Tesla Model S Plaid Sets a Nürburgring Lap Record for a Production Electric Vehicle
Tesla’s Model S Plaid has earned the title of the quickest production electric vehicle ever tested at the German Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack.
Model S Plaid set a new record with a lap time of 7:30.909, beating its closest electric competition by 12 seconds and holding its own against the internal-combustion-engine supercars that have been tested.
Nürburgring Nordschleife is a famous “North Loop” lap with a track almost 13 miles long and a circuitous route that’s a far cry from a traditional flat racetrack, requiring an incredibly skilled driver to navigate the various corners and curves of the track. The track tests cars beyond just their acceleration capability, with handling and sustained performance at high speeds at the forefront of being able to complete a successful lap.
Elon Musk was particularly proud of the accomplishment, highlighting that the Model S Plaid tested was “completely unmodified, direct from factory.”
Cars designed with an emphasis for racing did best the time set by Model S Plaid on the same 20,832m lap, with the 2020 Porsche Panamera Turbo achieving a time of 7:29.81 and the Mercedes AMG GT63 S holding the production record (for a 4-door vehicle with rear seats) at 7:27.80.
There have been electric vehicles in limited production or unreleased onto the consumer market that have recorded a better time. This includes the 20-unit NIO EP9 which completed the lap with a time of 6:45.90 and the Volkswagen ID.R, which was specifically designed as an electric race car with a 0–60 time of 2.25 seconds, at 6:05.336.
That being said, Tesla Model S Plaid’s time does hand-idly beat multiple cars designed specifically for the racing segment including the Porsche 911 GT2 and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.
Real Talk
Our takeaway from this story: wait for Tesla Roadster to complete the same coveted lap.
Electric competition that has bested Model S Plaid was designed primarily as a race car and to excel at no other attribute. This is what makes us so excited about the prospect of Tesla Roadster achieving an even more ludicrous time, as there’s endless potential for Tesla to build a quintessential electric sports car.
Let’s not forget that Model S Plaid is a 4-door sedan that can be used as an exceedingly practical vehicle whereas much of its competition simply doesn’t offer the level of comfort to be used as a daily driver. While it may not seem quite as impressive when put up against full-blown race cars, including fully-electric racing machines, many automakers will look at this record time with envy — especially the German brands headquartered not too far from the Nürburgring racetrack.
There is also potential for modifiability, and Tesla has indicated that they may want to make Model S Plaid even more track-ready. Perhaps we’ll see a track package, much like the German automakers’ performance-oriented cars, officially added to the configurator.
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