Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) Model S: Wanna Race?

When it comes to drag racing, most people want to find the fastest vehicle they can. In most cases, this doesn’t mean one that is electric only. However, DragTimes recently took a closer look at the Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S. In short, they wanted to see how the car would perform on the track in terms of energy use and cost.

Before we discuss the results, here is some more information from DragTimes regarding the test:

“The Tesla Model S we tested was equipped with the 85 kWh battery and the Performance Package which makes it the most powerful and highest capacity car that Tesla currently offers.  Power output for this Model S is 416 HP and 443 ft-lbs of torque and the car weighs in at 4,700 pounds.

The state of charge for the Tesla’s battery at the beginning of the test was about 82% full showing 253 miles of ideal range . We reset the trip computer and set regenerative braking to it’s max setting before the run so we could monitor the Tesla’s energy usage as well as the regenerative braking to determine an approximate net energy usage during the 1/4 mile run.”

As you can see, the Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S is no slouch in the performance department. It may not be able to compete with the fastest cars in the world, but with 416 HP and 443 ft-lbs of torque it can definitely hold its own.

As you will see in the video on the next page, the energy consumption at 114 MPH was 1.1kWHh. According to the article, this is a “net energy usage of .5 kWh for the ¼ mile pass.”

So, what was the total costs of the race? Here is what DragTimes is reporting:

“Using the Tesla’s 85 kWh battery specification we divided 85 kWh by .5 kWh and came up with an estimated 170 all out races before needing to charge back up.  Using our electricity rates here in South Florida @ ~12 cents per kWh from FPL, each race costs just 6 cents!”

How crazy is that? The Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S only used up about 6 cents per race. As you can imagine, this is much less than what a traditionally fueled vehicle would use.

For a closer look at the performance of the Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S, check out the video on the following page. You are going to be impressed.