Tesla Power Train: Is it practical? Part 2

Since its release, Tesla has done all it can to make a real life rendition of the fairy tale car dreamt up by every disappointed electric car guy.

The 2017 Tesla Model S 75D is fully electric, with a 3-phase/4-pole electric 75 kWh performance battery, dual motor all wheel drive, regenerative 4-wheel disc brakes with 4-wheel ABS, front and rear vented discs, brake assist, hill hold control and electric parking brake, and the world class, unmatched electric torque.

To the everyday driver, all of those accolades just seems like a bunch of big car phrases with a couple of words that we know but no overall meaning. To a car guy, these meaningless phrases mean much much more.

Aspects like instant torque application, dual motor acceleration and a 0 to 60 that sits at just over 3 seconds, to name a few, put the Tesla Model S 75D in the same speed and acceleration category as all of the top production supercars around the world. In fact, the more expensive Tesla Model S P100D current sits with the fastest 0-60 for any production car, ringing in at a mere 2.28 seconds.

These accolades place this car above Bugatti, Lamborghini, McLaren, Audi, Porsche, the list could go on and on. In the end, the truth is simple, Tesla has managed to create a beastly piece of machinery that has stopped everyone in their tracks, or at least beat them to the finish line.

The perpetual question seems to be: is it practical? In the last post, we came to the conclusion that the battery life cages this animal to in-town, daily commuting. Do you really need the world’s fastest car for your in-town commutes? The average residential speed limit is 30 mph, only bumping up to 45 on farm roads and 55 on highways. Do you even need this car for highway driving?

All in all, given the battery life and the drive train, no, the insane accolades of the Tesla make it less than practical for the average consumer. But don’t worry you power hungry electric car fans out there, I’m sure you can convince yourself or your significant other differently.