Incredible! Tesla Reveals P100D Models Will Become Even FASTER!

Sorry - but cars that can accelerate from 0-60mph in less than 3 seconds do not belong on the street - nor do they belong in the hands of a non-professional driver. IF the purpose of these "experiments" was to create a "Track" version of the cars - then I would happily agree - but when few other vehicles on the road can approach this acceleration - NONE that I know are street legal - they represent a hazard to the rest of the driving public - especially in urban areas - and the development of such vehicles is simply a study in how to get somebody KILLED more quickly by vehicle on local streets.

The money wasted on these vehicles would be better spent producing new ways to better re-charge the batteries in EVs - as well as in getting the EVs actually produced and on the market. As far as the new sunroof - I find that for those of us who no longer have natural covering - having to wear a hat in the car to protect against sunburn scalp is simply a negative I prefer not to have to endure - so I would not really car about a sun-roof.

AMEN: "Sorry - but cars that can accelerate from 0-60mph in less than 3 seconds do not belong on the street - nor do they belong in the hands of a non-professional driver. "

Refer to prior post about Indiana yuppie and her boss/colleague/friend who died in a fiery crash because she lost control of the powerful Tesla. There is such a thing as too much speed and too much flammability.

I guess you can go fast or die trying.

Where is Ralph Nader when you need him?

Winners and losers...

Hayabusa vs Escalade = Escalade wins
Hayabusa vs Audi A6 = A6 wins
Hayabusa vs Honda Fit = Fit Wins
Hayabusa vs GSX-R1000 = both lose in a crash
Hayabus vs bicyclist = both probably lose.

I am a motorcycle driver - but I ride with the knowledge that if I drop the bike or collide with something - I will always come up the loser. Bikers all know that.

Fast motorcycles do not pose the same proportional risk as super fast 5,000 pound Tesla's driven by minimally skilled drivers.

Flame away - but the ethics of Tesla - from the dubious "energy usage" calcuations; the toxic battery packs that explode on impact; the half-baked designs, engineering, and software (Falcon doors that can slice off fingers per Youtube demo's and "AutoPilot" that is anything but); and finally Tesla's ability to separate customers and investors from their money - are shocking to me.

If you read my comment - and exchanged the word "vehicle" for the word "car" I also agree that these motorcycles are just as dangerous on public streets as well -and motorcycle drivers are often likely to do outrageous things with their vehicles.

Decades ago - a very good friend of mine was decapitated when he lost control of his new motorcycle at high speed at an entrance to a under-railroad tunnel. He left a widow and 3 young children. They were in MY car traveling behind him at the time. And he was a professional racer. I have never favored motorcycles beyond motorscooters since then. And I also do not believe that they should share the same roads with cars either.

FYI, people don't DRIVE a motorcycle, they RIDE it. Poseurs!

You do know that Ludicrous mode can be turned off, right? In fact through another existing easter egg the performance of a Model S/X can be dialed down to the slowest model (still pretty fast) and by putting the car in valet mode it can be restricted even further.

I continue to think that part of the problem also lies in the driver training. IMO, every 300bhp+ car should require proper track driving education to help understand how to manage the contact patch, weight transfers, etc.

That would eliminate a lot of issues. Certainly not all of them but many of them.

Having choices is one of the wonderful things in life. Preventing that due to ignorance would be a setback for the free world.

Just my $0.02

Conversely, if a person can afford a powerful car, why wouldn't he take a performance driving class?

Following your logic, all Mustang and Camaro - except for the meager 4 cylinder versions with 275hp+ - would have to take some training. That would sit well with those "enthusiasts" as well as the auto makers. Their sales would drop to a handful.

Having driven a P90DL - some time with Ludirous Mode on - for more an hour over various road conditions (highway, city, back road ...) I can say that it behaves much better than one would imagine based on the car's intimidating specs. Compare to my own Porsche Turbo S, it's a lot more powerful and far easier to handle. It's planted like an S63 without the noise (bummer).

As for the potential danger in mishandling a car with this capability, yes it exists. As does it exist in every car capable of 60mph+ speed. On recent local news, a Honda Civic lost control, slammed a tree and split in half, killing 2 on board.

It goes to show that while speed is one of the main factors, saying a powerful car is dangerous is downright ludicrous. It has to do more with sound judgement and proper driving attitude than technical training - as pointed out by TomM's unfortunate account.

@HenryN, following my logic, roads would be safer.

Is this a car enthusiast site?

This issue is not a Tesla alone issue - and My statement remains that road vehicles (Yes - cars and motorcycles) that are capable of accelerating 0-60mph in less than 3 seconds DO NOT BELONG on the street or in the hands of a non-professional driver - does not attack car enthusiasts - it simply accepts that on the average street - with the average driver - this car would be a death trap. The actual ability will never be anticipated by other street drivers or pedestrians. However - car enthusiasts can operate those vehicles on race courses - for as long as they like. Just as most racers at Englishtown NJ would not think of running a top fuel dragster on a public street flat out - nor would a Bonneville Flats driver would never attempt to set a world land speed record in NY city traffic - REAL car enthusiasts are responsible individuals when driving on public roads. It is the nut jobs that would try to show off that capability that cause all the deaths.

@TomM: while your concerns seem legit, what's the difference between sub-3s and barely above 3s in real world driving? Are you against those too ? How about 4s ? Do you think your S600 should require a special training to operate on the road ?

