2022 Tesla Model S Plaid First Look: Lord Helmet Approves

Motor Trend ^ | Sept. 23 2020 | Greg Fink

[xp38]

Call up Lord Helmet and Colonel Sanders, because Tesla's gone Plaid. Not one to go down without a fight, the new 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid aims to take on the 2021 Lucid Air Dream Edition and its 1,080 hp electric powertrain.

With more than 1,100 horses produced from three electric motors (two at one axle and one more at the other), Tesla promises the most powerful iteration of its flagship sedan will hit 60 mph in less than two seconds and top out at 200 mph. The Air Dream Edition, meanwhile, sprints to 60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds, per Lucid.

2022 Tesla Model S Plaid: Liquid Schwartz Or Big Battery Pack?

Going Plaid also nets a notable increase in driving range for the Model S. While the entry-level Model S Long Range Plus currently manages 402 miles on a full charge, per the Environmental Protection Agency, the Plaid will reportedly top 520 miles. How? Likely from a battery with notably more energy capacity than the 100-kWh pack employed by lesser variants of the electric luxury sedan.We'd guess the Plaid's pack will match or exceed the energy capacity of the Air's 113-kWh unit, which Lucid estimates will afford its sedan 517 miles of range (we saw 490 miles during a demonstration ride along). Then again, there's always the chance Elon Musk got his hands on some Liquid Schwartz, too.

2022 Tesla Model S Plaid: The Price Of Going Plaid

The extra grunt of the Model S Plaid comes at a cost; Tesla will charge $142,690 for the tri-motor model. While that's more than $25,000 less than what Lucid plans to price the Air Dream Edition at, it's still a whopping $65,000 more than the entry-level Model S Long Range Plus.

What visually separates the Plaid from other Model S trims remains a bit of a mystery. Tesla's configurator makes it appear as though the Plaid will look almost identical to its inferior kin. That said, a video of a prototype Model S Plaid that Tesla posted on its social media channels shows wider fenders, a sizable rear spoiler, and a steering wheel cribbed from the Model 3 and Model Y. We hope the production model more or less mirrors the vehicle in the video as opposed to the one on the configurator.

Regardless, we expect to know more about the Plaid's specifics closer to its arrival in late 2021.

[nascarnation]

E-cars are for places like NorCal where it doesn’t often get too hot or too cold.

[nascarnation]

[edwinland]

Haha! The opposite, but great guess!

[rlmorel]

I always liked those...they carried mail...:)

I am envious, I never did get to have a Cat shot, but did get flown ashore in a Sea King once to go fix a plane that had to land at Sigonella.

Thanks for serving, FRiend...:)

[edwinland]

Thanks, but I can’t accept your gratitude. I was actually was invited to join my professor/boss on a tour of an aircraft carrier. We flew from Norfolk and back, and stayed overnight on the carrier. One of the most amazing memories of my life.

[rlmorel]

Haha....STILL jealous!

[Svartalfiar]

Tesla (and other EV makers) use regenerative braking where braking converts a lot of the kinetic energy to potential energy stored in the battery. That is the huge advantage of EVs, especially city buses, where it is constant start/stop all day long. It’s not much of an advantage for EVs outside towns and cities where you go long distances without braking.

True, although there are still large losses involved in that. It helps, but any braking is still mostly a waste of your kinetic energy. Coasting to a light is much more efficient, although that doesn't work with EVs. I don't know if you've ever driven a Tesla, but there is no coasting in it - the second you let off the gas, the electric motors are dragging, greatly slowing you down. You have to keep constant pressure on the pedal to maintain speed.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Yes, there’s no free round-trip on energy...something about the Second Law of Thermodynamics if I recall correctly. ;>) But regenerative braking DOES capture a lot of the kinetic energy that otherwise would be converted to heat in the brakes. That’s how EVs get such high “mileage” claims.

Never driven a Tesla, but that would certainly change the way you drive. That sounds like race car driving — you are either accelerating or decelerating, there is no coasting.

With a gas engine, I watch stop lights WAY ahead of me and start coasting up to them way in advance. There is a little compression braking, but not much. I try to time it so I can never come to a full stop if possible.

This is really helpful for passenger comfort rather than going full speed to the stoplight, slamming on the brakes, waiting and then jack rabbit start. It also helps fuel economy.

[Svartalfiar]

My original statement was based solely on Physics - without any consideration of possible differences between various types of engines, etc.

From the point of view of Physics, the amount of energy needed to accelerate a mass (e.g., a metal slug floating through space) to a given velocity is independent of the amount of time needed to achieve that final velocity.

From a theoretical standpoint, of an isolated independent system that ignores any other factors such as friction or other resistances, yes. But try running your same numbers, and simply add a little bit of friction, assume air resistance, or rolling on carpet, something basic. Is it still the same energy to slowly get up to speed? Or less/more to go faster then maintain speed?

[Svartalfiar]

Never driven a Tesla, but that would certainly change the way you drive. That sounds like race car driving — you are either accelerating or decelerating, there is no coasting.

Yup. Always one of the other. You actually don;t need to brake much at all on them, if you keep an eye on traffic and lights, allowing the engine to do the braking will handle most all of the work.

You just have to be very careful when you get back into a gas-type vehicle, cause you'll be used to auto-braking and possibly not brake in time at first!