Elon Musk Says Tesla Model S Plaid Acceleration Is 20% Faster Than Falling Down

The Tesla Model S Plaid even before starting delivery on June 10 has been breaking world records. And two of those records currently held by the Plaid Model S are the fastest accelerating production car 0 to 60 and the quickest production car to do the quarter-mile.

The first of these acceleration feats was achieved by Jay Leno, who set the world record for the fastest quarter-mile in a production vehicle when he finished the distance in a Model S Plaid in just over 9.2 seconds.

This number makes the 4 door EV faster than multi-million dollar hypercars such as the Bugatti Chiron Sport, Porsche 918 Spyder, and McLaren P1.

However, the Plaid Model S 0 to 60 time is even more insane. According to MotorTrend’s testing, the Model S Plaid was able to do 0 to 60 in just 1.98 seconds making it 10% quicker than the vehicle in the second place, the Performance Model S.

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The 0 to 60 time was however not without controversy. Tesla wanted MotorTrend to do the acceleration test on a drag strip with especially sticky asphalt and MotorTrend wanted to do the test at their regular testing site at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

There has been talk of opening up Tesla's supercharger network to other EVs (https://t.co/1OGmgnYOP4). Should Tesla open up its superchargers to other EVs to speed up EV adoption?— Torque News (@torquenewsauto) June 19, 2021

At Tesla’s preferred testing site MotorTrend was able to go 0 to 60 in just 1.98 seconds however at MotorTrend’s usual testing site the Model S Plaid was a tad bit slower going 0 to 60 in 2.07 seconds.

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Nevertheless, whichever way you slice it Plaid Model S is one of the best if not the best vehicle currently in production.

And now Elon Musk speaking about the Model S Plaid’s acceleration said peak it can generate 1.2g of acceleration which is 20% more than simply falling down.

Peak acceleration is over 1.2 g’s, which is 20% faster than falling— Elon Musk, the 2nd (@elonmusk) June 18, 2021

To put that into perspective the Model S accelerating horizontally can travel 20% quicker than a Model S falling down from a height.

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And what is even more impressive is Plaid Model S is not some stripped-out dragster with basically an engine and a seat.

The vehicle can seat up to 7 people; has all the latest technology and comfort features not to mention autopilot which will soon be upgraded to full self-driving; gaming hardware equivalent to a PS5 and is also one of the safest vehicles in the world.

Plaid Model S is once again the pinnacle of automotive engineering and a show of Tesla’s leadership position in the automotive world.

So what do you think? Do you think the Plaid Model S is the best car currently in production? Would you like to experience the quicker than gravity acceleration? Or do you think that will be too much? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below.

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Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and The evolution of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. He covers everything about Tesla from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.