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Tesla’s Model S and Model X vehicles just got faster. On a call with journalists today, Elon Musk unveiled a larger battery pack — 100 kWH — that enables the Model S to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds in what the company calls “ludicrous” mode.
That makes the Model S the third-fastest production car ever made, after the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder, but it’s the quickest pure electric vehicle that has the capacity to seat up to five adults and two children, according to the company.
In an industry first, the battery also enables the car to drive an estimated 315 miles on a single charge. This is the first electric vehicle to go above a range of 300 miles, according to Tesla.
“Looking at the bigger picture here, it’s just amazing that an electric car is now the fastest car in production in the world,” Musk said on a call with reporters. “I think it’s a great message to the world and really speaks to the fact that electric cars are the future. That’s just a very positive message for the electric vehicle industry as a whole beyond just Tesla.”
Customers who ordered a Model S P90D — a Model S with a 90 kWH battery and a range of 253 miles — but have not yet received the vehicle can upgrade to the 100 kWH battery for $10,000.
The larger battery will also be available for the company’s SUV, the Model X. With the battery pack, the car accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and can travel up to 289 miles on a single charge.
“While the P100D Ludicrous is obviously an expensive vehicle, we want to emphasize that every sale helps pay for the smaller and much more affordable Tesla Model 3 that is in development,” the company wrote in a blogpost. “Without customers willing to buy the expensive Model S and X, we would be unable to fund the smaller, more affordable Model 3 development.”
The Model S P100D will start at $135,000 — compared to a $125,000 MSRP for the Model S P90D equipped with ludicrous mode — and the Model X P100D will start at $135,500. The Model X P90D started at $115,500.
