Tesla Model S Plaid – 0 to 100km/h in just over 15 minutes

Tesla’s staggering Model S Plaid has stunned the world by achieving a zero to 60mph (96.5km/h) time of just 15 minutes and 1.9 seconds.

Elon Musk has been talking up the fact that, in the past, “No production car has ever done 0-60mph in under 2.0 seconds”, and bragging that his new car would. And it does, kind of, under controlled conditions (basically on a road surface that’s stickier than marmalade) … and if you’ve got 15 minutes to wait for it to get itself ready.

The keen fellows at Motor Trend went into some difficult negotiations with Tesla to be allowed to test the Model S Plaid and were told that they could only do so on a track, and a surface, chosen by Tesla (a drag strip covered in “super sticky VHT”, which Motor Trend wouldn’t normally use because it doesn’t represent real roads).

Once the location was agreed, the testers then had to dip into the Plaid’s infotainment system and select Drag Strip mode. 

It then took up to 15 minutes for the car to precondition itself for hard acceleration, heating or cooling its battery while also chilling its motors.

After that, and some tyre preparation, they had to engage launch control, stab both brake and throttle pedals and then… wait some more.

It then takes another nine seconds for the Model S Plaid to adopt what’s called its “cheetah stance”.

Then, finally, they got to try what should now rightly be called the world’s fastest car. 

“When the final ‘launch control ready’ message is displayed, firmly press your noggin against the headrest (trust us), release the brake, and hang on.

“The Model S Plaid zips down the quarter mile in a staggeringly quick 9.25 seconds at 152.6mph (246km/h). 

“The run from 0 to 60mph happens just 1.98 seconds after the brutally hard launch. 

“The Plaid covers distance so quickly, it’s difficult to even register what’s happening. The yoke (it has a yoke instead of a steering wheel) gets light in your hands, your neck muscles strain as your helmeted head digs into the headrest, and your surroundings blur into mere shapes and colours…”

You get the idea. Having 760kW and 2300Nm of torque must help, but the fact that the rubber can do those speeds without exploding is quite incredible.

Impressively, even though it was on a special surface, the Tesla was able to re-post those same times, again and again. Motor Trend said it had never tested a car

“So robotic in its consistency”.

Tesla’s excuse for choosing its VHT-covered surface was that “most customers will run the Model S Plaid at dragstrips”.

This sounds typically Tesla – ie full of something that smells awful.

Somehow, Motor Trend later managed to test a Model S Plaid on a normal surface, and recorded a 0 to 60mph time of just 2.07 seconds, which is still pretty damn impressive.

But if anyone tells you a Plaid can do 0 to 100km/h time of under two seconds, even if it’s Elon Musk himself, laugh knowingly and walk away.