As far as the ICE versus EV wars is concerned, the sane, civilized, and logical way is to take all these brawls to venues where the conditions are fairly even, and then you can judge them at their extremes without posing jeopardy to others.
People have lots of ultimate views as far as the automotive world is concerned, just like with many other subjects. But the normal thing to do is offer advice and arguments while also listening to the opinion of others. And if things cannot be settled with a discussion, then perhaps it is time for a battle. Since we are here discussing the particular case of quarter-mile dragstrip races, those can always be of the prepped variety, complete with ETs, trap speeds, and time slips.
That is a much better alternative than coal rolling, ICE-ing, or considering every internal combustion engine vehicle a crime against humanity, frankly. As such, here is the videographer behind the Drag Racing and Car Stuff channel on YouTube, who has a nice 1,020-hp Tesla Model S Plaid catch from the Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, and he is not afraid to show it downscaling from a bonkers dragster right down to a mundane ‘Maro.
Many people might claim that Tesla’s Plaid is not the ultimate EV but rather a massive sedan with lots of electric ponies and that a feisty Mopar like the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon would be a more natural pick for a quarter-mile dragstrip aficionado. But here is the thing – you need to be quite proficient in the art of launching to get the best out of a Demon whereas the Plaid is much easier to get down to racing business into and then also haul the family back from the track.
Besides, this time there is no Mopar involved with the featured shenanigans. Instead, the ‘One Stop Solar’ Tesla started at the top with a couple of brawls against an eight-second dragster, and it got thoroughly beaten – 8.35s versus 9.7s and 8.36s versus 9.61s. Then, luckily, it did not call it quits and instead worked its way down the ICE ladder with a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (at the 1:01 mark), a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (at the 1:52 mark), and even with a run-of-the-mill black Chevy Camaro, as a conclusion.
But what about our opinion? Well, frankly, one could easily understand from this downward spiral that everyone who feels threatened by ICE or EV domination should rest assured that at least in some ways both will survive and learn to live with each other. At least across this generation of vehicles, there is simply no way to eliminate one or the other without bringing an incredible imbalance. So, can we all just get along and enjoy both their strengths and weaknesses?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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