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The world's fastest-accelerating car is about to get even faster.
Tesla's high-end Model S will soon be able to go from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.4 seconds, following a software enhancement next month that shaves off a 10th of a second. That's a new threshold that distinguishes it from any other production car on the road.
Tesla Motors Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk teased the update in a tweet on Wednesday—but there's a twist. When the changes are delivered wirelessly next month to all P100D Model S vehicles, the owners will have to figure out how to enable it. It's what's known in the tech industry as an "Easter Egg"—a hidden feature that requires a specific series of gestures to unlock.
From Tesla's blog:
The Model S P100D with Ludicrous mode is the third fastest accelerating production car ever produced, with a 0-60 mph time of 2.5* seconds. However, both the LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder were limited run, million dollar vehicles and cannot be bought new. While those cars are small two seaters with very little luggage space, the pure electric, all-wheel drive Model S P100D has four doors, seats up to 5 adults plus 2 children and has exceptional cargo capacity.
The 100 kWh battery also increases range substantially to an estimated 315 miles on the EPA cycle and 613 km on the NEDC cycle, making it the first to go beyond 300 miles and the longest range production electric vehicle by far.
The horizontal acceleration is greater than the vertical acceleration of gravity — in other words it can accelerate faster on pavement than it could fall off a cliff.
For comparison, see Wikipedia's list of fastest production cars by acceleration.
[Updated to add quote from Tesla's blog. -Ed.]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @12:50AM
If you can accelerate more than gravity, then you can drive up the side of a building. It'd be like toy slot cars, but real. Add some loops, a corkscrew, a jump, and an X track that swaps the lanes.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday November 18 2016, @12:54AM
Tesla vehicles replace SpaceX rockets! Just need a tall track and a very dense battery.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Informative) by Dunbal on Friday November 18 2016, @02:39AM
Take a physics course. A lot of what you mention only requires velocity not acceleration. As for the driving up the side of the building part, good luck with that. If your car is vertical exactly what do you think is going to keep your wheels glued to the building? Make the incline too steep and traction falls to zero and all you'll do is spin the tires before falling vertically downwards...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @03:40AM
The magnets keep your wheels glued to the building.
This feature has been available in slot cars -- mere toys -- for decades. It even allows driving upside-down.
Most cars could only climb up vertical while losing speed. This one can maintain speed because it can accelerate better than gravity.
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Friday November 18 2016, @05:49AM
Do you have any idea how powerful a magnet needs to be:
1. to hold a 1.5 ton vehicle to the side of a building
2. to hold a 2.5 ton electric vehicle, with batteries, to the side of a building
3. to hold a car to the side of a building which is mostly made of glass, wood, or stone, with minimal ferromagnetic materials
4. to hold a car to the side of a building with an amount of force equal to the weight of the car
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @06:00AM
Um, I dont think the GGP was being terribly serious.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @06:37PM
On the side of a building, the tires hold you up. The magnets only need to stick you to the building. If you drive carefully, not slamming into windowsills, a few hundred pounds of force ought to do the job.
Going full upside-down is of course harder. Reducing the gap would help. It's not an unsolvable problem: it's no worse than a maglev.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Friday November 18 2016, @02:41AM
That only works if you create downward force through proper aerodynamics. Doing so you can certain cars upside down in a tunnel. Without it, the car would hit a bump like a window or crevice (this is a building after all) and unfortunately would start going not perpendicular to the building. That's bad :)
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @03:43AM
The downward force comes from the magnets. The magnets would hold you to the building. That's the last thing this car needs to make it as capable as slot car toys from decades ago.
It would be like that building-climbing car-thing in Minority Report. Drive right up to your window.