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A video surfaced online recently showing a Tesla Model S drag racing against a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and being the first to the finish line which has stirred up the Tesla fanboys who are excited at the prospect of their $100k status symbol being faster than the new Corvette but sadly- that just isn’t the case.
Originally reprinted from
http://www.torquenews.com/106/tesla-fanboys-model-s-not-faster-2014-chevrolet-corvette-stingray
Let me start by saying that this isn’t meant to question the impressiveness of the Tesla Model S sedan. After all, the Model S has proven itself to be the best full electric luxury sport sedan in the world. Granted, it is the only full electric luxury sport sedan in the world but whether by default or based on its own merits – the Tesla Model S is unquestionably the best at what it is intended to do. Also, I’m not trying to downplay the incredible advancements in the world of the electric vehicle market or the impressive levels of performance offered by the Model S. While I am more of a fan of the American V8, I have two electric golf carts so I understand the freedom from foreign oil which leads Tesla Model S owners to be so passionate about their car. Granted, the world of drag racing is probably foreign to the vast majority of Tesla fans but getting to the finish line first means that it won a race – not that it is the faster car. If we were to follow the idea that a car getting to line first is “faster” then my electric golf cart could beat a Corvette Stingray as well if the driver was tardy enough on the start. Heck, someone on foot could outrun the Corvette if the Corvette driver wasn’t paying attention…but much like this video, that doesn’t prove anything.
However, regardless of the fact that the Tesla Model S is the best choice in a one-car segment, it just simply isn’t faster than a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. This drag racing video shows a Model S racing against a new Stingray Coupe with an automatic transmission and on the first run, the Corvette launches very, very poorly and head start given to the Model S is enough to allow it to get to the finish line first. However, it still took the Model S 12.378 seconds to get down the track while it only took the Corvette 12.049 seconds to cover the same stretch. The awful start by the Corvette handed the win to the Tesla but it still wasn’t the faster car. Oh, by the way, on that first run the Corvette went through the quarter mile traps at 118.18 miles per hour while the Model S hit just 110.32 miles per hour. An electric car running a 12.3 quarter mile at 110 miles per hour is very impressive for an EV but it isn’t faster than the Corvette.
On the second run, the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray driver is a little more on his (or her) game so the new sports car gets off of the line a bit quicker and on that run, the Corvette goes faster and gets to the line first. The instant torque of the Model S allows it to pull slightly ahead of the Corvette in the early portion of this run but once the Corvette got moving, it easily cruised around the Model S around half track or so. On this second run, the Corvette ran a 12.029 at 116.93 while the Tesla ran a 12.393 at 110.51. Still impressive for an EV but still not fast enough.
Tesla Model S fanboys (and probably some fangirls) are right when they boast about how impressive this all electric luxury sport sedan is as it combines emission free, petroleum free driving with very impressive performance and a plush, luxurious cabin. At the same time, those Tesla fans should stick to bragging about how many miles they can go on a charge and how their car hasn’t hit a rough enough stretch of highway to cause the car to explode into flames. If they are going to spout off about drag racing, they should at least pay attention to the fact that the car isn’t actually faster than a real sports car before claiming that it is so as to not sound like morons to those of us who have actually been to a track for some reason other than watching their high school robotics team compete with their latest remote controlled project.
In summary - the Tesla Model S is fast. It is the fastest EV sold in American. It is not faster than the new Chevrolet Corvette no matter how you spin it. Of course, that is not how everyone sees this so for the a look at a far more mild fanboy approach, click here to read John Goreham's take on this intriguing video.
Then again, for what people are spending on the Tesla Model S sedan shown in this video they could buy a 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and rather than having the fastest EV in the US - they could have one of the fastest sports cars in the world. Z06 buyers will also know that the company making their car will still exist in 25 years whereas Tesla Model S owners could soon be buying parts from whatever automaker pays the most for the Tesla brand in the next few years.
