Tesla S Plaid Hits 204 Mph on the Autobahn, Does 62–124 MPH in Under Four Seconds

As we already know – and openly desire to have in other countries – Germans are very strict on most matters. A speed limit on their national autobahns is not one of those instances. That’s how a band of quiet vloggers from the Netherlands can do quick reviews (pun mandatory, I’m afraid) of every car they can get their hands on.

All the lead-footed gang from AutoTopNL has to do is cross the border into speed-friendly Germany and go wild in real traffic. This time, a stripped Tesla S Plaid is the lead character in their latest video. Well, ‘stripped’ means the back seat delete option, which shouldn’t shave that much weight from the tri-motor sedan's 4,777 lbs (2,167 kg).

The all-electric four-wheel drive family car demonstrated once again – if ever there was a need for further proof – how giant of a leap the automotive industry took when it switched to electric energy.

The stats are, as expected, outrageously in favor of phasing out the combustion paradigm and its obsolete and vastly inefficient reciprocating piston philosophy. The four-door, two-seat Tesla S Plaid scored a 2.35-second in the world-standardized sprint from a standstill to 62 mph (100 kph – this experiment took place on the metric side of the Atlantic).

Tesla claims an official score of 2.1 seconds (with rollout subtracted) in the same trial. Let’s keep in mind that this feature we see in the video was performed on a regular road (that happens to turn a blind eye to speed limits).

However, Elon Musk’s carmaking company also states that the top speed of the obscenely quick and powerful S Plaid is 322 kph (200 mph) when the optional required hardware is installed. The Dutch high-speed addicts (pun accidental) took the back-seatless car to 328 kph (nearly 204 mph), with room to spare, judging by how easily the speedometer scrolled through the numbers.

Also, the acceleration test showed that this particular Tesla can go from 100 kph (62 mph) to double that speed (200 kph/124 mph) in 3.99 seconds if the GPS app is correct. I know there are nostalgia-centric conservatives who will say there are ICE cars out there that can score better.

AutoTopNL has a comprehensive list of high-adrenaline machines, and nine out of the top ten are piston rockets – the Tesla S Plaid is the only electric vehicle in that club. None of the gasoline-burning contenders are stock – again, except the Tesla – and they are all highly tuned for extreme performance, making in excess of 1,000 hp.

Regarding power, the S Plaid is not caught on the wrong foot; the BEV churns out 1.006 hp (1,020 PS) ‘based on acceleration testing, simulation, and battery limits.’ That’s Tesla’s way of saying, ‘We like to build the perfect sleeper, but we don’t like to over-brag about it.’

According to independent dyno tests, a run-of-the-mill Model S Plaid will turn out some 1,100 hp at the wheel. That’s a lot of power, but more importantly, enormous instant torque (1.420 Nm, or 1,047 lb-ft). And that’s how you put expensive combustion builds on the extinction list using a less than $100K mundane-looking grocery-getter.