Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that Tesla is going to ‘simplify’ its upcoming Plaid tri-motor upgrade as it “was getting too complex.”
Electrek, By Fred Lambert
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| © Electrek | Elon Musk: Tesla is going to ‘simplify’ Plaid tri-motor upgrade, ‘was getting too complex’ |
In September of 2019, Tesla announced a Model S with a 3-motor “Plaid powertrain” and new a “chassis prototype.”
Over the next few months, the automaker has been testing Model S prototypes with the new powertrain at the Nürburgring race track.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk first said that the Tesla Model S with a “Plaid” powertrain and new rear-facing seats is coming in Oct/Nov 2020.
After some more testing, the CEO said that the new top performance version of the Model S is coming in summer 2020.
Now Musk says that Tesla is doing some modifications to the Plaid version:
“We’re going to simplify Plaid a little. Was getting too complex.”
He didn’t elaborate on what Tesla plans to modify as part of the new Plaid package, but the Tesla Model S Plaid prototypes spotted at Nürburgring last year had a new fascia, a strange rear spoiler, and more modifications.
The vehicles appear to basically be track-ready versions of the Model S Performance, which is interesting in the context of Tesla now offering a track package for the Model 3 Performance.
It’s also expected to feature a bigger battery pack.
We heard earlier this year that Tesla is working on a new ~110 kWh battery pack that should push the range of the Model S over 400 miles on a single charge.
It’s unclear how or if the simplified Plaid upgrade is going to affect the summer 2020 timeline.
The next-gen Roadster is expected to also get Tesla’s new 3-motor Plaid powertrain, but it should come after the new version of the Model S.
Electrek’s Take
I am glad to hear that because what Tesla was testing last year appeared too “track-ready” for my taste.
On the Electrek podcast yesterday, Seth and I discussed the possibility of Tesla using the factory shutdown in Fremont to update the Model S and Model X production lines and get ready to restart production with the Plaid version and the new interior.
I think that would be a perfect opportunity, but if Elon says that they are still working on the design, it sounds unlikely to be ready by the time they restart production.
