Tesla Model 3 0-60mph in 3.xx?

It looks like production for the $35k (base) Tesla Model 3 will begin this summer. Barring any unforeseen turn of events, this car will likely replace a good portion of the Cam-Cords on the road within a few years.

This will be the basic sedan, driven by school teachers and librarians...and at least one version of this car is slated to be a sub 4 second 0-60 performer. Even if this is restricted to some high-end model, it's very likely that even the basic cars with their instant torque and AWD will easily leave a Mustang from a stop light.

Yeah, yeah... we all prefer the sound and feel of a V8 but what is that good for when our cars get walked by the average jellybean shaped, whirring commuter toilet?

Will this change how you feel about your Mustang?


http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...del-3-does-0-60-in-under-4-seconds-says-leak/

MRGTX said:

It looks like production for the $35k (base) Tesla Model 3 will begin this summer. Barring any unforeseen turn of events, this car will likely replace a good portion of the Cam-Cords on the road within a few years.

This will be the basic sedan, driven by school teachers and librarians...and at least one version of this car is slated to be a sub 4 second 0-60 performer. Even if this is restricted to some high-end model, it's very likely that even the basic cars with their instant torque and AWD will easily leave a Mustang from a stop light.

Yeah, yeah... we all prefer the sound and feel of a V8 but what is that good for when our cars get walked by the average jellybean shaped, whirring commuter toilet?

Will this change how you feel about your Mustang?


http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...del-3-does-0-60-in-under-4-seconds-says-leak/

Click to expand...

Most stoplight races I've seen (in Mexico) don't end at 60mph. What sort of legs does this thing have top-end for 35k? The Model S P100D is a pretty stout car in the quarter, or on the street up to 100-120, but I'm going to guess this Model 3 is going to be intended for performance at much lower speeds.

I'm going to withhold any concerns about this car until some more concrete numbers come out. Either way, I'm never going to have the fastest car on the road... mine will be louder, meaner, have more character, and just be way more fun than one of those.

that one high end version that could do a sub 4 second 0-60 will probably cost easy $60k.

im not gonna be too worried about a car that almost costs twice as mine being faster lol.

ill just supercharge it and leave them in the dust.

MRGTX said:

it's very likely that even the basic cars with their instant torque and AWD will easily leave a Mustang from a stop light.

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No its not.

https://www.tesla.com/model3

They're listing the 0-60 as "under 6 seconds". That's not the sort of phrasing you're going to use to describe a vehicle that's going to "easily leave" a Mustang GT from a stop light considering most publications have the GT's 0-60 at 4.5-4.7 seconds.

Also, don't expect the 35k version to be AWD based on the distinction Musk seemed to have made to Car and Driver.

"Musk says the base model will have a 215-mile range and will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than six seconds. There also will be a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version."

- http://www.caranddriver.com/tesla/model-3

MRGTX said:

Yeah, yeah... we all prefer the sound and feel of a V8 but what is that good for when our cars get walked by the average jellybean shaped, whirring commuter toilet?

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No use pondering impossibilities. No doubt a version of the Model 3 will be able to reach low 3 second 0-60 times, but it'd be anything but your average commuter vehicle - it'd be a VERY high priced sports car.

Just browsing their website reveals what that sort of performance costs in the electric car world.

Model S 90D $89,500
0-60 4.2 seconds.

So for 90k you're barely ahead of the Mustang GT to 60 mph, and the Mustang has probably caught up by 75-80 mph, then pulls hard anything past that.

Expect that Model 3 that can run a low 3 second 0-60 to cost north of 100k. That's anything but an average commuter vehicle. For less than half that I can have a supercharged GT. For around that price I could get a Nissan GTR that'll do 0-60 in 2.9 seconds and still pull like a freight train in the mph range where these electric engines will fall off.

I have no idea how much room for improvement is left for this technology, perhaps one day you'll get an every day commuter to "easily leave" a V8 sports car. But today the technology isn't even close. It's not even close to matching a V8's performance.

Hybrid.....Electric / gas sports cars are already here. More are on the way. 3.2 to 60 will be the norm. Torque vectoring is also here to stay. 3 electric motors and a gas engine is the future. The BMW i8 is a good example of a car with a 3 cyl that really sounds good and also has good performance numbers. The car can run on pure elect for 16 miles around the city. More to come and less money then the $131MSRP i8. The NSX isn't pure electric instead it uses electric engines and a V/6 and has outstanding performance. Maybe the mid engine corvette might go this route. I think the Ford GT should have had this hybrid system along with the V/6 . It's already old school IMO for a $450K car. I think our mustangs are going to use this technology once it becomes economical to do so. It's a ways off so the big V/8's are safe for awhile. Remember you add up each electric motor Hp + the gas engine to get your total HP. The instant torque from the electric engine at each wheel gets the acceleration numbers + the torque vectoring in the curves. The gas engine maintains the speed and charges the battery on downshifts and breaking. Cool stuff for sure. Porsche 919 hybrid uses this system to win overall victory @ Le Mans in 2016 and they sound cool as hell.

