Tesla launches Dual Motor Model S

American electric vehicle specialist Tesla today unveiled its Dual Motor variants of the Model S sedan to the local press.

And at least one member of the press came away highly impressed.

Tesla's local event staff had set up three activities to demonstrate adaptive cruise control, all-wheel drive handling and road-holding (a slalom), and straight-line acceleration and traction (a drag along a disused runway). The last of the three activities, which Tesla named 'The Ride', asked no more of the driver than planting the foot from a standing start. Instantaneous response was manifested as a thump in the lower back as the Model S flew off from the start.

As an experience, a 3.3-second drag to 100km/h in the Model S is akin to having an adrenaline/cocaine cocktail injected directly into the heart while being hit for six off the roof of a 10-storey building by Thor wielding Dave Warner's cricket bat.

And that was 'just' Insane mode. 'Ludicrous Speed' is shortly to be available for Australian buyers of the P85D.

Traction posed no problem, despite the 375kW electric motor mounted in the rear. Counterbalancing any potential traction deficit was a 193kW motor in the front. This was the Dual Motor set-up for the Model S in the guise of the P85D performance flagship variant. The Dual Motor option – $7200 above the price of the standard rear-wheel drive models – is available in 70D and 85D variants also.

In the entry-level Model S 70D, the total combined output is 245kW (versus 235kW in the rear-wheel drive variant), and the 85D produces 311kW (278kW for the RWD model). These figures result in 5.4sec 0-100km/h time for the 70D Dual Motor, knocking 0.4 seconds off the time, and 4.4 seconds for 85D Dual Motor, which is 1.2 seconds faster than the RWD equivalent. The Model S 70D Dual Motor's performance is akin to that of a traditional, large-displacement V8, naturally aspirated. The 85D Dual Motor's acceleration time is comparable to that of a turbocharged V8 from a prestige brand. And the P85D's performance is in the same league as that of the Nissan GT-R's, but with no tailpipe emissions.

Heath Walker, Marketing and Communications Manager for Tesla Australia, explained that the Dual Motor system allows the Model S (and the Model X SUV, which will adopt the same system) to double the traction, while containing the wilder performance from the two engines combined.

"The Dual Motor is special because it's very different from the all-wheel drive vehicle you get with an internal-combustion engine," Walker stated. "The internal-combustion engine, you're either giving up efficiency or power. You get traction, efficiency and power from having two independent motors driving from an electric battery.

"And the great thing about it is it's got great torque vectoring, enabling torque – from either motor – when the vehicle needs it at any time."

Pricing is $113,300 for the 70D Dual Motor, $128,200 for the 85D Dual Motor, and $157,000 for the P85D Dual Motor. The Model S P85D is only available with the Dual Motor system. Tesla has bumped up prices considerably since last month, reflecting the rapidly declining value of the Aussie dollar. Unlike other car companies Tesla maintains price parity with the US market, but that means very volatile pricing when the Aussie dollar falls victim to currency speculators.

Walker nominates the entry-level Model S Dual Motor – the 70D – as "the best value proposition across our entire line-up". This variant is actually 0.2secs faster to 100km/h than the 85D with rear-wheel drive only.

The Model S Dual Motor 85D – which Walker describes as "the all-rounder" – is naturally priced more affordably than the flagship variant, but delivers strong performance, but also the longest range, which Tesla puts at 528km. This can be enhanced with the new 90D option to 550km.

Even on a basic 10-Amp household outlet, the Model S will recharge at a rate of 10-15km per hour, meaning that eight hours of recharging overnight will recover at least 80km of range. The company's superchargers can top up the car's battery pack within minutes. By the end of the year, the company promises, it will be possible to make the trip from Melbourne to Sydney and return in a Model S, topping up the battery pack at supercharger stations along the route. The company has announced a new supercharger station to be built at Goulburn, and two more (Gundagai and Wodonga) are on the agenda.