Tesla 'Easter Egg' Makes the World's Fastest Car Even Faster (bloomberg.com) 247
The world's fastest-accelerating car is about to get even faster. Tesla's high-end Model S will soon be able to go from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.4 seconds, following a software enhancement next month that shaves off a 10th of a second. That's a new threshold that distinguishes it from any other production car on the road. From a report on Bloomberg: Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk teased the update in a tweet on Wednesday -- but there's a twist. When the changes are delivered wirelessly next month to all P100D Model S vehicles, the owners will have to figure out how to enable it. It's what's known in the tech industry as an "Easter Egg" -- a hidden feature that requires a specific series of gestures to unlock. These speeds are crazy fast. For perspective, the Model S already outpaces sold-out supercars with tiny production runs, such as Ferrari's $1.4 million LaFerrari, Porsche's $845,000 918 Spyder, and Bugatti's $2.3 million Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. Tesla's seven-seat Model X SUV will also shed a 10th of a second, putting it on a par with a $1.15 million McLaren P1.
PLEASE...make a sports car again!! (Score:4, Interesting)
If they could make one with this performance, and in the ballpark range of a Vette, man..I'd be in the market for that immediatly.
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Maybe they need both. I would much rather have one that looks like a family sedan than a sports car. The flashier a car looks the more likely the cops are to pull you over, the more likely someone will steal it, the more likely you are to be recognized on the road.
I know I'm not the only one who would prefer a "supercar" performance in a "Toyota Camry chassis" sedan.
Re:PLEASE...make a sports car again!! (Score:4, Interesting)
The flashier a car looks ... the more likely someone will steal it
...
I know I'm not the only one who would prefer a "supercar" performance in a "Toyota Camry chassis" sedan.
In actual fact, the most frequently stolen vehicle is the Honda Accord [esurance.com]. The Camry is #5.
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What about per vehicle made? There are a lot more Camrys made than Mclarens.
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Its a lot easier and I'm guessing more lucrative to take a common car like a Camry to a chop shop and break it into parts for resale than a McLaren.
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Its a lot easier and I'm guessing more lucrative to take a common car like a Camry to a chop shop and break it into parts for resale than a McLaren.
Precisely. How the hell are you going to fence a Bugatti Veyron?
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How the hell are you going to fence a Bugatti Veyron?
Longswords?
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In actual fact, the most frequently stolen vehicle is the Honda Accord [esurance.com]. The Camry is #5.
3600,000 honda accords are sold each year. Even if you went out and stole every Model S in the world (all 125,000 sold so far) you still wouldn't budge it from the most stolen list
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Try again: [latimes.com]
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LOL!
Learn to read, kids!
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Yes, I misread the post.
Nevertheless, if all Model S cars were stolen in one year, that would be more than the number of Accords stolen in that year.
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1. That's what Radar Detectors and CB radios are for (yes, they are still a valuable tool ).
2. If they steal it..well, that's what insurance is for.
3. I'm not really trying to be anonymous while out on the road. Not trying to be seen, but not necessarily having a problem with friends noticing I'm out and about.
Re:PLEASE...make a sports car again!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Get pulled over with a radar detector on your dash and that's a guaranteed ticket! Without one, you stand a chance of escaping with just a warning.
In all likelihood, not sure your age, so I could be off here, but it could be an age thing. When I was in my 20s I would have thought a flashy looking car would be better. Once I hit my thirties and long time married, I still would love a performance machine, but the last thing I'd want is some flashy looking car that makes me stand out from a crowd.
Let me blend in with the crowd... until I leave them in my dust and they sit wondering "what was that thing?"
Radar detector legality (Score:2)
Radar detectors are illegal in most states/countries.
Not in most of the USA they aren't. There are a handful of states with bans or restrictions and you can't use them on military bases. But most places they are perfectly legal to use. Legality varies tremendously [wikipedia.org] by country.
Re:PLEASE...make a sports car again!! (Score:5, Informative)
The only state they are illegal in is Virginia.
Re:PLEASE...make a sports car again!! (Score:5, Interesting)
Law Enforcement (at least once) has tried to go after WAZE, for "Stealing" revenue.
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In the US, they are illegal in a commercial vehicle, and in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
1 out of 50 != most states.
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Well, I think there are a lot of different ways to own a sportscar. Most sportscar owners just want to own it. Many want a car that impresses people. Some want to experience a bit of thrust and a nice sound. Some want performance figures. Some want to experience musclecars. Is that sportscars? Some just want to compete in the marketplace of attention.
