Automotive

Tesla announces new entry-level Model S alongside battery and "Ludicrous Mode" updates

Tesla announces new entry-level Model S alongside battery and "Ludicrous Mode" updates
Tesla has announced a number of optional upgrades for its Model S P85 D
Tesla has announced a number of optional upgrades for its Model S P85 D
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The Tesla Model S P85 D has been given another speed boost
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The Tesla Model S P85 D has been given another speed boost
The Tesla Model S P85 D interior remains unchanged
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The Tesla Model S P85 D interior remains unchanged
An optional 90 kWh battery pack pushes range up to about 300 miles
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An optional 90 kWh battery pack pushes range up to about 300 miles
The Model S can hit 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds with a new update
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The Model S can hit 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds with a new update
Ludicrous Mode comes courtesy of an upgraded fuse
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Ludicrous Mode comes courtesy of an upgraded fuse
Tesla has announced a number of optional upgrades for its Model S P85 D
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Tesla has announced a number of optional upgrades for its Model S P85 D
The Model S range now kicks off at US$70,000
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The Model S range now kicks off at US$70,000
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Tesla has announced a new entry-level Model S along with battery updates and the addition of what it's calling "Ludicrous Mode" on the Model S P85 D. Thanks to a redesigned fuse on the car’s battery, the Model S can now sprint to100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds – similar to the times achieved by hypercars like the McLarenP1 or LaFerrari.

The new fuse design that allows the performance boost has its own electronics and a small lithium-ion battery. Instead of meltingbeyond a certain amperage as is the case with the standard fuse, the new fuse constantly monitors the current and ispyro-activated to cut power when necessary.

This hasbeen coupled with an upgrade to the main battery pack contactor, which eschewssteel for Inconel, an oxidation and corrosion resistant superalloy. Because Inconel stays springy under the heat of a heavycurrent, the car’s maximum pack amperage can be increased from 1,300 to 1,500A.

Thanks toTesla’s seemingly small tweaks, the upgraded P85 D will sprint to 100 km/h (62mph) 10 percent faster than the standard car, with the quarter mile dispatched injust 10.9 seconds and the 0 to 155 mph (249 km/h) time cut by 20 percent.

Ludicrous Mode comes courtesy of an upgraded fuse
Ludicrous Mode comes courtesy of an upgraded fuse

For peoplewho are worried about running out of charge on the go, Tesla is also offering a 90kWh battery pack (up from 85 kWh), which it claims will offer almost 300 miles (483 km) of rangeat a 65 mph (105 km/h) cruise on the highway. The batteryupgrade will cost US$3,000, but Elon Musk has advised owners to hold offupgrading unless they’re already on the edge of the range envelope.

As well asits range-topping upgrades, Tesla announced a new entry-level Model S with the newsingle-motor, rear-drive 70 kWh car to sit below the dual-motor version launched inApril this year, undercutting its price by $5,000.

If you alreadyown a Model S P85 D and fancy letting loose in Ludicrous Mode, the upgradeswill set you back $5,000 plus installation labor for the next six months, while people buying their Model S new will have tofork out $10,000 for the option.

Source: Tesla

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12 comments
12 comments
phissith
Ludicrous indeed!
bradleydad
Entry level car? So $95,000 instead of $100,000? Ludicrous indeed!
MarylandUSA
It probably wouldn't hurt to carry an 8-pack of AA Energizers, in case the OEM battery runs dry....
Jerry Reyes
Light Speed is to Slow... We have to go straight to Ludicrous SPEED!!!!
https://youtu.be/ygE01sOhzz0
Mirmillion
The S-series from Tesla will prove to be one of the great car designs of all time - electric or not. As for extra get up and go: I can take it or leave it since the car is already more than fast enough for a sedan. Nice to know that they have solved the issue of amperage draw and resulting heat. Now, if they could harvest that heat, we'd really be on to something. When the price for this car gets to $75,000 (as it will) Tesla will have done the nearly impossible and consumers will be the beneficiaries. Until then we'll just have to believe the "we're saving you thousands on gasoline so we're factoring that into the net payment calculation"...even though you are out of pocket for it in the first instance.
Noel K Frothingham
Don't Like? Don't buy, bd and phissith. Oh....excuse me...is that too simple of an idea.
warren52nz
Elon Musk will go down in history as one of the greatest game changers in this world. If I can ever afford a Tesla I'll certainly get one. My Lexus won't last forever (well it might outlast me).
I'll drink a toast to him right after Dry July is over.
Daishi
@bradleydad The article didn't say "Entry level car", it said "entry-level Model S". At no point anywhere did anyone say the Model S itself is an entry level car. The base price for Model S 70 is $70k before incentives.
$20k in fuel savings over 10 years and the $7,500 tax credit puts it at ~$42,500. It's still far from cheap but it's closer to the cost of ownership of a high end SUV or a 5 series BMW than a Ferrari or something.
The S was never meant to be a low budget car.
Stephen N Russell
Cant we rent some Tesla models, \be awesome. Like that 300 mile range, I aim for Range when looking at EVs. More the better.
SamuelHoogendoorn
AND... It can be used as a perfectly practical and economical family car. It seats 5 adults comfortably and two kids in the optional rear-facing jump seats, has lots of cargo space in the front and rear, it's one of the safest cars in the world, has an intuitive 17" touchscreen with web browser that controls everything, and it's just super cool. The exhaust not does not wake the dead and/or dozing police for miles around. In fact, there is no exhaust - none at all.
Instead, there is a wall of instant, seamless TORQUE! that teleports you from where you are to where you want to be with a soundtrack right from Star Wars. When you're not driving like a madman, it is extremely smooth and refined. The regen braking allows for mostly one-pedal driving, the automatic cruise control is very useful, and the soon to come Autopilot mode will make traveling a breeze. It's like a Lexus with the skin of a Maserati, the heart of a Bugatti, the soul of a Jaguar, and tech that surpasses them all.
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