Tesla's fastest car is about to get faster still, and all existing owners will have to do to unlock this extra turn of performance is ensure their cars receive an upcoming software update.
Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, confirmed the news via Twitter, explaining that an over-the-air software update which is being pushed out in the coming days will shave another 0.1 seconds off the car's already impressive 0-60mph time.
The Model S P85D, to give it its full name, was only unveiled at the end of December in front of a specially invited audience of existing Tesla owners. When Musk announced the car's performance figures, executives at BMW, Mercedes and even Ferrari could be heard taking a collective gulp.
The fire-breathing version of the Tesla Model S all-electric executive sedan has two motors for delivering all-wheel drive for even better traction off the line, in the bends and in inclement conditions.
However, most importantly, the car boasts a 0-60mph time of just 3.2 seconds, putting it on a par with a Ferrari, a Porsche or Lamborghini and ahead of any comparatively sized BMW, Mercedes, Audi or Jaguar.
And once the software update is installed, that time will drop to 3.1 seconds.
Companies that build gas-powered sportscars can spend months stripping down cylinder heads, adjusting crankshafts and fiddling with the engine mapping in order to find an extra fraction of a second's performance or an increase in horsepower that doesn't melt the engine.
Tesla has just managed the same thing by tweaking an algorithm and then hitting ‘send' on a computer keyboard.
Perhaps best of all, owners of P85 Model S Teslas will also be getting an over the air software update that will also marginally tweak acceleration.
Source: Relaxnews