The hardcore driver that just wants to exercise skill , that just wants to drive? Tiny minority in the sportscar sector. So yes there's room for the Tesla Road
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They've stated that they do plan to produce a new generation of Roadsters in the future. But obviously things like the Model 3 take top priority; I'd imagine even the rumored Tesla pickup truck will come first.
But do expect that down the line. With another 5-10 years of advancements, the performance should be unreal.
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"With another 5-10 years of advancements, the performance should be unreal"
I'd like to see something other than mere (although impressive) performance in the next 5-10 years.
The acceleration of the base S70 is pretty darn good & the 3.2s 0-60 of the performance X90D can cause some to faint.
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What exactly would you like to see?
Re:PLEASE...make a sports car again!! (Score:5, Funny)
Ok..I LOVE the performance of the Tesla, now, PLEASE make a version that looks once again like a sports car, and not like a family sedan.
If they could make one with this performance, and in the ballpark range of a Vette, man..I'd be in the market for that immediatly.
Sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree.
There's nothing like driving around something that can snack on a Vette and eat an Ferrari for lunch, that looks like the family wagon. Talk about a sleeper...
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Talk about a sleeper...
You just reminded me of some of the sleepers I've read about and seen on youtube (which I can't find easily right now.... sigh...). Things like the Smart Diablo (a smart car with a hyabusa engine capable of smoking a ferrari). Or the 80's jetta that was upgraded with a high-powered audi turbo engine and AWD. Or even the Chevy car (think it was a caprice) that someone had modded with massive hot-rod tires and upgraded the engine to take something more like avgas.
Personally, I would like to see something l
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Personally, I would like to see something like the old VW beetle with a subaru boxer engine from an STI.
When the old VW bug was in production and common, there was this one upcountry law enforcement officer who made a little mod to his bug.
He took out the back seat and installed a Ford Interceptor engine. (That was the souped-up model that Ford would only sell to police for their traffic enforcement vehicles (or people who knew the order code and could slip it into their new-vehicle purchase paperwork).)
Wi
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So he was a speeder who liked to prey on people who thought they had found a place where they fool around without bothering anyone. Interesting person
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It gives me perverse pleasure that there is a Cadillac CTS-V Wagon.
Now only if it wasn't a Cadillac.
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It would also need a powerful speaker so it sounds like a sports car. Perhaps you could pick from what vehicle you want your car to sound like. Maybe on Monday you feel like a LaFerrari while on Thursday 918 Spyder seems right. Might as well toss in Atlas 5 or a Falcon 9 (with explosion option) in the mix as well.
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It's a neat point. Though, I'd argue the opposite. 0-60 in 2.4 seconds without making a sound? The lack of sound makes it look like you're doing it effortlessly.
Styling (Score:2)
Ok..I LOVE the performance of the Tesla, now, PLEASE make a version that looks once again like a sports car, and not like a family sedan.
I seriously WISH family sedans looked as nice as the Model S does. I think the styling on the Model S will still look good in 20 years which is something I cannot say for a lot of cars.
If they could make one with this performance, and in the ballpark range of a Vette, man..I'd be in the market for that immediatly.
It will happen. Only question is when.
why? (was:PLEASE...make a sports car again!!) (Score:2)
SpaceBall One/Megamaid didn't have the look of a sports car, but it had Ludicrous Speed too.
Re:PLEASE...make a sports car again!! (Score:5, Funny)
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When people ask why I drive a smart. I just reply I'm compensating for something.
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To what end? It gives you sports car performance (and then some) while still being able to carry people and schtuff like a family sedan.
Pull up at a light next to a Lambo...
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No...I, like many others genuinely LOVE good looking cars, that have high performance.
For many of us, a car is NOT merely a means to get from point A to point B.
I've never owned a car in my life that had more than 2 functional seats (I did lose a Porsche 911 Turbo to Katrina that "technically" had 4 seats, but you couldn't actually fit a human being back there). This is the type car I l
Two seat sports cars (Score:4, Insightful)
I've never owned a car in my life that had more than 2 functional seats
Then you clearly don't have children and/or don't do practical work involving a vehicle. My daily driver is a pickup because I need that sort of vehicle for various tasks (hauling, plowing, etc) that could not possibly be accomplished with a little sports car. Good luck hauling a 4x8 sheet of plywood in your 911. If you have a family in most parts of the US you will immediately need at least a third seat and some cargo capacity. People don't drive minivans because they think they are awesomely fun to drive.
I like cars that are fun to drive too (and have owned several) but two seat sports cars are hugely impractical and generally expensive luxuries. Nothing wrong with that but not compatible with the banalities of daily life for many of us.
