Tesla Model S Plaid Breaks Speed Record at Trois-Rivieres Airport
A slightly modified Tesla Model S Plaid broke a world speed record for EVs this morning on a landing strip at the Trois-Rivières airport in Quebec.
The airport suspended all flights and closed the track in the name of science so that the Tesla owner, Guillaume André, could attempt the record-breaking feat.
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When it was first delivered last year, the Model S Plaid achieved a top speed of about 260 km/h, but some have taken it to more than 300 km/h. On Thursday, with software limitations removed, André managed to push his to 350 km/h—as fast as a Formula 1 car.
Incidentally, the Boeings and Airbuses that usually take off from that airport reach speeds of 260 km/h.
André, who is a licensed amateur race car driver, told local media that all he could hear during the run was the wind hitting the Tesla.
“That car has just raised the bar,” he said. “EVs generate a ton of low-end power but tend to fade at higher revs, so it was really incredible to be able to demonstrate how you could achieve such high velocities. The motors at work here are a real game changer.”
In case you’re wondering, the brakes on the record-breaking Model S Plaid were also modified a bit for the event, yet André admitted he started to smell the brakes getting real hot on the way to stopping.