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Plaid a total game changer?

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Just sharing some musings about the potential for the Plaid.

A prototype Lucid Air was clocked doing a 9.2 second 1/4 mile with a trap speed of 157 MPH.

Elon has promised the Plaid will do a sub 9 second1/4 which means trap speed could approach 160 MPH. For reference, the fastest production ICE cars have never reached a 150 MPH trap speed and have never been quicker than 9.8 seconds. This includes cars costing up to $1M.

If the Plaid is really available for $140K and lives up to Elon's promises, it will be a huge leap in straight-line performance. Of course most owners will not be able to demonstrate this performance at an NHRA drag strip unless they install a full roll cage and parachute.

One potential concern is whether there will be tires with enough grip to put all this power down, even with AWD. Perhaps Tesla is working with one of the big tire companies to develop extra sticky street rubber.
 
Like @cucubits said, Elon promises a lot of things. For MS Plaid he probably just picked specs to beat current Lucid numbers to create some hype. Actual details, numbers, and availability dates are completely TBD - no guarantees whatsoever. Notice he also just promised a $25K EV, while he's still working on delivering the "well equipped" $35K EV he promised ~4 years go.
 
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It'll be interesting to see how Tesla handles this plaid vs the roadster. Specs-wise they can't be that far apart and I can't imagine how they will justify 2x price for the roadster.

High end sports cars are just more expensive. Not sure what the justification is, but Tesla definitely doesn't need one.

Compare it to Porsche though - their Panamera Turbo and 911 Turbos are priced a lot closer, with the 911 being slightly more expensive.
 
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(The Model S LR with) Plaid (battery) a total game changer?
I think everyone is waiting with bated breath to know the price and range of the next generation Model S LR with 130 KWh 4680 cells !!!

This will be certainly another game changer with no other competitor (of similar price and range) for the next five years or more...
 
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Just sharing some musings about the potential for the Plaid.

A prototype Lucid Air was clocked doing a 9.2 second 1/4 mile with a trap speed of 157 MPH.

Elon has promised the Plaid will do a sub 9 second1/4 which means trap speed could approach 160 MPH. For reference, the fastest production ICE cars have never reached a 150 MPH trap speed and have never been quicker than 9.8 seconds. This includes cars costing up to $1M.

If the Plaid is really available for $140K and lives up to Elon's promises, it will be a huge leap in straight-line performance. Of course most owners will not be able to demonstrate this performance at an NHRA drag strip unless they install a full roll cage and parachute.

One potential concern is whether there will be tires with enough grip to put all this power down, even with AWD. Perhaps Tesla is working with one of the big tire companies to develop extra sticky street rubber.
For 300k you can have a 7 second quarter mile car

Why do people think that performance is what’s going to get people to change over from ice? Teslas are super quick already, I’d rather have range with a 3 second 0-60 than a 1.9 second 0-60 but far less range.
 
Like @cucubits said, Elon promises a lot of things. For MS Plaid he probably just picked specs to beat current Lucid numbers to create some hype. Actual details, numbers, and availability dates are completely TBD - no guarantees whatsoever. Notice he also just promised a $25K EV, while he's still working on delivering the "well equipped" $35K EV he promised ~4 years go.

Isn’t the $35K model 3 already available off menu? Unless you’re alluding to it not being well equipped in which case I think I’d have to disagree considering it was initially going to come with a metal roof and a smaller battery instead of a locked one. I guess “we’ll equipped” is subjective though.
 
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It'll be interesting to see how Tesla handles this plaid vs the roadster. Specs-wise they can't be that far apart and I can't imagine how they will justify 2x price for the roadster.

Elon was asked that on Twitter. his response:"Roadster will be better"
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1308681468793643009


Like @cucubits said, Elon promises a lot of things. For MS Plaid he probably just picked specs to beat current Lucid numbers to create some hype. Actual details, numbers, and availability dates are completely TBD - no guarantees whatsoever. Notice he also just promised a $25K EV, while he's still working on delivering the "well equipped" $35K EV he promised ~4 years go.
Doubtful regarding the specs being imaginary. Launch date is published as late 2021 with actual numbers given as upper bounds.