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When I was in the US I thought it was amazing how many people where hauling 4x8 sheets when looking at the cars people drove.
It's our government distorting the market.
They imposed the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard, to try to reduce fuel consumption. To meet it, the auto manufacturers killed the station wagon and started making mostly small cars. So people with a family too large to drive, or tote groceries for, in a rice-rocket moved up to SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks. Less mileage - but they'
The reason for the two tiny unusable back seats... (Score:2)
I like cars that are fun to drive too (and have owned several) but two seat sports cars are hugely impractical and generally expensive luxuries.
And then there are the "four seat sports cars" with the two tiny rear seats that are just about unusable, even for kids.
Those seats are there to let you drive a sports car and not pay insurance like you are driving a sports car.
(Similarly with the fold-down "jump seats" in some trucks. You CAN ride in them, if you fold yourself up. But if the truck hits a bump, as
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Then you clearly don't have children and/or don't do practical work involving a vehicle. My daily driver is a pickup because I need that sort of vehicle for various tasks (hauling, plowing, etc) that could not possibly be accomplished with a little sports car.
Hear, hear!
Last year I got a new car, going from a long line of sedans to a coupe. Not a small sports coupe, but a car that only has two doors. I'm single, but damn, do I miss having four doors. Besides the doors I have being so long and heavy now (plus the length means you can't open them as far in crowded parking spaces), the backseat was a lot more useful when I had easy access to it. Was very handy in hauling boxes of stuff on the backseat, or putting groceries on the floorboard so they couldn't fall ov
Pickups are practical (Score:2)
Odd, I say that exact thing about pickups. They suck down gas and are horrifically impracticable as a daily driver.
Most pickups get as good or better gas mileage as most high performance sports cars. Mine gets about 20mpg around town and some of the best are up over 30mpg on the highway.. If you think they aren't practical as a daily driver then you've never actually driven one. They're HUGELY practical. Excellent traction, excellent hauling ability, robustly built, comfortable to drive, plenty of power, great for plowing, reasonably quick in a straight line (not so much in a corner), decent fuel economy for many re
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Why do you honestly need a $40K F150 that's 20 feet tall? All you do is blind everybody you pull up behind with your headlights. It's a damn nuisance.
Because I need to tow several tons up mountains. (My F150 can tow 5 1/2 tons at highway speeds - though I'm not going to trust that rating on grades over 6%.)
And I need cargo capacity to bring a month's shopping from the nearest supermarket - more than 20 miles away - in a single trip, rather than five.
And I need high clearance to make it the last seven-tenth
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You do understand that the government subsidizes oil, right?
Sheets of plywood and more (Score:2)
When was the last time I needed to haul a 4x8 sheet of plywood?
I've done it about 15 times this year alone. Plus loads of stone, dirt, compost, 2X4s, concrete, tools, lumber, dog crates, bicycles, trash and countless other things that a sports car would be utterly useless for. Believe it or not some of us here on slashdot don't just spend all our time behind a keyboard. Some of us actually build stuff and work with our hands. I own a pickup because it's practical for me to own a pickup and I actually use it.
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Most of the time I only need 2 seats, but not always. There were a few times I gave my mom's friend a lift, and 4 seats were barely enough (her friend could be kindly described as "large").
God Mode (Score:2)
What could possibly go wrong? (Score:2, Interesting)
owners will have to figure out how to enable it
No way could this end badly.
Re:What could possibly go wrong? (Score:5, Informative)
owners will have to figure out how to enable it
No way could this end badly.
The car is already insanely fast.
I highly doubt gaining fractions of seconds on top of that via "Easter Egg" gestures that are tied to a single function that gets enabled is going to spell the end of the world. If you can't control your Tesla before this, then you probably shouldn't own one.
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Oh, that'll be great. So not only do I have some idiot sending a text while stopped at the light--not noticing it turned green 15 seconds ago--now I have some idiot in a Tesla trying to find an easter egg on their display.
Now I'll never get through that green light. Thanks, Elon.
Re:What could possibly go wrong? (Score:5, Funny)
If it isn't wiggling the steering wheel back and forth while the car is in park and muttering, "Vroom, vroom!" I'm going to be severely disappointed.
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Let's hear your disaster scenario.
I mean people have been hacking on Teslas since they first hit the market. 2 seconds of google will find you a completely revese engineered protocol for the drive train and battery systems. Design your own open Tesla if you want.
