The rollout of Tesla’s high-performance Model S Plaid has been plagued with delays, but the wait is nearly over. Elon Musk took to Twitter to make a brief announcement about holding a delivery event on June 3 at the Fremont factory in California. Better late than never as some would say, with Tesla originally planningto start customer deliveries back in February.
Ordering today a Model S Refresh in the Plaid configuration comes with an estimated delivery date of August or September, according to Tesla’s site. The tri-motor, all-wheel-drive electric sedan costs $119,990 and in return, you’ll get what the company describes as being the quickest-accelerating production vehicle in the world.
The technical specs are nothing short of amazing: 0 to 60 mph in 1.99 seconds, a top speed of 200 mph, and a quarter-mile time of 9.23 seconds at a trap speed of 155 mph. The Model S Plaid has a combined output of 1,020 horsepower and benefits from torque vectoring, while the estimated range between cycles stands at 390 miles.
Tesla Model S Plaid delivery event
June 3 at our California factoryFastest production car ever
0 to 60mph in under 2 secs— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 20, 2021
What caused the delay? Several factors contributed to the Plaid’s slow start, including a new high-end version for the Model S and X being developed under what Tesla refers to as the Palladium program. During the earnings call with investors for the first quarter of 2021, Elon Musk explained the new iteration of the electric sedan boasts a different battery pack, electronics, and drive units.
Recent footage recorded at Laguna Seca has revealed a Model S Refresh Plaid undergoing high-speed testing and possibly trying to set a new lap record for an electric vehicle. Nothing is official at this point, but it is believed a time of just under 1 minute and 30 seconds has been achieved, albeit it might’ve been done with the beefier Plaid+ model.
Priced at $149,990, the Plaid+ will take even longer to hit the market. The bonkers 1,100-horsepower version has a mid-2022 delivery date on Tesla’s configurator if you place an order today.
Source: Elon Musk / Twitter
