Elon Musk cancels 1,100hp Tesla Model S Plaid+
"No need, as Plaid is just so good," tweets CEO
TESLA Motors CEO Elon Musk has announced that the Model S Plaid+, which was claimed to come with 1,100hp and an industry-leading range of 520 miles, has been cancelled.
In a series of tweets posted yesterday evening, the 49 year-old announced that the mildly less furious Model S Plaid, which can go from 0-60mph in two seconds, would hit roads in the US this week.
“Plaid+ is canceled. No need, as Plaid is just so good,” he wrote, and added that a note about the standard Model S Plaid: “0 to 60mph in under 2 secs. Quickest production car ever made 0f any kind. Has to be felt to be believed.”
Plaid+ is canceled. No need, as Plaid is just so good.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 6, 2021
It is unclear whether or not the Plaid is quicker to 60mph as the recently revealed Rimac Nevera, which can cover the sprint in 1.85 seconds. Drag races will be organised as soon as it hits roads, no doubt.
The Plaid+ was announced alongside the Plaid in January. Its huge range would have been nearly double that of other performance-oriented battery-electric cars like the Porsche Taycan while also being quicker from 0-60mph.
Reservations were made available immediately after the car’s debut. However, the option to make a reservation for the Plaid+ model was pulled from Tesla’s website in May, prompting speculation that the model may not make it to production.
Musk’s announcement has led some to accuse Tesla of vapourware, the practise of advertising technology that is still being designed. A Tesla spokesperson did not immediately respond to Driving.co.uk‘s request for comment on such allegations.
The Plaid+ was not expected to hit roads until 2022, around a year after the standard Plaid model and at around the same time as the reveal of the long-delayed Roadster, which it is claimed will have a mammoth 620 miles of range as well as a 0-60mph time of 1.9 seconds.
As recently as this May, Musk has claimed that the Roadster, at least in certain specifications, will be “part rocket”, with ten thrusters arranged around the car to assist with a number of functions including acceleration, cornering and braking. In 2017, Musk even claimed that the Roadster will be able to “fly short hops”.
In a February interview with Joe Rogan, he said: “I want it to hover. We got to figure out how to make it hover without killing people.”
With the “SpaceX rocket thruster option package,” claimed Musk at the end of May, the Roadster will be able to achieve 0-60mph in 1.1 seconds, which would make it the fastest-accelerating car in the world by a huge margin.
Yes, with the SpaceX rocket thruster option package. It will be safe, but very intense. Probably not wise for those with a medical condition – same as a hardcore roller coaster.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 20, 2021
The first Model S Plaid is expected to be delivered in the US on Wednesday. Musk has described the car as being “like a spaceship”, and praised its “limbic resonance” … translated as an emotional driving sensation.
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