Most countries have their own road rules and regulations and it's no surprise that driving conditions and car requirements vary greatly as a result.
One such country is Germany, where some sections of freeway--or Autobahn--have long been de-restricted. In other words, they have no posted speed limit.
Ensuring Tesla Motors' Model S electric sedan doesn't get left behind by the locals as sales begin in Europe, CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the company will offer special tuning for its German customers, improving the car's behavior at high velocities--something many customers will no doubt make use of.
According to Transport Evolved, Musk announced the plans on Monday while visiting the Tesla service center in Munich.
The high-speed tuning setup will be completely free for customers, and Musk says it'll make the car "feel really great at top speed". That's more of a concern in Germany than in other parts of the world, where "you don't have to worry about [top speed driving]".
Musk added that he'd just been driving a Model S on one of the de-restricted sections. "It was a lot of fun," he said.
It's unlikely the car's 250-300 mile range will be attainable while traveling at such velocities, but that's where the second part of Musk's German plan comes in--the country will soon be home to dozens of Supercharger fast-charge stations. Other speed-centric upgrades include a new feature for the navigation system that calculates the fastest route to a destination, taking into account Supercharger stops, and even recommends a speed.
So great are Tesla's expectations for Germany that Musk puts the country as Tesla's third biggest market, after the U.S. and China. Six Superchargers are already being constructed, and by the end of 2014 the whole country should be covered by the network. Due to the 135 kw output of European chargers, charging will be even quicker than U.S. customers enjoy.
So, want to max-out a Model S legally? You know where to go...
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