Model S P Plate Status - Queensland

[Astroboy747]

Hi guys,

I want to get a thread going about Model S P Plate status as I recently gained my Ps. Thought it would be an interesting topic.

In Queensland, the law is 130kw/ton maximum for a non High Performance Vehicle. My 70D will fall under this limit.
NSW and VIC have the same law but their online lookup claims that all models of Model S are banned?

Also, for QLD, TMR online classifies all Model S' as "Model S Hatchback". There is no specific model whether it be a 70D or P85D. Also, the HPV status is listed as "Not Known".

So if I were to be driving the family P85D, what is the likelihood that I would be pulled over since there is no way for police to distinguish different models in their database?

What is everyone's opinions on the subject?

Thanks guys,

 

[Mark E]

In Queensland, the law is 130kw/ton. My 70D will fall under this limit. But NSW and VIC have the same law but their online lookup claims that all models of Model S are banned?

Personally I think a sub 5 second car is a bit over the top for a P plate licence - no offence intended, but even though the car is incredibly forgiving to drive you can get into trouble very quickly in a fast car. I'm surprised that it's legal in Qld. As for the police not noticing, you'd be way out of line considering lots of patrol cars have automated cameras to read number plates and compare to registration. Save your money and stick with the S70D. I wish that I could have afforded one when I was 18 and on P's!

 

[Astroboy747]

Thanks for the reply Mark,

Yes it is quite interesting. An electric vehicle is quicker than the ICE equivalent with the same power. The Tesla Roadster apparently had an issue a few years back because of the older HPV laws (eight cylinder, turbo etc.) and it was legal to drive on Ps.

 

[meloccom]

I recall I looked at this last year and all but the 60 were Banned for P1 and P2 drivers in NSW.
Just checked now and it looks like all Model S are banned with the possible exception of the 2014 Model S 60 which is listed as "Contact RMS". The 2015 Model S 60 is banned as well so it looks like they have had a a change of heart and have banned all Model S in NSW unless you bought a 60 before they changed their minds.
Vehicle restrictions - Younger drivers - Drivers - Staying safe - NSW Centre for Road Safety

 

[Astroboy747]

I recall I looked at this last year and all but the 60 were Banned for P1 and P2 drivers in NSW.
Just checked now and it looks like all Model S are banned with the possible exception of the 2014 Model S 60 which is listed as "Contact RMS". The 2015 Model S 60 is banned as well so it looks like they have had a a change of heart and have banned all Model S in NSW unless you bought a 60 before they changed their minds.
Vehicle restrictions - Younger drivers - Drivers - Staying safe - NSW Centre for Road Safety

That is very strange because they follow the 130kw/ton law and the 70D/60 is under that ratio.

But according to the laws I should still be legally allowed to drive my 70D.

Interestingly, the VIC lookup says that 60/70D and 85 are allowed on Ps. For all the states to be following the same law, they seem to be all over the place.

 

[willhughes]

That is very strange because they follow the 130kw/ton law and the 70D/60 is under that ratio..

Not according to my math. 70D has 245kw and 193kw (438kw) motors, and weighs 4647.3 lb (curb weight).
Converting the weight to metric and it's 2.108t.

This would give make it 207.8 kw / ton. A fair amount over that weight ratio limit.

Someone want to check my math?

 

[Astroboy747]

Not according to my math. 70D has 245kw and 193kw (438kw) motors, and weighs 4647.3 lb (curb weight).
Converting the weight to metric and it's 2.108t.

This would give make it 207.8 kw / ton. A fair amount over that weight ratio limit.

Someone want to check my math?

245kw is actually the total amount of power from both motors. It isn't 245+193kw. The website explains it a little weirdly. All the car review sites and the US Tesla site says it has 329hp which is 245kw.

 

[ZacT94]

That is very strange because they follow the 130kw/ton law and the 70D/60 is under that ratio.

But according to the laws I should still be legally allowed to drive my 70D.

Interestingly, the VIC lookup says that 60/70D and 85 are allowed on Ps. For all the states to be following the same law, they seem to be all over the place.

There's a hidden law in NSW which bans all cars with a 0-100kph of less than 6 seconds, even if they fall under 130kw/t. I guess that's the trade off for letting any car under 130kw/t be driven by P platers. Victoria doesn't have that rule, but the 130kw/t limit only applies to cars built after 1st January 2010, but vehicles built before that have to follow the old rules, whereas you can pretty much drive something like a big 90s V8 in NSW because the 130kw/t limit applies for every car.

