Tesla enlists former Formula One champion as Model S driver for Nürburgring run

Tesla’s upcoming Nürburgring run with the Model S just became even more interesting. Not long after CEO Elon Musk announced that Tesla will be taking its flagship sedan to the iconic German track, former Formula One World Champion Nico Rosberg volunteered to be the electric car maker’s test driver. Musk graciously accepted. 

In a rather humble gesture, Rosberg offered his professional driving skills to Tesla by asking Musk if the company needed a “decent driver” for the Model S’ Nürburgring run. Musk responded very positively, stating that having the former Formula One champion as Tesla’s driver “would be great.” 

Since retiring after his historic win at the Formula One World Championship in 2016, Rosberg has proven to be a strong proponent of sustainable transportation. Apart from his open love for Tesla’s electric cars such as the Model 3 Performance, Rosberg has also co-founded the Greentech Festival, an event that showcases some of the world’s most cutting-edge environmentally-friendly technologies. 

This makes Rosberg the perfect driver for Tesla’s Model S Nürburgring lap. Apart from his impeccable skills as a professional racing driver, Rosberg is also very familiar with the way electric cars work, at times even remarking that he wants EVs to go faster. While testing the Tesla Model S Performance’s Ludicrous Plus launch, for example, Rosberg joking stated that he wants a vehicle with “Ludicrous Plus Plus Mode.” With this in mind, Rosberg is probably the best driver in the industry that can push the Tesla Model S to its limits on the Nürburgring. 

Tesla’s Model S of choice for its Nürburgring lap might already in Germany, as hinted at by sightings of a vehicle with US plates being transported by a truck that seemed to be heading towards the iconic racetrack. Quite interestingly, the Tesla Model S in question was reportedly equipped with Michelin Sport Pilot Cup 2 R tires, which are optimized for track use. Tire review site TireBuyer describes the Michelin’s Pilot Cup 2 R as a “semi-slick tire developed to beat track records.”

While initial reports following Elon Musk’s Twitter announcement noted that Tesla has not reserved an exclusive slot for a record attempt at the Nürburgring, a later statement from a Tesla spokesperson explained that the electric car maker will simply be part of the coming week’s Industry Pool testing in the track. “Tesla is excited to be a part of the Industry Pool testing community next week at the Nürburgring. Our participation is confirmed and contracted by the Nürburgring,” the spokesperson said. 

It should be noted that while Tesla will not be allowed to conduct lap timing for the Model S during its participation in this coming week’s Industry Pool testing, the company will nevertheless be able to openly test the capabilities of its flagship sedan around the nearly 13-mile circuit.

Tesla enlists former Formula One champion as Model S driver for Nürburgring run

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Tesla Pickup Truck’s unveiling event aimed at November, hints Elon Musk

The long-awaited reveal of Tesla’s pickup truck will most likely take place November, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in response to a Twitter follower’s question.

Tesla’s first crack at one of America’s most popular body styles, which will begin production after the Model Y, has been the topic of much speculation from Tesla and electric vehicle fans collectively. Information regarding the truck is vague, but Elon Musk has released a number of details, most notably a possible 300,000-lb towing capacity.

The truck is also rumored to have a starting price of $49,000, pack 400 to 500 miles of battery electric range, and have a driver’s seat that will fit Andre the Giant, according to Elon Musk.

While Tesla has released a teaser image of the truck, there is no official rendering for what the truck will look like. Elon Musk has described it has “cyberpunk” and said that it will be “pretty sci-fi…It’s kind of like a blade-runner truck”.

Tesla will be joining Amazon CEO-backed Rivian and Ford to compete in one of the auto industry’s top-selling markets in the United States. In 2018, the top 3 selling vehicles included Ford’s F-Series, the Chevrolet Silverado, and the Dodge Ram.

Tesla Pickup Truck’s unveiling event aimed at November, hints Elon Musk

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Tesla Model 3 Performance tries out Porsche’s 0-90-0 mph aircraft carrier challenge

A few days before the Porsche Taycan official unveiling event, the German auto maker debuted a video demonstrating some impressive speed capabilities of the new all-electric sports car on a very special “track” for the occasion. The American aircraft carrier USS Hornet played host to a 0-90-0 mph acceleration and braking test, which clocked 10.7 seconds for the total Taycan run (although the video description says 10.17 seconds). As to be expected from the Tesla owner community, this feat was then challenged in a similar run using a Model 3 Performance, albeit with less impressive scenery.

The Model 3 Performance test run was undertaken and published by Tesla owner and enthusiast Erik from YouTube channel DÆrik, and the results were impressive despite coming in a bit slower than the Taycan test. For the 0-90 mph portion, the Model 3 clocked in at 6.87 seconds; however, braking didn’t begin until the car reached 96.9 mph at 7.90 seconds. From 90 mph to 0 mph, 4.01 seconds elapsed. The total run took 12.4 seconds, although the numbers aren’t ideal given the delay in braking. Removing the extra time from 90-96.9 mph, while acknowledging it’s an imperfect method for time testing, brings the Tesla’s total time for the 0-90-0 run to 10.88 seconds. A few more runs would have been useful for comparison’s sake, but these results alone – a $56,000 midsize sedan vs. a $150,000 sports car – bode very well for the Model 3 overall.

Model 3 Performance 0-90-0 mph test stats. (Image: DÆrik/YouTube)

Aside from the lack of an aircraft carrier (and perhaps its surface), there was at least one notable difference between the two tests. Specifically, the Model 3 was a production version of the vehicle with minimal modifications such as ceramic brakes. The Taycan used on the USS Hornet was a prototype of the vehicle, and thus it’s unclear what differences were present compared to any of the other three variants of Porsche’s new electric sports car.

The Porsche Taycan was only recently unveiled, but comparisons between the brand’s entrance into the world of all-electric vehicles (EVs) and the existing Tesla production vehicles are already plentiful and ubiquitous. Thanks to Tesla’s dominance in battery range and impressive performance stats for every model offered, the Taycan’s hefty price tag seems to be one of the biggest factors driving negative reviews. After all, every Model 3 variant is in a much more affordable price range than any of the Taycan variants. As the positive reviews indicate, though, Porsche’s goals for their vehicles have always and will always be miles away from Tesla’s mission. Tesla aims to make electric cars accessible worldwide to nearly every type of consumer while Porsche is, well, Porsche.

Not one to back down from a challenge, CEO Elon Musk has recently indicated that Tesla will be taking on the Taycan soon in a more official capacity. A newly released video of the Taycan’s run at the Nürburgring track in Western Germany showed the performance EV achieving a record-setting 7 minutes, 42 seconds lap time, and now the Model S will challenge those numbers. “Model S on Nürburgring next week,” Musk teased on Twitter. A 2014 test by an independent Model S driver on the same track was hindered by power limitations and overheating; Tesla has since updated the power management software. Perhaps the record will be straightened out next week with both Musk’s and Tesla’s stamp of approval of the results.

Watch Erik Strait’s full 0-90-0 mph run in his Model 3 Performance below:

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Tesla Model 3 Performance tries out Porsche’s 0-90-0 mph aircraft carrier challenge

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