Tag Archives: Tesla

Tesla Model S Plaid Needs 15 Seconds To Run Quarter Mile In ‘Chill’ Mode

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The Tesla Model S Plaid has been in the headlines a lot in recent months and has established itself as the world’s quickest production car this side of the Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista hypercars.

Importantly, virtually all performance tests you’ll see online of the Model S Plaid show it being driven in Plaid mode with the available Drag Strip Mode system enabled. Eager to see how his Model S would perform in the more relaxed ‘Chill’ and ‘Sport’ driving modes, YouTuber DragTimes headed onto the street for some tests.

Read Also: Tesla To Add $20,000 Carbon Ceramic Brake Kit Option For Model S Plaid

For the first test, he set a baseline with Plaid mode and Drag Strip Mode enabled, rocketing to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 2.42 seconds and running the quarter-mile in 9.52 seconds at 148.58 mph (239.1 km/h). He then switched the EV into Sport mode. Doing so saw the 0-60 mph time climb to 3.51 seconds while the car then needed 11.14 seconds to run the quarter-mile with a trap speed of 129.36 mph (208.18 km/h). That’s still a quick quarter-mile time and just a few couple tenths behind a BMW M5 CS.

As for the ‘Chill’ mode, well it is exactly that. After pinning the throttle in this mode, the YouTuber is immediately amused with how much slower it is. It picks up speed very gently and ultimately needs a full 7.13 seconds to hit 60 mph and completes the quarter-mile in 15.27 seconds at just 93.81 mph (150.97 km/h).

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Consumer Reports Questions Tesla’s Yoke Steering Wheel

The facelifted Tesla Model S has caused a lot of debate since its unveiling, with much of the debate centered around the controversial yoke steering wheel. While some have praised Tesla for thinking outside the box with the yoke, most seem to agree that it doesn’t really provide any meaningful benefit. Consumer Reports thinks just that.

The publication recently purchased a new Model S Plaid and has begun putting it through its paces. While they say the uniquely designed steering wheel does allow for a better view of the digital instrument cluster and provides a panoramic view out of the windshield, it has heaps of drawbacks.

Watch Also: Tesla’s Yoke And Touchscreen Shifter Make Three-Point Turns A Hellish Experience

Consumer Reports notes that the yoke’s shape makes sharp turns, parking maneuvers, and navigating small parking a lot more complicated than a traditional wheel. They are also not fans of the touch-sensitive buttons, which control the turn signals, noting that you often need to take your eyes off the road to use them. In addition, if you have to turn them on in the process of making a turn, finding the right buttons can be particularly difficult.

Another odd feature of the yoke steering wheel is that you won’t find the horn in the center of the steering wheel like most cars. Instead, it too is a touch-sensitive button that could be hard to enable quickly in an emergency situation.

There is no doubt that Tesla likes to push the envelope and while trying to re-invent the wheel isn’t necessarily a bad thing, any solution simply needs to be better than a normal wheel. And the yoke isn’t that.

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Truck Driver Deliberately Rolls Coal And Blocks A Tesla On The Highway

Rolling coal, the practice of flooring a specially modified diesel engine to produce an excessive amount of smoke, is considered illegal in many places. However, that didn’t stop one truck driver to do just that in front of a Tesla, blocking them on the road in the process.

We’ve seen Tesla-hate similar to this before with the recent fad of “ICE-ing,” in which a gas-powered vehicle will block off Tesla charging stations, but it’s not often that we see this type of malicious behavior out on the road.

See Also: Tesla Owner Gets The Last Laugh As Ford Mustang Towed For Blocking Charger

The incident was recorded on what appears to be one of the EV’s built-in cameras. It begins with the Tesla, a Model 3, driving down a highway in the outermost lane. The truck then moves in front of it and rolls coal. The Tesla driver moves to the other lane to avoid it, to which the truck responds by doing the same thing again: blocking and rolling coal. On top of all of that, the lane changes the truck driver was making were very erratic, and they even appeared to brake check the Tesla at one point in the video. It is not clear what provoked this behavior from the truck driver, although even it was a case of road rage, we don’t think it would justify their actions.

