Tesla P100D ‘Ludicrous Plus’ mode makes electric car even fasterTesla P100D ‘Ludicrous Plus’ mode makes electric car even faster

As well as software updates to add back Autopilot functionality in its latest cars, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted on Twitter at an update to improve performance even further.
Musk recently teased a software update that would allow the latest Model S P100D to do 0 to 60 mph in 2.4 seconds—shaving 0.1 second off the time previously quoted—and a quarter-mile time of 10.6 seconds.
That update is now available, and Tesla fans have nicknamed it “Ludicrous Plus” mode.
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Accessing this new mode takes some doing, but it does deliver somewhat increased performance, as Drag Times describes in the video above.
Ludicrous Plus mode first requires the most recent version of Tesla’s firmware, listed as version 8.0 (2.52.22) in the video.
To activate the new feature, the driver must press the “Ludicrous” button on the car’s settings screen for 5 seconds.
2016 Tesla Model S P100D in ‘Ludicrous Plus’ mode
This brings up a warning advising that the higher-performance mode will cause “accelerated wear of the motor, gearbox and battery.”
In Ludicrous Plus mode, the car raises the temperature of its battery pack to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and increases maximum power output from the motors.
Drag Times estimates a gain of at least 30 horsepower in this mode.
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In its initial test, Drag Times recorded a 0 to 60 mph time of 2.46 seconds, registering some improvement over the standard Model S P100D, which the website previously clocked at 2.54 seconds to 60 mph.
It is impressive that Tesla was able to wring more performance out of what is already one of the quickest-accelerating production cars ever.
But it also begs the question of whether that small improvement will garner much enthusiasm from potential customers.
Tesla Model X vs Tesla Model S drag race screencap
The software update does at least put the Model S P100D further ahead of the claimed performance for the Lucid Air, a new electric luxury sedan planned to go into production in 2018.
Lucid previously quoted a 0-to-60-mph time of 2.5 seconds for the Air, as well as a total motor output of 1,000 hp.
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Meanwhile, Faraday Future claims its 1,050-hp FF 91 electric SUV will do 0 to 60 mph in 2.39 seconds.
That presently challenged startup has also released videos showing the FF 91 beating Model S and Model X P100D electric cars in drag races.
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