Quick, not fast (Score:2, Insightful)
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These days lots of people - myself included - bring up track capability but the truth is that muscle cars' reputation were built on straight-line speed.
No one in my high school ever asked or cared how long a 'Vette or Mustang would need to lap the 'Ring.
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These stupid articles always bring up hyper car speeds. The tesla is stupid quick to 60mph, but once you get to 60mph it fades quite fast. Over 60 and it will be clowned by anything. Additionally comparing it to cars that can run endless laps on a track is pointless....
99.999% of the time, owners of supercars are operating in environments where they can't even safely drive them over 100MPH. Marketing has created race cars that are street legal when in all reality they should live and stay on a race track.
Tesla's target performance (0-60MPH) is at least street legal for most owners to execute, so yes, it's relevant.
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You say this because that's your experience. I'm at the track pretty often. Track days around here see a fair number of very high performance cars. Quite a few people who spring for GT3's and 911 turbos (as well as some more exotic brands) take them to the track and drive them like they were built to be driven. Don't assume everybody else's driving habits match your own.
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You say this because that's your experience. I'm at the track pretty often. Track days around here see a fair number of very high performance cars. Quite a few people who spring for GT3's and 911 turbos (as well as some more exotic brands) take them to the track and drive them like they were built to be driven. Don't assume everybody else's driving habits match your own.
Those that can afford a 911 turbo, GT3, or other supercar represent a fraction of a percent of automobile drivers. I've got HP and torque numbers above 400 beneath my foot, and there's not a track nearby to enjoy that with, so other factors do come into play as well.
And when you make a product that can beat supercars in the most recognized category of performance (0-60MPH), what else should they be comparing them to? There's literally no other comparison. If their 0-60 times matched that of a V6 Accord,
Cars are designed for specific roles (Score:2, Insightful)
The tesla is stupid quick to 60mph, but once you get to 60mph it fades quite fast. Over 60 and it will be clowned by anything.
Not actually true but even if it were, so what? It covers a quarter mile as fast as anything you can buy from a showroom today (usually for less money than the cars that are close to as fast) and it's not as if you can drive any car over 100mph routinely no matter who made it. Certainly not on public roads. Why would I give a shit what it does at 140mph since I'm never ever going to drive any car that fast?
Additionally comparing it to cars that can run endless laps on a track is pointless.
Why is it pointless? That's like saying it's pointless because it isn't designed to haul lumber li
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It's hardly pointless, it's a great advertising gimmick for electric cars. Ferrari and Bugati look like twats when they can't even beat a family sedan costing 1/10th as much.
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Yeah, the Tesla beats me to 60, but my 17 year old 911 smokes it 1 minute later when the Tesla battery dies. Tesla can't make a single lap around VIR, Car & Driver tried at the behest of fans and it went into limp mode and the brakes went soft and dangerous. It's a toy.
Good grief, it's a 7 passenger sedan. The fact that it could stay on pace with a Hellcat at all is outrageous. It's not a toy—it's a family car. Your 911 is a TOY.
Yeesh. You people.
Yes, it's just marketing. Of course it's marketing. But after 100 years of lies from internal combustion manufacturers, electric cars need some marketing.
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What's this button do? (Score:2)
AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!! Hoooollleeeeeee Crrrraaaaaaapppp!!!!!!!!
When does the Tesla Mini-Van come out? (Score:2)
Soccer mom in Tesla Mini-Van beats Ferrari in quarter mile. News at 11.
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It's already out, it's called the Model X.
SUV is the new minivan and has been for 15 years.
Not the quickest (Score:4, Interesting)
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Re:Not the quickest (Score:5, Informative)
But hey, Elon Musk can claim all he wants, that's marketing (ie. damn lies.)
As long as he says it's the fasted car in production, he's telling the truth. The 918 is out of production (only 918 made, in 2014), as is the Rimac Concept On(only 8 made, also in 2013-2014). Also, everything I can find on the Rimac lists 0-60 times of 2.6-2.8 seconds, making it slower.
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the fasted car
Weird typo there. "fastest", obviously.
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Technically correct. The best kind of correct.
I suppose, but "in production" is a pretty important category for people who want to buy a nice new car. It's not a technicality.
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The Tesla is not faster than the 918 from 0-60mph.
No one ever said it was. What it is is the fastest production car. I.e. If you had Donald Trump's toilet and daddy and wanted the fastest off the shelf car your millions could get you, it would be a Tesla.
The only people who claim otherwise are those who fail english comprehension.
Apart from the Porsche's 918 Spyder (Score:3)
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And the 918 spyder also made it to the end of the lap at the nurburgring with a time befitting a supercar while the Tesla's overheating protection kicked in early into the lap and limited its overall performance to that of a cube van.