If you pay attention to the details involving car crashes, the key factor is driving attitude. It is more often the cause for accidents than ineptitude. Most serious and fatal accidents involve mundane cars but high-powered cars get all the raps. Why ? Because it's easier to blame an object than to point a finger at the human.

@HenryN, You are correct that there is "no difference" between sub-3.0, 3.0, 3.0+, and 4.0 sec. 0-60 times, but you're not being logical in the least. The issue isn't the rapidity with which a given car reaches 60 mph, but rather the driver's competence to control a car of that potential.

I'm against Nanny Stateism tactics of mandatory performance driving school for owners of high performance cars, but I have to ask who in his right mind wouldn't seek competence?

Not only does performance driving school teach a person how to drive fast, they also teach collision avoidance maneuvers.

I could put you in a TVR Sagaris LHD with a Corvette LS9 pushing 800hp and set you lose on RMF plates, but even if you had performance driving training, it would be a handful.

I all for "power to the people, right on!", but the people need to be responsible.

@MD: I did not dispute the benefit of training - just TomM's notion that "vehicles (Yes - cars and motorcycles) that are capable of accelerating 0-60mph in less than 3 seconds DO NOT BELONG on the street or in the hands of a non-professional driver".

TomM even contradicted himself with his own disclaimer "REAL car enthusiasts are responsible individuals when driving on public roads. It is the nut jobs that would try to show off that capability that cause all the deaths."

So which is to blame for being a danger ? the bad drivers or the cars ? Any reasonable person will disagree that "all the deaths" are caused by the "nut jobs .. to SHOW OFF THAT CAPABILITY". The "nut jobs" may be partially correct, but crashes occur with all kinds of cars, much less with the 700hp+ versions he tries to place the blame on.

I also doubt that he equated "REAL car enthusiasts" to "professional drivers". According to his own account, a professional racer with a lapse of judgement could still be as fatal.

As for performance driving, I have token training on high speed driving, and would never pretend to be good at it, but would strongly disagree that such a car as the P100DL or similarly high performance car is a menace to the public.

You can brag about the TVR all you want, but high performance does not equate with being difficult to handle - in fact it's quite the opposite. Look at the progress Porsche has made with its 911 Turbo - not too long ago it was considered a death trap due to its being difficult to handle, now it has way better performance while being much safer to drive, and comfortable enough to drive everyday in traffic. Not sure if you can say the same with the TVR.

1 - It is MATT that is into TVRs - not me

2 - Early Porsche 911's were death traps - and a person who did not understand how to drive that car at speed - had the potential to cause great harm to others on the road. Professional drivers of that time had problems controlling the cars.

3 - Just as I would also say that Jet or Rocket Driven Land speed record cars also do not belong on a public road - I reiterate that there comes a point when cars go beyond the point when the streets themselves are the issue - and the idea that a car that is a tenth slower is not the issue - I was responding to the performance mentioned in the article. These cars are simple "RACE CARS" and that is where they belong.

4 WHen I say - professional driver - I mean someone who has formally learned in some way - how to properly CONTROL a car on a race course or track. I would suggest that is would be impossible to learn how to safely perform a zero to sixty run in less than 3 or so seconds on virtually ALL public streets in traffic and there will be people who will try if that capability is available to them - and it is a hazard to the rest of the driving public. Token training does not prepare you for a 0-60 3 second run - and you probably would be taught how to handle that car - ON A RACE COURSE to begin with.

5 - Yes - it comes down to the "Driver" inevitably - But - just as in many other things - there comes a point where the ability to equip yourself with a projectile (It is not a car at that point) - should be prevented. People are unable to own personal Nuclear weapons too - and a responsible person would NEVER use that capability - but a responsible person would not consider BUYING one either. THere are limits on the purchase of explosives - that even professional users are limited by - something that the public would be up in arms IF THEY DID NOT EXIST. A car accelerating at that speed simply is too much of a hazard to the rest of the driving public and that is why it should not be possible to license it for road use - period.

@TomM: now this is a reply to you:

1 - It is MATT that is into TVRs - not me

-> obviously


2 - Early Porsche 911's were death traps

-> not true! only the Turbo was harder to handle near the limit and it was the casual/inexperienced driver who overestimated their own skill that got in trouble. The car was fine, and in fact the older air-cooled 911 Turbo still appreciates till this day.

For more info, check out an old forum to hear what Porsche owners have to say:
http://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/685463-are-all-911s-inherently-unsafe.html

3 - Just as I would also say that Jet or Rocket Driven Land speed record cars also do not belong on a public road

-> we are talking about production road cars which are already approved by the regulators to be operated on the road. Who are you to say a fast road car [taking the driver out of the equation] doesn't belong on the public road ?

4 WHen I say - professional driver - ...

-> when was the last time you see a Tesla or supercar trying a 3s 0-60 run at a stop light ? When was the last time do did a 0-60 run on your S600 ? A car with such capability does not mean that it will be driven as such everywhere.


5 - Yes - it comes down to the "Driver" inevitably -

-> BINGO!

@HenryN I prefer the ancient 911T of one of my "grandfathers" because it will bite your ass like a TVR will. I go to driving school once a year. My abilities are HIGH. Cars that fight back are a delight. This is why I love TVRs because everything can be copacetic and then BAM all hell breaks loose and you have to operate in damage control mode. The early 911 ARE deathtraps. I love them accordingly.