If there is one item of note about electric vehicles we have paid attention to, it’s the acceleration figures: since all of the torque is available from zero RPM, the only issue between a strong 0-60 MPH run and failure is traction availability. From the Nissan Leaf’s leisurely motion to Teslas that have enough punch off of the line to scare the $%@^&*!!!! out of little old ladies, kids, and co-workers alike, that instant torque is the draw. Especially in the Teslas, whose “Insane Mode” and “Ludicrous Mode” acceleration settings are pretty accurately named.
Unless you own a Model S P85D, live in Norway, and are one of the 120-something owners who have joined in a lawsuit against Tesla Motors because the P85D is coming up lacking in the horsepower department, that is. The vehicle owners are seeking an “unspecified reimbursement” because the electric hot-rod isn’t quite knocking their socks off like they believed. Keep in mind, the P85D’s horsepower rating, officially, is 691 horsepower, spread between the the two electric motors. What the lawsuit claims is that a P85D is actually only cranking out about 469 horsepower…or, roughly, about where the rear motor should be. Tesla claims that the engines are making the power, “according to the measurement method required by the authorities”. With Norway being one of the largest markets for the Model S, due to a government push towards electric vehicles, it will be interesting to see what comes out of the lawsuits.
Hearings will take place in an Oslo court starting in mid-December.
(Courtesy: Bloomberg News)
This story isn’t that shocking…..
Don’t worry Bryan – some lunkhead will get round to putting an LS in one….
Maybe you need to have the Everready Bunny riding shotgun.