A History of the Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S now first ever electric vehicle to receive EPA range rating above 400 miles! https://t.co/EOTwVfvHS5— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 15, 2020

The Original Tesla Model S

After the original Tesla roadster was produced, next came the original Tesla Model S, which was first revealed on June 22, 2012. It is a five-door sedan, good for small families that need to get around. This is Tesla's "flagship" vehicle, meaning it is the standard by which all other vehicles for Tesla and other auto-makers are judged.

By September, 2018, over 250,000 units of the Model S had been sold. The base version of the car sells for $79,990.

Top Features of the Model S

As Tesla's flagship Model car, the Model S (P85D version) boasted the following features:

• 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds assuming ideal conditions
• 12.8 second quarter mile
• 160 miles per hour top speed
• 701 peak horse power
• 253 miles of range
• 253 miles of charge in 48 minutes (79 miles in 15 minutes)

There have been many versions of the Model S since the original release, each increment improving on the previous version. The P85D version retailed for about $127,000. In total, here are the versions of the Model S that have been produced:

• 40
• 60
• 60D
• 70
• 70D
• 85
• 85D
• P85+
• P85D
• 90D
• P90D
• 100D
• P100D

When you see a D after the version number, that means all-wheel-drive. When you see a P or a + in the version, that means this is an enhanced or a higher performance version of the vehicle.

Tesla has continually incremented and improved versions of the Model S over time and I don't think they will stop this as you can see a long history here. The latest version is:

Model S Plaid

The Model S Plaid was released on June 10, 2021 with Elon Musk riding in a Model S Plaid kicking off the launch of the vehicle in a special live event. The Model S Plaid is an impressive vehicle with the following top features:

• 0-60 mph in 1.99 seconds assuming ideal conditions
• 9.23 second quarter mile
• 200 miles per hour top speed
• 1,020 peak horse power
• 390 miles of range
• 390 miles of charge in 31 minutes (187 miles of charge in 15 minutes)

The Tesla Model S Plaid retails starting at $129,900.

What do you think about the Tesla Model S versions and the Tesla Model S Plaid? Will any company create a car that can compete with Tesla's Model S Plaid?

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Jeremy Johnson is a Tesla investor and supporter. He first invested in Tesla in 2017 after years of following Elon Musk and admiring his work ethic and intelligence. Since then, he's become a Tesla bull, covering anything about Tesla he can find, while also dabbling in other electric vehicle companies. Jeremy covers Tesla developments at Torque News. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram to stay in touch and follow his Tesla news coverage on Torque News.