Tesla Model S Takes on the Nürburgring

Written by Paul Strauss | July 23, 2014

With a 0-to-60 time of 5.4 seconds and a driving range of up to 265 miles, you’d think it would be easy for a Tesla Model S to take on the 12.9 mile-long Nürburgring Nordschliefe circuit without a problem. But a proper lap of the Green Hell can actually be quite taxing on a car, as was recently learned by Robb Holland and tuner Iain Litchfield when they took a Model S out on the track.

While the car did have some shining moments on its nearly silent journey, the car ran into a hitch a few minutes in as its battery went into a reduced power mode – presumably to prevent overheating. The car eventually recovered, but that hiccup ended up giving the Model S a lap time of about 10 minutes, not exactly the fastest time around the Ring, but if they can work out the kinks, they could probably get down into the nines. It’s also interesting to note how the car is the 65 kWH base model, and not the 85+ performance edition, which would likely do much better.

What is interesting is that despite the fairly aggressive driving, they only used up about 30 miles worth of battery capacity, which isn’t bad given how hard the car was pushed.

Home | About Us | Suggest | Contact Us | Links | Privacy | Disclosure

© 2013-2024 Awesomer Media

Cool Cars: 95Octane | Awesome Stuff: The Awesomer