The Tesla is quick off the line, but it handles like a boat; and it's not designed to be pushed to the edge for any lenght of time.
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zeroto60times.com lists them at 2.3 sec. But still a touch faster than 2.4 sec. Then again, the Spyder costs nearly a million dollars...
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The 918 isn't in production anymore.
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Bah, never mind. Was thinking about another comment about it being the fastest production car. It's true that the 918 is faster.
^^vv<><>BA (Score:2)
What do I win?
Re:^^vvBA (Score:2)
Actually, if that was the Easter Egg, that would be absolutely hilarious.
Figure out the easter egg? (Score:2)
Easter egg? (Score:5, Insightful)
I think these guys forgot that they are not designing a video game. How about Easter Egg car payments, with Tesla having to figure how to get the cash?
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green hippie bullshit (Score:2)
"the Model S already outpaces sold-out supercars with tiny production runs, such as Ferrari's $1.4 million LaFerrari, Porsche's $845,000 918 Spyder, and Bugatti's $2.3 million Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse"
No it really doesn't. Not by a long way.
car, 0-60 1/4 mile top speed
P100D 2,5 11.8 155
LaFerrari 2.4 9.8 218
918 2.2 9.8 214
Veyron 2.4 9.9 255
"Tesla's seven-seat Model X SUV will also shed a 10th of a second, putting it on a par with a $1.15 million McLaren
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I agree though not too vocally because things could change. I'm not sure how they handle currently but I think they can be made to handle pretty well. A lot of progress has been made with suspension on heavy cars and Tesla has the advantage of low center of gravity.
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yes true its nice and low, but its still there.
I could imagine that if the battery tech changes significantly, such that Tesla can shed about 2000 lbs, it will suddenly become a very real fight.
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2000 lbs is a bit excessive. Sure they can shed weight, just reduce autonomy . But A Nissan GTR has 1,740 kg (3,840 lb), fill the tank and you have 3900lbs . It's full of electronic aids and it's not a purist car but it handles well.
Tesla S weight:
1,961 kg (4,323 lb) (60)[7]
2,085 kg (4,597 lb) (60D)[8]
2,090 kg (4,608 lb) (70D)[9]
2,108 kg (4,647 lb) (85)
2,188 kg (4,824 lb) (85D)[8]
2,239 kg (4,936 lb) (P85D)[8]
But the comparison I was thinking of was the Panamera. 2100k
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Second consideration is stopping power - Tesla doesn't have matching stopping power to go with its acceleration. So even if battery overheating is eventually solved, sport cars will out-stop Tesla.
Third consideration is turning dynamics. Tesla can handle unimpressive 0.8g lateral, while these sport cars can handle up to 1.2g. Higher lateral g
"Fastest?" (Score:2)
It's only the worlds fastest car if you count the cars that aren't faster, such as the Porsche 918. This is why I have a problem with Elon Musk: he likes to manipulate facts rather than discuss his products honestly.
It's not a sports car (Score:2)
Once (Score:2)
> For perspective, the Model S already outpaces sold-out supercars with tiny production runs, such as Ferrari's $1.4 million LaFerrari, Porsche's $845,000 918 Spyder, and Bugatti's $2.3 million Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse.
Once. Try the test more than once and you'll quickly find your Model S in low-power mode.
Sanity check... (Score:2)
OK, lessee, 60 mph is 26.8 m/sec. To go from zero to 26.8 m/sec in 2.4 sec requires an acceleration of 26.8/2.4 = 11.17 m/sec^2. g = 9.81 m/sec^2, meaning that it has to accelerate at 1.14 g.
The only force that can accelerate it is the frictional force from its tires. The maximum force of static friction (under ordinary circumstances, like ordinary tires and ordinary roadway) is f_s = \mu_s mg, producing a maximum acceleration of a = \mu_s g, so \mu_s would have to be 1.14 in order for this to be possibl
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Really nothing special. It just so happens that the drive they use (electric) is especially well suited for low speed acceleration.
Like a motorcycle (with its insanely high power-to-weight ratio), an electric vehicle, in principle, can apply just enough torque to keep from spinning the wheels, and thus accelerate at a rate proportional only to the tires' coefficient of rolling friction. This is essentially the limit of acceleration for ANY wheeled vehicle.
Some sports and race cars cheat it - just a little
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Try sitting on that bullet to get somewhere you want to be.
Try spinning out on a curve on your 'bike vs being in a Tesla.