The Tesla Model S P100D, with its new 100 kWh battery, is the “world’s fastest production auto”, CEO Elon Musk announced today.
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The 100 kWh battery also increases range substantially to an estimated 315 miles on the EPA cycle and 613 km on the European Union cycle, making it the first to go beyond 300 miles and the longest range production electric vehicle by far. In March 2015, he tweeted a “major new Tesla product line – not a car” would be unveiled the following month.
Pricing hasn’t yet been announced for Canada, but it will obviously cost more than the $143,200 asked for a Model S P90D.
New customers can pay $10,000 for the larger battery pack.
That is slower only than the LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder two-seaters, according to Tesla. Tesla claims the sedan can travel from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds, while the SUV can achieve it in 2.9 seconds.
Instead, what Tesla needed to do, Brauer said, was to produce a volume vehicle like the Model 3 at an affordable price, with improved battery packs, that appealed to a broader range of buyers. Tesla says it’s “the longest range production electric vehicle by far”.
A Tesla Model S charges at a Tesla Supercharger station in Cabazon, California, US.
With Ludicrous Mode the Model X P90D has a 0-100km/h time of 3.4 seconds and a 467km driving range.
News of the upgrade comes as the all-electric auto maker lays the groundwork for a controversial buyout of SolarCity Corp SCTY.O , while it also prepares for next year’s launch of its high profile Model 3 mass-market vehicle. Though, as Tesla points out in a blog post, they “were limited-run, million-dollar vehicles and can not be bought new”.
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The more relevant figure for most buyers (those not uploading drag-racing footage to Youtube, anyway) will be the new battery’s impact on the car’s range. Existing P90D owners will be able to upgrade their cars with the 100kWh pack for a $20,000 cost, which covers the new battery and the cost of recycling the old one. “I wish we could make more”, he said.
