Drag Race: Porsche and Tesla face off with their flagship electric cars
Can Porsche's all-electric Taycan Turbo S compete with Tesla's new Model S Plaid? Well, it turns out that the YouTube channel DragTimes took these two cars to the track for a jaw-dropping drag race battle. It was, indeed, a showdown between two stunning, high-performance electric cars.
Above: Porsche Taycan Turbo S vs. Tesla Model S Plaid drag race at the track in Palm Beach (Source: DragTimes via YouTube)
Porsche's top-end variant of the Taycan, its Turbo S, and Tesla's 1,020 hp beast of a machine, its new Model S Plaid, both proved to put on quite a show!
There are a few major differences between these two EV standouts. Porsche Taycan Turbo S has a Dual-Motor setup (1 front, 1 rear) while Tesla Model S Plaid has three motors (two in the rear and one in front). The transmission of both vehicles is also different as well. Porsche Taycan has a 2-speed transmission while the Tesla Model S Plaid has a single-speed fixed-gear transmission.
Both cars, being electric, deliver a massive dose of instant torque to the wheels. That said, Porsche's phenomenal 0-60 mph time of 2.6s still has quite a ways to go in order to chase down the Model S Plaid’s 1.99s. But that's just a quickie clocked off-the-line. How about something more substantial on a track?
First, let’s go over some key specs before watching these two beasts face off on in a drag race.
Specs comparison
 |
Source: Manufacturer specs, 2021 Tesla Model S Owner’s Manual (Compiled by Iqtidar Ali / TeslaOracle.com)
Despite superior range, acceleration, an additional motor, and far better efficiency, the price of the Tesla Model S Plaid is $55,000 less than the Taycan Turbo S — yikes!
In addition, Porsche still needs to play some catch-up in order to make the most efficient use of the energy stored in the car’s battery pack. Porsche's Taycan Turbo S has a 93.4 kWh battery pack — that's not small by any measure but better engineering and improved software might have made better use of it.
Range Comparison
Races
It's worth noting that Model S Plaid was not even in its Drag Strip Mode on the first attempt and yet it left the Taycan Turbo S in the dust. This made Porsche owner David Lockhart order a Model S Plaid right from the dragstrip. Check out the video for proof — although I'm not sure if he literally bought one. Regardless, he looked pretty convinced.
Above: 1,020 HP PLAID vs TAYCAN * Tesla Plaid Model S vs Porsche Taycan Turbo S 1/4 Mile Drag Race (Source: DragTimes / YouTube)
Model S Plaid gave a consistent quarter-mile time of under 10 seconds even with the battery state-of-charge dropping with each race, here are the exact numbers from the timeslip:
- 1st attempt = 9.673s @150.93 mph (without Drag Strip Mode)
- 2nd attempt = 9.360s @150.82 mph
- 3rd attempt = 9.344s @151.34 mph
It looks like Tesla Model S Plaid might just be the new king of drag races. Now, it's time for million-dollar Ferrari and Bugatti supercars to taste the Plaid acceleration... if they have an appetite for it.
===
Written by: Iqtidar Ali. An earlier version of this article was originally published on Tesla Oracle. Revised update edited by EVANNEX.
