Last week, Tesla had itself a ‘Battery Day’ event, at which they made several announcements. Among these was that Full Self-Driving Beta software would be coming soon. However, the main topic was that Tesla would be focusing on reducing the cost of battery cells and increasing yield to hit 3 terawatts of energy per year.
To do this, they’d be moving to a new 46mm by 80mm continuously cylindrical battery cell design. This new design promises 16% higher range and 6 times the power output as well as some thermal benefits. This new form factor also reduces their $/kWh by 14%. These new cells would be fit into the existing structure of Tesla vehicles, which saves space and increases structural rigidity. More importantly, it would enable Tesla to build their fully-autonomous US$25,000 car in 3 years.
While most of this will take years to have a profound effect, Tesla also announced that they’d be adding a new car to their portfolio. Or at least, a new variant of an existing car.
It’s the Tesla Model S Plaid.
This is the new flagship variant of the Model S and it’s certainly priced that way at US$140,000. To be fair, you get what you pay for. The electric motors on the Model S Plaid are capable of 1100hp. This allows it to complete the century sprint in around 2 seconds and makes it the fastest production car to complete a quarter mile drag race, which is a fundamental metric of car performance in the US. It also has a top speed of 321km/h, which is incredible for an electric car.
And if it’s not speed that impresses you, it’s worth noting that the Model S Plaid will also have an electric range of 837km.
The Model S Plaid can already be configured and pre-ordered on the Tesla site. Some standard equipment includes 19” Tempest wheels, Pearl White Multi Coat exterior paint, carbon fibre interior inlays, black leather interior. With options, the price goes up to US$158,000. Don’t expect to see this on Malaysian roads at all, as grey market dealers are having trouble moving existing Model 3 cars even at much lower prices.
