Tesla Motors’ all-wheel drive Model S — which the company claims is the fastest production sedan in the world — is about the get even faster thanks to an over-the-air software update.
Chief executive officer Elon Musk tweeted Thursday that the software update will cut the P85D’s literally “insane” 0-60 m.p.h. time from 3.2 to 3.1 seconds, thanks to an improved algorithm from Tesla engineers. (VIDEO: This Is What Tesla’s ‘INSANE’ Button Does)
Tesla P85D 0 to 60mph acceleration will improve by ~0.1 sec soon via over-the-air software update to inverter algorithm
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2015
Musk followed up with a series of tweets explaining that the true goal of the 691-horsepower, 687 pound-feet of torque dual electric motor drivetrain of the D was to have “insane traction on snow,” and that “insane speed” — including a full G of lateral acceleration — was just a “side effect.”
Tesla dual motor cars are also all-wheel drive. Main goal of dual motor was actually insane traction on snow. Insane speed was a side effect
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2015
He then tweeted a link to a YouTube video of a P85D climbing up a snow and ice-covered 14-degree grade, passing rows of stuck cars and SUVs along the way.
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