0-60 in 2.5 seconds

[ApauloThirteen]

As a Tesla shareholder, I wonder about the resources that went into this. Both Elon and JB said the engineering effort was high. Is it really a good use of resources to get us another 0.2s 0-60? They must really think there are going to be a ton of people who will pay up for the 'quickest car in the world' to offset the costs and provide meaningful capital.

Couple reasons.
- Pushing limits allows the standard product to advance. It's why Honda, etc invests in racing teams.
- Marketing
- Cool factor
- Forces competitors to react. Maybe they burn / devote more resources to something where an EV already has an edge. These companies compete with finite engineering resources. If you let them think you're going one direction (speed) and they commit, then you go a diff direction (ex: faster recharging, more distance), you've just made them waste energy, time, money.
- Yes, there are people who drag/track and they'll pay up for a bit more speed. More power to them, btw. Higher margins for Tesla.

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

I have a 70D, and honestly I don't want it to be any faster. Even in a 70D, I have no problems overtaking others. Any faster would not only be just a waste, but I doubt I'd be responsible enough to handle it.

 

[yo mama]

I have a 70D, and honestly I don't want it to be any faster. Even in a 70D, I have no problems overtaking others. Any faster would not only be just a waste, but I doubt I'd be responsible enough to handle it.

I'm willing to be responsible for that irresponsibility.

 

[electricity]

Fastest production car in the world type headlines are what got 400k people to buy a car without seeing it. It's essential for Tesla to keep pushing the envelope in speed, range and good looking cars. The much debated falcon wings on the X probably sold more X's than any other feature.

 

[Chrisuk83]

As a Tesla shareholder, I wonder about the resources that went into this. Both Elon and JB said the engineering effort was high. Is it really a good use of resources to get us another 0.2s 0-60? They must really think there are going to be a ton of people who will pay up for the 'quickest car in the world' to offset the costs and provide meaningful capital.

I would say so just for the free publicity alone, I've seen countless news articles about this today. Also it gives even more bragging rights - again free publicity

 

[Ciaopec]

i will never forget the aerosmith mgm rollercoaster ride in disney world. I think it was or is the fastest ride in the world from 0-60 and that was 2.8 seconds. I will never forget that feeling, it was Intense to say the least. Now Tesla is at 2.5 (which probably is less in real world) how is that even possible ?????

Magneto hydrodynamic drive. Fast and silent

 

[jmsurpri]

Yeah I understand that, however it seems after 4 years of being ludicrously fast, I don't know if the ROI is there anymore. Everyone who knows Tesla knows it's a rocket ship. The extra 0.2s isn't going to sway a whole lot of people to trade up IMO.

However, if Tesla got rid of ludicrous for the P90D and forced people to jump to the P100D if they want ludicrous, that might be a good strategy.

 

[Chopr147]

The key words"Everyone who knows Tesla knows it's a rocket ship"
So many do NOT know Tesla or the Tesla mission.
Now that I have an S I am surprised somewhat at the ignorance of EV's in general and Tesla itself. I have had many "but you can't drive it on trips, or too far or the best "isn't it slow? " This from some who are car guys. The word still needs to be publicized day after day after day to educate people on the EV future generation. Granted, Tesla is the only choice for an EV IMHO, and needs to get the 3 out to reach millions more

 

[DillyBop]

I have a 70D, and honestly I don't want it to be any faster. Even in a 70D, I have no problems overtaking others. Any faster would not only be just a waste, but I doubt I'd be responsible enough to handle it.

this is so true.

i have a P85DL. got a 70D as a loaner recently and was like "wow, this car has the perfect amount of power".

 

[gavine]

Yeah I understand that, however it seems after 4 years of being ludicrously fast, I don't know if the ROI is there anymore. Everyone who knows Tesla knows it's a rocket ship. The extra 0.2s isn't going to sway a whole lot of people to trade up IMO.

However, if Tesla got rid of ludicrous for the P90D and forced people to jump to the P100D if they want ludicrous, that might be a good strategy.

Elon has stated that people respond to superlatives. So Tesla wants to be 1st in as many categories as possible. People respond to "world's fastest", "world's first", etc.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

As a Tesla shareholder, I wonder about the resources that went into this. Both Elon and JB said the engineering effort was high. Is it really a good use of resources to get us another 0.2s 0-60? They must really think there are going to be a ton of people who will pay up for the 'quickest car in the world' to offset the costs and provide meaningful capital.

