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Tesla 'Easter Egg' Makes the World's Fastest Car Even Faster (bloomberg.com)

Posted by msmash on from the affinity-for-speed dept.

The world's fastest-accelerating car is about to get even faster. Tesla's high-end Model S will soon be able to go from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.4 seconds, following a software enhancement next month that shaves off a 10th of a second. That's a new threshold that distinguishes it from any other production car on the road. From a report on Bloomberg: Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk teased the update in a tweet on Wednesday -- but there's a twist. When the changes are delivered wirelessly next month to all P100D Model S vehicles, the owners will have to figure out how to enable it. It's what's known in the tech industry as an "Easter Egg" -- a hidden feature that requires a specific series of gestures to unlock. These speeds are crazy fast. For perspective, the Model S already outpaces sold-out supercars with tiny production runs, such as Ferrari's $1.4 million LaFerrari, Porsche's $845,000 918 Spyder, and Bugatti's $2.3 million Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. Tesla's seven-seat Model X SUV will also shed a 10th of a second, putting it on a par with a $1.15 million McLaren P1.

5 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. PLEASE...make a sports car again!! by cayenne8 · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Ok..I LOVE the performance of the Tesla, now, PLEASE make a version that looks once again like a sports car, and not like a family sedan.

    If they could make one with this performance, and in the ballpark range of a Vette, man..I'd be in the market for that immediatly.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    1. Re:PLEASE...make a sports car again!! by PvtVoid · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The flashier a car looks ... the more likely someone will steal it

      ...

      I know I'm not the only one who would prefer a "supercar" performance in a "Toyota Camry chassis" sedan.

      In actual fact, the most frequently stolen vehicle is the Honda Accord. The Camry is #5.

    2. Re:PLEASE...make a sports car again!! by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Law Enforcement (at least once) has tried to go after WAZE, for "Stealing" revenue.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  2. What could possibly go wrong? by PvtVoid · · Score: 1, Interesting

    owners will have to figure out how to enable it

    No way could this end badly.

  3. Not the quickest by Juju · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Tesla is not faster than the 918 from 0-60mph. The 918 spyder does it in 2.3s so faster now, and faster after the upgrade. Makes sense since the porsche is a 4 wheel drive unlike the McLaren P1 or Ferrari La Ferrari. Any 4WD car with lots of power and torque will be faster than any 2WD propulsion hypercar. And Tesla is not even the fastest electric car. That would be the Rimac. But hey, Elon Musk can claim all he wants, that's marketing (ie. damn lies.)

    --
    Black holes occur when God divides by zero.