OK, so we all know you don't actually have to go over the speed limit for it to be illegal. Most jurisdictions have laws against street demonstrations of performance. Usually police consider this any combination of racing engines, squealing tires, leaving rubber, or slamming down the accelerator pedal. With the exception of the last one, the Tesla doesn't do any of the above when launching at maximum velocity from a green light. No racing engine and no squealing tires or leaving rubber (especially in the dual motor versions with computer control of making sure the front and rear motors and axles are synchronized). There is just instant acceleration from 0 to 30 mph in the first 2 seconds. That pretty much leaves every other car far in the rear view mirror while still under the speed limit just about everywhere. In less than another second the Tesla is up to 45 or 50 mph, whatever the speed limit might be. Thus, in under 3 seconds the Tesla goes from a standing stop to the posted speed limit just about anywhere, leaving every other car far behind. Whether legal or not, launching a Tesla because of its silent acceleration does't seem to attract attention of anyone, including police. The only person that ever notices that some phenomenal acceleration has occurred is if there was another car in the line that had planned a fast launch themselves. They usually end up stunned that another car at the light giving no indication of racing leaped ahead so rapidly. But that is really the fun of having a Tesla. The fun isn't beating another vehicle in a nose to nose race, but in leaving all challengers far behind in your rear view mirror, and doing it in total silence.
Tesla Model S Races another Tesla Model S from the Lights, But Is It Illegal? - Video
On a related issue, I'm on the waiting list to have my Telsa Model S P85D upgraded to "Ludicrous Mode". This might seem to be a frivolous waste of money just to shave down acceleration from 0 to 60 mpg from 3.1 seconds to 2.8 seconds, but I've got my reasons.
This is my second Tesla Model S. My first one I purchased in 2013 and it was just a plain 85, not a P85, or P85+. I just wanted a great all eclectric car that, like Elon Musk says, needs to make no excuses. I wasn't looking for a high performance car and didn't feel the need to spend the extra $20,000 for the P85 version.
However, though I loved my 2013 Tesla Model S 85, it was missing most of the advanced features that I was already enjoying on my 2012 Toyota Prius Advanced and my 2012 Toyota Sienna Limited. Both of those cars had adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, proximity alerts, and more. My new Tesla had none of those features which made it seem oddly out of date right from the time of delivery.
Over the next year I kept up with all news reports about Tesla. All of them were about the Tesla Model S P85 and not about my particular version of the vehicle. Though I was really happy for all the rave reviews they were getting, I new these articles where not describing what my Tesla was capable of.
When Tesla announced the P85D, it included all of the advanced features of my Prius and Sienna and a lot more. I realized I had to replace my Tesla with one that had electronics at least as advanced as the Prius and Sienna. But as long as I was purchasing a new Tesla, I figured I might as well throw everything into it so when articles are published about the best Tesla vehicle, I'd know that was the vehicle that I had and they were talking about my vehicle. So I purchased a Tesla with everything with the exception of the panoramic roof. Neither my wife or I are sun lovers and we just didn't want the sun beating down into the car.
Now that Tesla has announced "Ludicrous Mode" including the ability to upgrade the P85D with this feature, you know that all the new articles and comparison stats are going to be about the Tesla with "Ludicrous Mode" that can do 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and can continue to accelarate rapidly even beyond those first 2.8 seconds. So, that I why I've placed myself on the waiting list to upgrade my P85D to "Ludicrous Mode".
However, I'm in a bit of a quandy as to weather to upgrade from my 85 kWh battery to the new 90 kWh battery. Elon Musk recommends against it as Tesla expects to continue to improve the battery capacity by about 5% every year. But here is the problem. People are going to assume that the P90D is the most powerful Tesla, superceding the P85D. But this is not the case. Just because you purchase a P90D does not mean that you have "Ludicrous Mode". And, since you can upgrade the P85D to "Ludicrous Mode", a P85D might be every bit as fast as a P90D, or faster than one without "Ludicrous Mode". Personally, I think that Tesla should add an "L" or a "+" after the "D" on "P85D" and "P90D" if it has "Ludicrous Mode" installed so one knows which vehicles have "Ludicrous Mode" and which don't.
I might upgrade to the 90 kWh battery if that changes my monicher from P85D to P90D as most people are just going to assume the P90D has Ludicrous Mode and that the P85D does not. I'll be waiting to see just what Tesla does, if anything, to distinguish Tesla vehicles with and without Ludicrous Mode.
