Last night, after several delays, we were treated to Tesla’s ‘Battery Day’. The long-awaited event showcased numerous improvements to their battery technology which will improve efficiency, range, and price. The company also treated their audience to a reveal of their updated Model S, the ‘Plaid’ version, which will be available at the end of 2021.
The Plaid shows the steps Tesla has continued to take to improve the overall performance of models while still mass producing the Model 3 and Y. They even announced an even cheaper mass-production car which would cost around $25,000 and be available in roughly 3 years, but with Tesla’s reputation, this will most likely be delayed.
If you’re already sold on the ‘Plaid’, you can order it here.
Model S ‘Plaid’ vs the Lucid Air models
The announcement of the high-performance saloon comes less than two weeks after Lucid revealed their ‘Air’ models, which are supposed to rival Tesla. The Air had been announced as a ‘Tesla killer’, with more range, faster 0-60 and ¼ mile times and more horsepower, however, the Plaid version puts Tesla back on top, but at a price.
The upgrade comes at an overall vehicle cost of £130,980, almost £40,000 more than their ‘Performance’ model. However, for that price, Tesla states you will be receiving the ‘quickest 0-60mph and quarter-mile acceleration of any production car ever’. Here are the stats:
- 0-60 time: Less than 2 seconds.
- Top speed: 200mph
- ¼ mile time: Less than 9 seconds
- More than 1100 horsepower
- More than 520 miles of range
- Tri-Motor battery
All these stats make it a higher-performing vehicle compared to any of the Air models.
It’s not clear if the Plaid will come with different design features compared to other Model S versions, however, we imagine it will feature the carbon fibre spoiler on the Performance version and potentially more efficient alloys.
Battery Day Announcement Stats
Find below some of the significant stats from the event and what these mean to the performance of future Tesla’s.
- 56% $/kWh reduction at pack level
- 54% range increase
- 69% investment reduction per GWh
- Improvements will begin in 12-18 months
- 3 years to complete all improvements
These improvements show that the gap between electric vehicles and ICE is closing when it comes to range and affordability. These also point towards a Tesla model which will be priced at around $25,000. According to Musk, this cheaper version will be ‘fully autonomous’. We could be seeing this in the next 3 years.
These announcements continue to show Tesla’s dominance when it comes to EV’s and leaves their competition playing catching up.
If you’re interested in a Tesla, or any Electric Vehicle, get in touch with our team today to find out how we can help.