drag racing
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Tesla claims some astonishingly quick acceleration times, and for some of us, testing and verifying those times are part of the fun. To do that, the drag strip is the only safe and fully reliable source for accurate numbers. In February of 2015, I migrated to a Model S Performance, after owning a 2013 Model S P85. As the weather turned supportive, in March of 2015, I began a series of timing tests to see what that car could do. Tesla’s acceleration bragging rights are rooted, in part, in the finesse of the electronic traction control getting the car off the line with maximum power and...
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Chevy eCOPO Camaro hints at 800-volt charging
Chevrolet can't let Teslas win all the electric drag races. Monday night at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers' Association gathering in Las Vegas, Chevrolet revealed an electric concept version of its drag-race focused COPO Camaro. The company says the eCOPO Camaro should be able to cover the...
Eric C. Evarts -
Jaguar I-Pace beats Tesla Model X in electric car drag-race video
The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace SUV that debuted Thursday beat all the German luxury makes to the punch in launching a viable competitor to the looks and capabilities of electric cars offered by Tesla. The 14-year-old Silicon Valley startup has attracted huge attention for the stunning acceleration of its...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S beats Lamborghini Aventador in 1/4-mile drag race; so does Model X SUV
Tesla has not only put some of the world's longest-range electric cars into production, but its cars also happen to house some serious performance specifications. Everyone knows the P100D versions of the Tesla Model S sedan and Model X SUV are capable of accelerating at lightning speed, thanks to...
Sean Szymkowski -
South's good ol' boy drag racers whupped by Tesla, not happy about it
For as long as there have been automobiles, drivers have had the itch to go faster than the guy in the next car. Throughout decades we've seen horsepower wars waged between giant, large displacement V-8 engines and even 4-cylinder engines with plenty of forced induction. The rise of the electric...
Sean Szymkowski -
How fast IS a Tesla Model S P100D? How about 0-to-60 in 2.5 seconds?
DragTimes confirms Tesla's claim of 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds for the Model S P100D with Ludicrous Mode.
Stephen Edelstein -
Startup Atieva built an electric van that smoked a Tesla Model S and Ferrari California T in a drag race.
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Tesla Model S: From Insane to Ludicrous to slice 1/4-mile times (with video)
The original Tesla Model S P85D is quick, but it has now been superseded by the P90D, with its even more outrageous “Ludicrous” option. To lessen the sting for early P85D adopters, Tesla Motors also offers a “Ludicrous Upgrade” option for the earlier car--and many...
George Parrott -
Tesla Model X Vs Tesla Model S: Ludicrous Drag-Strip Faceoff (Video)
Watch a Tesla Model X and Tesla Model S face off on a drag strip.
Stephen Edelstein -
Super Slot Car: Electric Drag Racing Via V-12 Engine And Cables!
The sport of drag racing has been with us almost as long as the automobile has. Over the last decade, advances in high-power lithium-ion batteries have given rise to a new variant: electric drag racing. But before modern batteries existed, how could you possibly make a competitive electric...
John Voelcker -
Drag-Strip Test Of Top Tesla Model S Cars: P90D Vs P85D Vs P85+ (Video)
Tesla Motors has built a strong reputation for performance, starting with its first Roadster and then its Model S P85 and P85+ sedans, before moving to the dual-motor P85D and most recently the latest line-leading P90DL. But how much has performance actually improved with these evolutionary changes...
George Parrott -
AWD Electric Car Beats Tesla P90D Acceleration, Built By German Student Team (Video)
Electric-car advocates know that a seamless rush of maximum torque from 0 rpm is one of the secret advantages of using an electric motor to power a vehicle. And that fact--most publicly shown off by the Tesla Model S P85D performance model, and now by its even faster successor, the P90D--has pretty...