The 35k Model 3 did exists for brief period. Not that that has anything to do with a smaller China build and focused vehicle.

One potential concern is whether there will be tires with enough grip to put all this power down, even with AWD. Perhaps Tesla is working with one of the big tire companies to develop extra sticky street rubber.

Rough calculations (no aero):
1,100 hp net (820kW) with a 4,000 pound vehicle (800 lbs less than now) and 1.1G max acceleration does a 1/4 mile in just under 9 seconds at right around 180 MPH.
With 4,500 pounds and 1.2G max, it does it at 173 MPH or so.
 
Elon was asked that on Twitter. his response:"Roadster will be better"
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1308681468793643009



Doubtful regarding the specs being imaginary. Launch date is published as late 2021 with actual numbers given as upper bounds.

The 35k Model 3 did exists for brief period. Not that that has anything to do with a smaller China build and focused vehicle.



Rough calculations (no aero):
1,100 hp net (820kW) with a 4,000 pound vehicle (800 lbs less than now) and 1.1G max acceleration does a 1/4 mile in just under 9 seconds at right around 180 MPH.
With 4,500 pounds and 1.2G max, it does it at 173 MPH or so.
The specs are “imaginary” that’s why they’re not concrete specs. It’s say 520+ miles of range and under 2 seconds. Those are literally just numbers that elon picked out of thin air to one up the lucid air.
 
The specs are “imaginary” that’s why they’re not concrete specs. It’s say 520+ miles of range and under 2 seconds. Those are literally just numbers that elon picked out of thin air to one up the lucid air.

So is your position one of the following?
  • The S they showed doing a 1:30.3 at Laguna Seca was not also tested for 0-60 and 1/4 mile
  • It is was tested and didn't meet those numbers
  • It met those figures, but isn't the production version, so subject to change
No data, bad data, or not final data?
 
High end sports cars are just more expensive. Not sure what the justification is, but Tesla definitely doesn't need one.
Will it be a high end sports car? Will it have high-end handling and luxury?

The original was great, but also a Lotus. The Model 3 gives me hope in regards to handling, although I still don’t see Tesla matching some of the legacy manufacturers outside of the superior drive train.

At $140k, the Plaid will be a bargain in terms of straight line acceleration. It will likely lack the options of a Kia and handle like an Accord, but the drag times will be unworldly just a decade ago
 
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Isn’t the $35K model 3 already available off menu? Unless you’re alluding to it not being well equipped in which case I think I’d have to disagree considering it was initially going to come with a metal roof and a smaller battery instead of a locked one. I guess “we’ll equipped” is subjective though.
It was briefly available, not anymore (or at least it wasn't earlier this year when I swung by the Tesla store and asked). Even when it was, it was highly discouraged by Tesla to purchase (hence the "off menu" part). That, and yes, the "well equipped" was part of Elon's promise - the current $38K (or $39K if you include the $1,200 doc and delivery fee) Model 3 doesn't even come with floor mats.
 
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Doubtful regarding the specs being imaginary.
Elon claimed P85D is a 700hp car on the day they actually launched it (and for 2 years after that Tesla has 691hp on their website), only to finally admit that battery limited it to 463hp. So number from Elon which are even farther ahead are purely imaginary.

Launch date is published as late 2021 with actual numbers given as upper bounds.
Lol. Elon upper bound. Tesla will also demonstrate coast to coast autonomous drive by end of 2017 (upper bound), then end of 2018 (newer upper bound), not sure what the latest upper bound on that one is, do you? Remember "3 months maybe, 6 months for sure" tweet from Elon about Full Self Driving - sounds like an upper bound, no? Remember Elon promising driverless robo-taxi fleet in operation by end of 2020 (another upper bound) where your Tesla will make you money driving to the Tesla Ride Sharing Network - do you still have faith in that one? So many things Elon upper bounded and never delivered (or never will in some cases).