To make matters worse, the Tesla driver was said to be a younger woman with a child in the car. She was encouraged to report the incident to the police, although it is not yet clear what, if any, action was taken.

Tesla Model 3 Driver Nabbed By The Police Falling Asleep Behind The Wheel For The Third Time

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The driver of a Tesla Model 3 in Kenosha County, Wisconsin was recently fined after being spotted by police driving down the highway while asleep.

It is understood that police received a call about the man sleeping while behind the wheel of the Model 3 and quickly responded. Dashcam footage from one of the police vehicles shows officers driving alongside the Tesla and noting that the driver had his eyes closed and his head was down.

The officer then pulled behind the Model 3 and flicked on his lights but for approximately 2.2 miles, the Tesla driver failed to respond and continued to drive down the highway at 82 mph (132 km/h). Officers then pulled alongside the car with their lights and sirens blaring and finally, the driver pulled over to the side of the highway.

Read Also: Tesla Recalls 285,000 Vehicles In China Over Unintended Cruise Control Activation

For the following few minutes, officers and the driver of the Tesla Model 3 have a conversation and the latter repeatedly denies being asleep while behind the wheel, despite what the officer saw. Authorities then confirm that the driver had the ‘Navigate on Autopilot’ function that can guide the car from a highway’s on-ramp to an off-ramp enabled.

Despite clear evidence that Navigate on Autopilot was enabled, meaning the car’s Autosteer system was also enabled, the driver denied that he was using Autopilot. He was ultimately issued with a citation for inattentive driving and his car was towed because he had two priors for sleeping while behind the wheel.

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Take A Look At How Tesla’s Newest Gear Selector Solution Actually Works

Earlier this year, Tesla announced that they would be releasing a redesigned Model S and Model X. While most people were expecting major cosmetic upgrades, the fundamental changes were a little more usability-related.

Instead, Tesla has decided that gear selectors are a thing of the past. Gone is the gear selector stalk that used to feature on Teslas. Instead, shifting is now automated, while you also get “backup” touchscreen options. In this, a car icon on the touch screen should be dragged up or down, depending on your preferred direction.

On Joe Rogan’s podcast, Musk explained how he tested the new technology and was pleased with the results. However, according to innovator Elon Musk, this new initiative is just a backup. Musk is adamant that the new Model S and X will figure out how to do the gear switching for you. “Car guesses drive direction based on what obstacles it sees, context & nav map”, tweeted the billionaire in January. Musk states that after you have driven without a PRND stick for a few days, going back to it seems very annoying and old-fashioned. But it’s only now that we’ve got a glimpse of how exactly this will work.

Read: Tesla Reveal New Interiors With Yoke-Shaped Steering Wheel

The Verge reports that an internal document obtained by Electrek after the announcement revealed that the new Tesla would “automatically shift to reverse once the driver presses the brake pedal” if the car realized that there was a solid object in front of it.

Musk is infamous for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with his designs which is a major contributing factor to the success of his ventures. However, it remains to be seen just how the regulatory bodies view the new additions to Tesla’s.

Tesla isn’t the first company to try and change how gear selection works; however, federal motor vehicle safety standards are strict about how PRND is displayed to the driver, making it a significant challenge to overcome.

A traditional automatic shifter with PRND markings

Tesla Puts The Long-Awaited Semi To The Test At Its Track

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Tesla has released a video showing an all-electric Semi prototype being put through its paces at the company’s test track.

The electric car manufacturer first presented the Semi to the world in November 2017 and while the initial plan was for deliveries to commence in 2019, the truck has been repeatedly delayed and won’t reach the hands of customers until later this year.

The clip shows the Semi testing on a banked section of Tesla’s test circuit but it isn’t towing a trailer. As you’d expect, it is very quiet compared to a regular diesel truck and promises to offer far superior performance.