John Voelcker -
By this point, many of us have seen videos and articles showing Tesla Model S high-performance versions running against loud and smoky gasoline cars. But these have almost always been a single Tesla taking on the dinosaurs. Last week, the Sacramento Electric Vehicle Association organized an all-comers group gathering to test the absolute acceleration performance of “anything with a plug” as part of Sacramento Raceway’s open timing Wednesday special. DON'T MISS: Drag-Racing My Tesla P85D: 71-Year-Old Novice Hits The Strip (Video) The purpose was to gather “hard...
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Ford Mustang Electric Drag Car Does 0 To 60 MPH Under 2 Seconds, Targets 200 MPH
A 1968 Ford Mustang is transformed into a super-fast electric drag racer.
Stephen Edelstein -
Drag-Racing My Tesla P85D: 71-Year-Old Novice Hits The Strip (Video)
It had been more than 50 years since I'd been to a drag race--back in what now seems almost like the very dawn of motoring. Back then, I just watched. Yet here I was, just a month ago, behind the wheel of my Tesla Model S P85D, facing off against another car as I watched the lights change. Red...
George Parrott -
Hellcat Driver Who Lost Drag Race To Tesla P85D Ready For Rematch
The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat driver who lost a race to a Tesla Model S P85D is improving his technique.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla P85D Destroys Dodge Challenger Hellcat On Dragstrip: Electric Car Thrashes 707-HP Hemi (Video)
Say "P85D" to Tesla owners and fans, and you will see the drooling and twitching and heavy breathing and lustful stares--and more drooling--that Tesla's fastest, highest-performance electric car brings. The same happens with the word "Hellcat" for fans of high-powered Hemi V-8 performance. DON'T...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S P85D Obliterates Ferrari In Drag Race (Video)
A Tesla Model S P85D drag races a Ferrari in Florida.
Stephen Edelstein -
Whatever you think of the diminutive city cars produced by Daimler's Smart brand, the company certainly has a talent for marketing. The latest ad from Smart Canada has the same sort of self-deprecating humor that Volkswagen used for years when advertising its Beetle--another rear-engined small car loved and hated in equal measure. The Smart Fortwo Electric Drive wouldn't be your first choice for drag racing, but that's exactly what Smart is doing here. It's first challenger? A Ford Mustang. Maybe it's a V-6, you think. Perhaps the Smart has a chance... until the Mustang rockets away leaving...
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How Do You Beat A Tesla Model S? The Answer Is Always Miata (Video)
There is a popular internet meme that suggests Mazda's Miata is the answer to every automotive question. You want something fun? Something inexpensive to run? Reliable? Easy to wrench on? Want to improve your car control skills? Cheap to buy? The answer is always Miata. So, in the spirit of that...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model S Drag Races: Noisy Or Very Quiet, Your Choice (Videos)
See a drag race between a Tesla Model S P85 and a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51, or one between a Model S... and another Model S.
Stephen Edelstein -
Rimac Concept_One Electric Supercar Vs Ferrari 458: Guess Who Wins?
The Ferrari 458 Spider is not a slow car. That sounds like a statement of the obvious, but when you see it left for dust by another vehicle, as in the video above, you might have wondered. The 4.5-liter, V-8-engined Ferrari has no answer for the Concept_One, the thousand-plus horsepower supercar...
Antony Ingram -
Fastest Electric Cars: 'Green Monster' Vs. 'White Zombie'
Once a speed freak, always a speed freak: That's the tale behind Mate Rimac, creator of the Rimac Concept_One electric supercar. The striking supercar appeared from nowhere to us, but Rimac himself had prior experience with fast EVs--a BMW 3-Series known as 'Green Monster' (via Gizmag). The 'Green'...
Antony Ingram -
Vintage Electric Car Gets New Life: As Street-Legal Tesla-Beater
Forty years ago, in the midst of fuel crisis after fuel crisis, automakers large and small around the world came up with concept and limited-run electric cars that would, it was hoped, revolutionize city commuting. They didn’t. Powered by several thousand pounds of lead acid batteries, fitted...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield