Tesla touts raceway record with 3-motor powertrain prototype

Enlarge / A shot from Tesla’s video at the Laguna Seca racetrack. (credit: Tesla)

Tesla is working on a new three-motor powertrain for the Model S that will accelerate even faster than Tesla’s current “Ludicrous Mode,” the company said on Wednesday. In a nod to Spaceballs, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has dubbed the new system “Plaid.”

“Plaid powertrain is about a year away from production,” Musk tweeted. He said it would be available for the Model S, Model X, and the new Roadster—but not the lower-end Model 3 and Model Y. He said that the new design will “cost more than our current offerings, but less than competitors.”

On Wednesday, Tesla tested a prototype of this souped-up Model S at the Laguna Seca raceway. The vehicle achieved a lap time of 1:36.555, which Tesla says is a new record for a four-door sedan. You can watch a video of the record-setting lap here.