Hell yes its worth the resources to claim the title as the fastest production car...car companies spends billions in advertising to gain this kind of elite status. Add a couple of more enhancements (weight reduction, lighter wheels, better traction) and you have one very fast machine that every performance junky will want. Guys like me who are looking to sell some stock to get this new car. $150K is a bargain at this price/performance point.

 

[Drivin]

Elon has stated that people respond to superlatives. .

That is a bit silly. If this is Tesla's mentality then it explains why they invest in vanity projects and features rather than little things like making sure the SC are properly staffed and trained for all the service needs they are getting.

People respond, e.g. take action, to things that matter to them - unless they are shallow and just want some bragging rights.

I don't care if my laundry detergent is the first to have plento-clean, I just care if it does what I need at the price I want.

I think Coke was the first and sells the most, but I prefer Pepsi.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

Guys like me who are looking to sell some stock to get this new car. $150K is a bargain at this price/performance point.

Sell twice as much and send me a P100D please. Oh, and the no-show carbon fiber rims

What? I said please.

 

[Saghost]

As a Tesla shareholder, I wonder about the resources that went into this. Both Elon and JB said the engineering effort was high. Is it really a good use of resources to get us another 0.2s 0-60? They must really think there are going to be a ton of people who will pay up for the 'quickest car in the world' to offset the costs and provide meaningful capital.

I look at this as Tesla's advertising budget. As you're probably aware, Tesla doesn't advertise - Elon thinks its a waste of money. However, today a couple of died in the wool conservative coworkers were eager to talk about Tesla with me today - they'd heard the 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and it blew some minds.

So between the news articles Tesla got from the release and their conversation with me, now these folks that would have skipped through a Tesla ad if there'd even been one and have never seriously considered an EV before have learned a lot about how a modern EV works, charging needs and range.

The money Tesla spends on something like this is well spent, as long as they keep capturing headlines with it and getting the attention of folks they probably couldn't get by advertising for any rational amount of money.

 

[SageBrush]

If you go on any newspaper site where the P100DL is being discussed, the common theme is "toys for the 1%" and complaining about the inefficiencies requiring you to stop to charge (where ICEs are still better/faster).

So I don't think it's an effective marketing tool now. The people who know about Tesla and know about EVs think "o, cool, it can go even faster now!" the people who don't know about Tesla think "toys for the 1%".

Unlike the slower, ~ $200k Porsche that is widely accepted as the common man's car.

 

[John W. Ratcliff]

Am I the only one who just doesn't really care that much if the form factor is in a relatively boring looking sedan? Wake me up when they do it in a new drop-top convertible sports car. That's something I could get really excited about.

A faster sedan? Ok, I guess. Whatever...

 

[deonb]

Magneto hydrodynamic drive. Fast and silent

Goes in the front, gets squirted out the back?

 

[javawolfpack]

My biggest gripe when I saw this announcement was why is there no 100D? I can't currently afford either... but agree with others, the speed on my 60D is more than I really need for passing, getting up to speed from an on ramp, etc. I even accidentally got up over 100MPH passing the other day due to how fast it accelerates (honestly couldn't have told you from the way it was handling if I was going 30 or 100MPH+). But I'd much rather pay for added range and reduced range anxiety/ability to get farther away from civilization in my Model S than for more speed.

 

[Ciaopec]

Goes in the front, gets squirted out the back?

Seemed funny at the time; maybe not so much in practice or you really need to watch "Hunt for Red October" more frequently.

 

[mwoz]

My biggest gripe when I saw this announcement was why is there no 100D? I can't currently afford either... but agree with others, the speed on my 60D is more than I really need for passing, getting up to speed from an on ramp, etc. I even accidentally got up over 100MPH passing the other day due to how fast it accelerates (honestly couldn't have told you from the way it was handling if I was going 30 or 100MPH+). But I'd much rather pay for added range and reduced range anxiety/ability to get farther away from civilization in my Model S than for more speed.

I'm pretty sure I read an article indicating there will be a 100D, it's just won't come out for a few months.