Tesla with speed record: Hacker lets Model S Plaid race almost 350 km/h
Created: 07/05/2022 10:24 am
By: Marcus Efler
The Tesla Model S Plaid drives at a maximum of 282 km/h.
A hacker now tricked the built-in speed limit - and amazed with a new maximum speed.
Trois-Rivières (Canada) – Thanks to their powerful electric drives, Tesla cars can be really fast.
Or rather, they could, if the on-board software would let them.
The brand's top model, the Model S Plaid, would supposedly reach 200 miles per hour, i.e. 322 km/h, the Texans revealed at its presentation.
In view of the three engines with a total of 1,020 hp, that doesn't sound far-fetched.
Tesla with speed record: Hacker lets Model S Plaid race almost 350 km/h
The challenge for this speed does not lie in the engine performance, but rather in the brakes and chassis.
Because special rims and tires are still missing, according to Tesla, the Model S Plaid also regulates electronically in the new "Track Mode" ("race track mode") at 75 mph, i.e. 282 km/h.
Can really fast: The Tesla Model S Plaid.
(Iconic image) © Tesla
That was too slow for the Canadian Guillaume André.
The software expert is CEO of Ingenext: The tuning company from Montreal has specialized in unlocking hidden or locked functions in Tesla vehicles with its electronic modules.
And nothing else is a limited top speed after all.
Tesla with speed record: Red numbers on the speedometer
So André hacked the throttle – and accelerated the unleashed Tesla Model S Plaid at Trois-Rivières Airport in Quebec, Canada, to a speed never before achieved by a Tesla.
While he had previously had to abandon similar attempts on other slopes due to insufficient space, this time it worked: the speedometer finally showed 216 miles per hour, i.e. 348 km/h.
(Without burning even a drop of fuel, like Grip moderator Matthias Malmedie did with relish on a high-speed trip in a McLaren.)
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At the high tempo, the normally white digital tempo indicator turned red, as can be seen in this proof video on YouTube:
Small restriction: The value shown here is of course the display of a non-calibrated speedometer, which probably shows a slightly higher speed than the speed actually driven.
Nevertheless, the drive is impressive proof of the performance potential of Texas electric cars.
It will be interesting to see the figures for the future roadster, which is said to be able to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in just over a second.