Read Also: Walmart Canada Triples Its Number Of Tesla Semi Orders

When first announced, Elon Musk claimed the Tesla Semi would have a range of 500 miles (804 km) under highway conditions when towing an 80,000 lbs (36,387 kg) load. He added that it would be able to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in 20 seconds with a full 80,000 lb load and climb 5 per cent grades at a steady 65 mph (104.6 km/h), compared to the 45 mph (72 km/h) of an equivalent diesel truck. Then, in early 2020, Musk claimed the Semi’s range would actually sit at 600 miles (965 km).

The electric vehicle industry has progressed quite a lot in recent years so it is reasonable to assume that some improvements will be made to the Semi before it hits production. In fact, Electrek claims that the prototype in this video is using the company’s new 4680 battery cells that promise to improve range.

This Tesla Model 3 Convertible Is Probably The Strangest Thing You’ll See All Day

Unlike its ICE-powered premium compact rivals from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the Tesla Model 3 can only be had in a single body style: a four-door sedan.

Well, that’s the official case anyway, as if you reach out to NewPortConvertible, then you can have an open-top, yet still four-door, Model 3.

Review: 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance Is Charged With Appeal

The North American coachbuilder, which already chopped the roof off the bigger Tesla Model S as well as other vehicles over the years, will reportedly charge you $29,500 for the conversion, according to MotorTrend, or $10,000 more if you want that folding soft top to be operated at the push of a button.

As you have probably guessed, the price does not include the donor car, which will cost you around $40,000 if you settle for the entry-level, roughly $48,000 for the Long Range trim level and $57,000 for the Performance. Get must also be ready to part ways with your Model 3 for two to three months if you agree with NPC’s terms, as that is how much it takes them to take care of the chopping and reinforcing required for the conversion.

The company claims that the soft top has been tested in the rain and wind to make sure that it can withstand the elements, and in theory, it doesn’t sound bad – until you look at the images of the actual car and realize that it does look a bit odd.

PHOTO GALLERY

more photos…

Musk Says Tesla Roadster Will Be Delayed Until After The Cybertruck’s Launch

The second-generation Tesla Roadster has been all over the Milky Way but has yet to land in dealerships on this planet.

When the all-new Tesla Roadster was first unveiled in November 2017, it came with the promise of a market launch in 2020. Later on, Musk said Roadster sales would start after the release of a revised Model S sedan, widely expected at the end of 2020.

However, people who paid reservation fees should arm themselves with more patience as the new Roadster will not happen this year and probably not next year either. In a two-hour podcast interview with Joe Rogan released on Thursday and brought to our attention by Reuters, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the planned Roadster sports car would be delayed to allow the company to bring more important models to market first.

See Also: Tesla Says Production Roadster Will Be Better In Every Way Than The Prototype

When Rogan asked when he could buy a Roadster, Musk replied he could not provide a date, adding that the ramp-up in production of Model Y SUVs and the construction of an assembly plant in Berlin were priorities.

“Roadster is kind of like dessert. We gotta get the meat and potatoes and greens and stuff,” Musk said. So does that mean that after those two things are done, Tesla will focus on the Roadster launch? Umm, not really. The CEO added that Tesla should also build the Cybertruck before working on the Roadster.

Taking into account that the Cybertruck is scheduled to be released in late 2021, this probably means the Tesla Roadster won’t arrive sooner than 2022.

When Tesla announced the battery-powered four-seat Roadster at the end of 2017, it said the sports car would be faster than any street-legal production car. The quoted 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 1.9 seconds, quarter mile time of 8.9 seconds, and 250 mph (402 km/h) top speed would certainly give it bragging rights, but who’s to say these numbers will still be good enough in 2022 or later?

In the Joe Rogan Experience interview you can watch in its entirety after the jump, Musk again lashed out at stay-at-home orders imposed by the U.S. states to curb the spread of the coronavirus. He labeled lockdown orders as “unconstitutional” and said they would not hold up before the U.S. Supreme Court if challenged.

Most of the interview focuses on artificial intelligence and Musk’s Neuralink company, which develops implantable brain-machine interfaces. This was Musk’s second appearance on Rogan’s podcast after the September 2018 interview in which the Tesla CEO famously smoked a marijuana joint with the host.