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Tesla Model S to Get ‘Ludicrous Speed’ Upgrade

DETROIT, MI, - JANUARY 10: The Tesla Model S Signature is shown during a media preview day at the 2012 North American International Auto Show January 10, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan. The NAIAS opens to the public January 14th and continues through January 22nd. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Think being environmentally friendly means you tear up the roads? Think again. Elon Musk, CEO of electric car pioneer Tesla, has announced that its flagship P85D Model S sedan is to get a ‘Ludicrous Speed’ upgrade. By “ludicrous”, Musk means that the car can reach 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds, can travel a quarter-mile in 20.9 seconds, and can hit a top speed of 155 miles per hour.

It won’t come cheap, though: the upgrade alone will cost $10,000, while the Model S is already priced at a hefty $105,000.

Musk was effusive during the announcement of the upgrade, saying:

“While working on our goal of making the power train last a million miles, we came up with the idea for an advanced smart fuse for the battery. Instead of a standard fuse that just melts past a certain amperage, which means you aren’t exactly sure when it will or won’t melt or if it will arc when it does, we developed a fuse with its own electronics and a tiny lithium-ion battery. It constantly monitors current at the millisecond level and is pyro-actuated to cut power with extreme precision and certainty.

That was combined with upgrading the main pack contractor to use inconel (a high temperature space-grade superalloy) instead of steel, so that it remains springy under the heat of heavy current.

The net result is that we can safely increase max amp throughout from 1300 to 1500 Amps. If you don’t know much about Amps, trust me this is a silly big number of Amps to be going through something the size of your little fingernail.

What this results in is a 10% improvement in the 0 to 60 mph time to 2.8 secs and a quarter mile time of 10.9 secs. Time to 155 mph is improved even more, resulting in a 20% reduction.

This option will cost $10k to new buyers.”

“It’s faster than falling”, Musk added. “It’s like having your own private roller coaster.”

See people testing the insane launch mode upgrade to get a taster of what is to come.

Thank you TIME and Forbes for providing us with this information.