[MENTION=7365]Taneras[/MENTION], you might want to look up some videos of the Tesla doing drag strip races. Granted, that's all they're good for if you're talking races. They do easily leave cars, even the GT, behind at take-off. The P100D ($126k though) in Ludicrous mode has done 0-60 in 2.39...

Nagare said:

[MENTION=7365]Taneras[/MENTION], you might want to look up some videos of the Tesla doing drag strip races. Granted, that's all they're good for if you're talking races. They do easily leave cars, even the GT, behind at take-off. The P100D ($126k though) in Ludicrous mode has done 0-60 in 2.39...

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I'm already aware, I was just pointing out the OP's overestimating their performance when he suggests that even the "basic electric cars" that will probably be "driven by school teachers and librarians" will "easily leave a Mustang from a stop light".

The Model S 90D costs 90k and has a 0-60 of 4.2 seconds. Barely better than a GT and nearly 3 times the cost. You're not going to see school teachers driving around basic 35k electric cars that will easily pull on a Mustang GT at a stop light.

That was the point of my post. Yes, there are fast ones, but they're also super expensive. The fact that a 135k electric car can beat a Mustang isn't surprising. The OP seems to think that the 35k model will easily walk a Mustang GT, and it won't. It's not even close to hanging with it. Maybe someday the tech will be affordable enough for school teachers, but that day isn't today.

Nagare said:

@Taneras , you might want to look up some videos of the Tesla doing drag strip races. Granted, that's all they're good for if you're talking races. They do easily leave cars, even the GT, behind at take-off. The P100D ($126k though) in Ludicrous mode has done 0-60 in 2.39...

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Honest question... what sort of hit is there to driving range from a single ludicrous mode 1/4 mile pull? Can the car do multiple pulls?

Also, anyone have a real-world experience with a highway pull against one of the top end Teslas? Curious how they hold up at those speeds.

EasyBeingGreen said:

Honest question... what sort of hit is there to driving range from a single ludicrous mode 1/4 mile pull? Can the car do multiple pulls?

Also, anyone have a real-world experience with a highway pull against one of the top end Teslas? Curious how they hold up at those speeds.

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Based on the reviews I've seen the P100D's range isn't too great. Men's Journal cited about 250 miles per charge cruising at 70mph (essentially highway driving) with the AC on. I don't think its outlandish to expect that number to be around or below 200 miles if you throw in a little bit of city driving and some spirited sprints.

No doubt some of the Model S's do much better, but being the dual engine high performance version its obviously using a lot more power than their economy versions.

With respect to power loss at high speeds, that's not usually something any reviews quantify. The way I've always broken it down is to subtract its 1/8th mile trap speed and its 1/4 mile trap speed to see how many mph it gained on the top end.

Example: [ame]

Run 1

1/8 MPH: 100.08
1/4 MPH: 121.40

Run 2

1/8 MPH: 99.84
1/4 MPH: 121.22

Difference - ~ 21.5 mph

My Mustang GT (2015, Tune/intake/full catless exhuast/E85)

1/8 MPH: 93.50
1/4 MPH: 117.99

Difference - 24.49 mph

I'm not saying this is the best test, but I think it at least gives us some idea as to how the P100D handles higher speeds. It would seem to me between the 95ish-120ish range is slower than a bolt on GT. It's probably about as fast as a stock GT. And that loss of power only gets more sever the higher speeds you go.

Sure, you'll embarrass people off the line... But driving around on the interstate and you're not really all that fast. All of a sudden sports cars that literally cost 1/4th your price ($135,000/4 = $33,750 - Base GT) are about as fast.

The problem with electric motors:
the loss of power at speed in excess of 70mph
the less charge the battery, the less power the car will output
Teslas gimp ludicrous mode after a set number of launches... permanently due to internal battery damage prevention

Freedom said:

the less charge the battery, the less power the car will output

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Wow, I was unaware of this. That'd really suck. Glad that my car still makes max power even if I'm at 1/8th a tank.

Freedom said:

The problem with electric motors:
the loss of power at speed in excess of 70mph
the less charge the battery, the less power the car will output
Teslas gimp ludicrous mode after a set number of launches... permanently due to internal battery damage prevention

Click to expand...

Permanently?? Not trying to doubt you, but are there actual owners who have reported hitting that limit, and has Tesla admitted it? How many passes to get there? :eyebulge:

MRGTX said:

... what is that good for when our cars get walked by the average jellybean shaped, whirring commuter toilet?

Will this change how you feel about your Mustang?

Click to expand...

Not one single bit.

• The Mustang has 50+ years of heritage
• The Mustang is a car, not a Maglite on 4 wheels
• The Mustang has an engine you can actually hear that sounds great

16 GT MM/Auto said:

Not one single bit.

• The Mustang has 50+ years of heritage
• The Mustang is a car, not a Maglite on 4 wheels
• The Mustang has an engine you can actually hear that sounds great

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+1

And definitely not getting walked. Either way, who launches their car every time they're at a stoplight and some kid in his new commuter car wants to race?

When I buy a sedan to augment my Shelby, I wouldn't mind buying a Tesla.

That will also augment my trips to the gas station.