for the Air, over three seconds quicker than the Plaid).
Now, though, the Model S Plaid was on the counter-attack, and according to Elon Musk, the tri-motor Tesla is going to take each and every one of those records back. Performance-wise, Tesla says the improved Model S can reach 60 mph in under two seconds, which puts it dangerously close to the stock Roadster (1.9 seconds). The sedan will also be able to reach a top speed of 200 mph (320 km/h).
What those numbers reportedly mean when transposed into the real world is that the Model S will be able to cover the quarter-mile in under nine seconds, which would make Lucid's effort seem somewhat risible. Furthermore, Musk says the Model S Plaid lapped the Laguna Seca track in California in just 1:30.3, which is considerably quicker than the Air. But the Tesla CEO didn't stop here: he went on to say the Plaid could cut up to three seconds off that time (how, we couldn't tell you), making it the fastest stock vehicle on that track regardless of powertrain or body type.
Lucid was targeted even more obviously when the vehicle's maximum range was brought into question. The Air was famously quoted at 517 miles by the EPA, which was a long way ahead of the 402 miles (647 km) the Long Range Model S offers. However, the Plaid will somehow make the jump to 520 miles (837 km).
The event didn't cover other topics that some fans were expecting such as a retouch for the Model S and X interior, or maybe even a hint at a new exterior design. What Elon Musk did say, though, was that the Model S Plaid is now available to order, though actual deliveries will only begin later next year.
At this point, then, we're faced with a virtual duel between two vehicles that haven't even launched yet, with the very important distinction that one is already on the market albeit in a less capable form (though still pretty formidable), while the other will make its full debut together with all these crazy claims.
Tesla has sure proven it can design and build competitive vehicles, but this one feels like an "everything you can do I can do better" type of reaction from Elon Musk's company. You get the feeling it's a case of promising the world now and figuring out exactly how to do it later. Of course, they probably will figure it out and nobody will be any the wiser.
We're not going to go into the more technical details surrounding the presentation of the company's battery technology advancements - not here and not now, at least - but we'll focus on the reason that kept us going throughout the entire event: the Model S Plaid.
With the impending arrival of Lucid's Air and its tendency to better the Model S under every aspect, it was clear Tesla wasn't going to just sit there and take the beating. Not after it led the segment for so many years it wouldn't.
The Air began to systematically take down all of Tesla's records, starting with the maximum range (517 miles/832 km for the newcomer), the quarter-mile time (9.9 seconds, compared to the 10.4 seconds of the Model S), and the Laguna Seca lap time (an unofficial 1:33 for the Air, over three seconds quicker than the Plaid).
Now, though, the Model S Plaid was on the counter-attack, and according to Elon Musk, the tri-motor Tesla is going to take each and every one of those records back. Performance-wise, Tesla says the improved Model S can reach 60 mph in under two seconds, which puts it dangerously close to the stock Roadster (1.9 seconds). The sedan will also be able to reach a top speed of 200 mph (320 km/h).
What those numbers reportedly mean when transposed into the real world is that the Model S will be able to cover the quarter-mile in under nine seconds, which would make Lucid's effort seem somewhat risible. Furthermore, Musk says the Model S Plaid lapped the Laguna Seca track in California in just 1:30.3, which is considerably quicker than the Air. But the Tesla CEO didn't stop here: he went on to say the Plaid could cut up to three seconds off that time (how, we couldn't tell you), making it the fastest stock vehicle on that track regardless of powertrain or body type.
Lucid was targeted even more obviously when the vehicle's maximum range was brought into question. The Air was famously quoted at 517 miles by the EPA, which was a long way ahead of the 402 miles (647 km) the Long Range Model S offers. However, the Plaid will somehow make the jump to 520 miles (837 km).
The event didn't cover other topics that some fans were expecting such as a retouch for the Model S and X interior, or maybe even a hint at a new exterior design. What Elon Musk did say, though, was that the Model S Plaid is now available to order, though actual deliveries will only begin later next year.
At this point, then, we're faced with a virtual duel between two vehicles that haven't even launched yet, with the very important distinction that one is already on the market albeit in a less capable form (though still pretty formidable), while the other will make its full debut together with all these crazy claims.
Tesla has sure proven it can design and build competitive vehicles, but this one feels like an "everything you can do I can do better" type of reaction from Elon Musk's company. You get the feeling it's a case of promising the world now and figuring out exactly how to do it later. Of course, they probably will figure it out and nobody will be any the wiser.
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