Tesla Model S Plaid will get an even bigger battery, Musk says
If the Plaid version is going to be the most powerful, it's going to need some extra juice.
The Tesla Model S Plaid seemingly came out of the blue following the splash Porsche made with its Taycan Turbo Nurburgring lap time. Quickly, we've watched this new high-performance Tesla take shape at the same German racetrack, and now we know it's got an even bigger battery than any Tesla on sale today.
Outspoken CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday via Twitter that the Model S Plaid will have a higher-capacity battery than the company's currently largest 100 kWh unit. When asked by a Twitter user, he simply replied "Yes" to indicate both the electric sedan and a Model X Plaid will get the extra juice from a larger battery.
So far, we've seen a handful of Model S Plaid prototypes racing around the 'Ring in Germany. Most recently, Tesla returned to the track last month after some preliminary tests in September. The Model S Plaid prototype wore larger air intakes, a super aggressive rear diffusor and a wide body kit to house beefier tires. It's not clear which components will eventually make their way to a production version, but Musk has promised it'll go into production in summer of next year.
One thing's certain: This car will house a total of three electric motors along with the larger battery. Two of the motors will power the rear, with a single motor present up front.
Will it strike down the Taycan? That remains to be seen, but Musk thinks it will. In fact, he's gunning for an all-out track record for electric vehicles. Currently, the Volkswagen ID R race car holds that honor with a 6:05.336 lap time. Comparatively, the Porsche Taycan Turbo laid down a 7:42 lap time to claim the record for production cars. The ID R is, of course, not a production vehicle, which makes Musk's goal pretty darn optimistic.
Porsche's ready for a fight, though. The automaker has already said it welcomes Tesla as a challenger. What's that old saying? Competition makes everyone better.
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