A recent video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed a Tesla Model S Plaid outpacing a Bugatti Divo.
The Tesla driver got off the line much faster, and the vehicle reached a top speed of 234.85 miles per hour.
The video, apparently from South Korea, was posted to the platform on Oct. 1.
[Drag Race]
— 1987 (@1987_TSLA) October 1, 2023
Tesla S Plaid(2억) Vs. Bugatti Divo(73억) 그 승자는? pic.twitter.com/i689p7wXOz
Tesla says the Model S Plaid "has the quickest acceleration of any vehicle in production." The car maintains 1,000 horsepower to 200 mph and has a range of 396 miles. It goes from zero to 60 mph in 1.99 seconds.
Last year, Tesla reported delivering more than 1.3 million electric vehicles globally. The company is looking to lead the charge into the future with sustainable factories and other environmentally focused goals, including low water use in manufacturing.
Road transportation was the source of three-quarters of the carbon dioxide pollution from Asian countries in recent years, and the production of batteries makes the creation of an EV more environmentally costly upfront than the creation of a vehicle with an internal combustion engine (ICE), according to Earth.org.
Estimates vary widely, but an analysis by Reuters, using a model from the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, indicates that once you drive about 13,500 miles in a Tesla Model 3, the emissions savings of driving it instead of an ICE vehicle surpass the environmental costs of the Tesla's production. After that 13,500-mile milestone, Reuters says an EV's pollution savings over gas-powered cars begins to take a major lead.
EV batteries are as much as 95% recyclable, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. So as long as people and companies recycle the components, EVs will continue to be better for the environment than ICE vehicles.
They certainly produce less pollution when they're on the road, which means that as more EVs replace older modes of transportation, less harmful particulate matter will be spewed into the air.
The Natural Resources Defense Council cited other benefits of EVs, including economic growth, lower utility bills, and reduced noise pollution.
"Trundle around at low speed and the Plaid feels like a completely ordinary electric car, and the experience isn't exotic in the slightest," Evo said in a review of the Model S Plaid. "But this all heightens the sense of anticipation — you're aware that this whisper-quiet, clean-cut saloon is hiding enormous potential, and unfathomable speed is just a toe-twitch away."
The British automobile magazine, however, added that Plaid mode was "unnerving rather than fun," a stance echoed by Car and Driver.
"It absolutely delivers on taking Tesla's performance to new ridiculous heights," the outlet's Dave VanderWerp wrote. " … But, trust us, you don't want to do 200 mph in this car. Even 162 mph was terrifying, wandering and nervous to the point that we were concerned about our ability to shepherd it between lane lines. … Another reason to fear a 200-mph speed is brakes that got soft during our testing."
Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