 

[ChrisH314]

There's a hidden law in NSW which bans all cars with a 0-100kph of less than 6 seconds, even if they fall under 130kw/t. I guess that's the trade off for letting any car under 130kw/t be driven by P platers. Victoria doesn't have that rule, but the 130kw/t limit only applies to cars built after 1st January 2010, but vehicles built before that have to follow the old rules, whereas you can pretty much drive something like a big 90s V8 in NSW because the 130kw/t limit applies for every car.

But strangely there's no law about what you can drive on your 'L's. You can do your 'L's on a P90DL if you want.

 

[Astroboy747]

Just an update, I have been driving a P85D around the last few weeks. Haven't had a second glance by anyone. But my 70D will be arriving in the next few weeks anyways.

 

[ZacT94]

But strangely there's no law about what you can drive on your 'L's. You can do your 'L's on a P90DL if you want.

Well the way pretty much every state government sees it in NSW is that on your L's, you are supervised by a responsible adult, so it doesn't matter what you drive. I also apologise for the double post which I cannot seem to get rid of.

- - - Updated - - -

Meant to say it's the way every state in Australia sees it.

Haven't actually seen or been in a Model S until today, I came across one on display at Pitt Street Westfield. Felt very nice behind the wheel, that control panel is just massive. I found that the materials felt a tad cheap for such a prestige car, didn't feel like they would last too long unfortunately. Also anyone over 6" would feel fairly uncomfortable in the back for long periods of time, I wouldn't want to be in the back for a long drive myself as I'm 6'2 and my knees were a lot higher up than I found comfortable. Apart from that it's a beautiful car, the pros far outweigh the minor issues I came across. The best thing I reckon is with the rapid expansion of the supercharger network, range anxiety will pretty much be non existent. Will still be a fan of the Model S and I do hope to acquire one, or whatever is the updated version when I can buy it haha. Gotta love being in uni.

 

[raynewman]

Well the way pretty much every state government sees it in NSW is that on your L's, you are supervised by a responsible adult, so it doesn't matter what you drive. I also apologise for the double post which I cannot seem to get rid of.

- - - Updated - - -

Meant to say it's the way every state in Australia sees it.

Haven't actually seen or been in a Model S until today, I came across one on display at Pitt Street Westfield. Felt very nice behind the wheel, that control panel is just massive. I found that the materials felt a tad cheap for such a prestige car, didn't feel like they would last too long unfortunately. Also anyone over 6" would feel fairly uncomfortable in the back for long periods of time, I wouldn't want to be in the back for a long drive myself as I'm 6'2 and my knees were a lot higher up than I found comfortable. Apart from that it's a beautiful car, the pros far outweigh the minor issues I came across. The best thing I reckon is with the rapid expansion of the supercharger network, range anxiety will pretty much be non existent. Will still be a fan of the Model S and I do hope to acquire one, or whatever is the updated version when I can buy it haha. Gotta love being in uni.

Na - the BEST feature is the *SMOOTH* anything to do with this car...

 

[ZacT94]

Na - the BEST feature is the *SMOOTH* anything to do with this car...

I fell head over heels in love with the sound system, that blew me away, I still can't get over how good it was. I also couldn't get over the amount of boot space it had, both front and back. I reckon though that Tesla could've moved the back seats further back and sacrificed a bit of boot space to compensate for the higher floor and allow for more rear seat leg room for taller passengers. It wouldn't ruin practicality and it would make the car feel nor luxurious.

 

[Astroboy747]

I fell head over heels in love with the sound system, that blew me away, I still can't get over how good it was. I also couldn't get over the amount of boot space it had, both front and back. I reckon though that Tesla could've moved the back seats further back and sacrificed a bit of boot space to compensate for the higher floor and allow for more rear seat leg room for taller passengers. It wouldn't ruin practicality and it would make the car feel nor luxurious.

Was it over USB? Because Bluetooth isn't that great. Haven't tried USB yet. Got the UHF Sound Pack.

 

[ZacT94]

Was it over USB? Because Bluetooth isn't that great. Haven't tried USB yet. Got the UHF Sound Pack.

It was over internet radio. Sounded like I was listening on almost audiophile grade headphones.