The evolution of the Tesla Model S
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has just made yet another reveal about the Model S.
As reported by Bloomberg, the world’s fastest production car has been given a secret boost which will allow the vehicle to reach 0-60 in 2.4 seconds, but the function is an Easter egg – as in the driver must work out how to activate this function before being able to use it.
In typically quirky Musk fashion, Tesla has snuck Easter eggs into its software before, including one which turned users’ digital display into the control panel of James Bond’s Lotus in The Spy Who Loved Me.
This latest announcement is the first secret detail to actually change the way the car works, however. Musk tweeted yesterday that this feature would be available via next months’ software update.
Production of the Model S began in 2012, and as of December 2015, 100,000 had been sold worldwide. Sales in 2016 have remained almost the same as those of last year, as interest remains steady. Here is a short timeline of the achievements which have been made during the Model S’s lifetime:
2013
- The Model S was named Motor Trends’s Car of the Year, gaining a five star rating from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Elon Musk unveiled two duel-motor AWD configurations of the Model S which improved its handling and performance.
- The Battery Swap Pilot Program was announced, proving that it is possible to replace the Model S’s battery in less time than it takes to fill a gas tank.
2014
- Nevada was selected as the site for Panasonic and Tesla’s new battery Gigafactory.
- Tesla shared some patents to promote open source development of electric cars.#
2015
- Model S owners accumulated over one billion electric miles, saving more than half a million tons of CO2 and making it the first plug-in electric vehicle to reach the milestone.
2016
- A new Model S was revealed with adaptive Led headlights, an improved filtration system, and more powerful charger.
