Tesla Model S

Will electric sports cars fully replace petrol-based performance cars?

Published

9 years ago

October 12, 2016

About 20 years ago, when you thought of electric cars, you probably envisioned a safe sedan puttering along the roadway, carrying the eco-conscientious about their daily errands. Today, though, Tesla’s sexy sports cars have become synonymous with electric vehicles. With the new Tesla Model S P100D tearing up the tracks with a 10.7 second quarter mile, will these electric sports cars take the place of our favorite gasoline engines?

Forget Fossil Fuels

We’ve been taught since grade school that fossil fuels are a finite resource, with most sources projecting that we could potentially exhaust natural fuel reserves as soon as 2052. We might not have to wait that long, though. Some experts in the electric car industry are predicting that fossil fuels in general will be totally obsolete by 2030. Why?

Two words – electric vehicles.

Projections are showing that once electric cars are mass-produced, they will cost less to charge, less to build and subsequently, be less expensive to purchase as well.

Of course, the automotive and oil industries are not happy with this prediction, but it doesn’t seem like there’s much that will prevent the electric car revolution.

Pros and Cons

Electric cars do have some major benefits to be sure. Some pros of owning an electric sports car include:

They’re quieter than the traditional internal combustion engine
You never have to line up as the gas pump ever again
They’re more efficient and less expensive to operate
They help reduce your carbon footprint
They’re the newest, shiniest toys

If you’re a fan of the traditional sports car, though, a few of these pros can quickly become cons. While the motor of an electric car can be quieter than its internal combustion counterpart, some will argue that it can never match the roar of a tricked-out sports car engine as it tears its way down the track. For some, that’s one of the main reasons they get a car only to spend thousands on mods that will give them that perfect rumble.

The P100D might be able to rocket from 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds, courtesy of its Ludicrous mode – a nod to Mel Brooks’ movie “Spaceballs” and to Elon Musk’s love of all things pop culture – but does the quiet electric motor have the soul that a V8 Mustang or Corvette engine does?

Will Electric Really Take Over?

This battle to the death between electric cars and classic gasoline-powered ones will likely be a long one. Growing concerns about carbon emissions and dwindling fossil fuel stores will carry the electric car revolution to its logical conclusion, but classic car lovers will likely not go down without a fight.

Like the automatic transmission before it, car lovers will likely be slow to accept the changeover to electric sports cars. Even today, there are still people arguing that the manual transmission provides a better driving experience, because they would rather have the “original, pure” way. Even as laws change to favor electric, change will likely be slow. Just think of all the times you see cars with pitch black windows, despite there being laws that only allow certain limits. Very few people would un-tint their windows when the laws change, and even fewer are going to stop driving their classic gas-powered cars as laws on those tighten as well.

There’s no way to tell what the final outcome of this battle will be, but if previous automotive advances are any indication, there will always be a few holdouts that cling to their internal combustion engines. Nothing will ever replace the roar of a V8 tearing its way down the track, but the automotive industry is changing and we will simply have to follow the path of innovation or risk being left in the dust.

Related Topics:Featured P100D Tesla Model S

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Scott Huntington

Owner of Off The Throttle. Writes about cars for Forbes, Yahoo Autos, Business Insider, more. Slightly colorblind.

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Elon Musk

President Donald Trump buys a Tesla at the White House – Here’s which model he chose

Published

2 months ago

March 11, 2025

Joey Klender

Credit: cb_doge | X

U.S. President Donald Trump was greeted by a convoy of Tesla electric vehicles today at the White House after he said last evening he would be buying one of the company’s cars in support of Elon Musk.

A variety of Tesla EVs, including the Model S, Cybertruck, and Model Y, all arrived in Washington on Tuesday around lunch time where the President sat in, examined, and mulled over which car he would choose. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters today that President Trump would be paying “full market price” for the vehicle.

CEO Elon Musk was alongside Trump to help make his decision:

Which Tesla did President Trump Choose?

After mulling the decision for several minutes, President Trump seemed to have gravitated toward the Tesla Model S Plaid in Deep Red, the company’s quickest and most luxurious offering, suitable for the leader of the U.S.

Trump said:

“The one I like is that one (Model S). And I want that same color. I’m going to give [Tesla] a check. I don’t want a discount.”

According to images shared from Washington, it seems Musk brought two Model S vehicles — one in Deep Red and another in Deep Blue Metallic — knowing that the President would probably choose that vehicle, but was unsure about the color.

Tesla makes a decision on the future of its flagship Model S and Model X

President Trump’s Comments on Tesla and Elon Musk

President Trump has truly gained a meaningful working relationship with Musk, who he has called “a genius” and “brilliant” on several occasions. Regarding Tesla, the President said:

“Tesla’s a great company; They’re American cars, it’s American made. He employs thousands of people. He has the most modern plants in the world.”

In regards to the Tesla lineup, President Trump said:

“I know people that have these cars; It blows them away. They love them.”

When talking about the polarizing design of the Cybertruck, he said:

“In terms of imagination, and I think I have a pretty great imagination, who else but this guy would design this and everybody on the road is looking at it. As soon as I saw it, I said, ‘That’s the coolest design.’ You gotta give him (Elon) credit.”

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Tesla makes a decision on the future of its flagship Model S and Model X

Published

3 months ago

February 24, 2025

Joey Klender

Tesla has made a decision regarding the future of its flagship vehicles, the Model S and Model X, which both have been sticking around for “sentimental reasons” and have no true alignment with the company’s future goals of growth.

The Model S and Model X were Tesla’s first two vehicles to be offered to the public.

They were essentially fundraisers for future, mass-market, affordable models, according to Elon Musk’s “Tesla Master Plan,” but their ability to still attract some buyers thanks to the performance of the Model S or the space of the Model X keeps them lingering.

But speculation regarding the vehicles’ true place in the expanding Tesla lineup has been persistent. With the vehicles, which have been grouped in with the Cybertruck in its quarterly delivery releases, only amounting to 23,000 deliveries in Q4, there are questions as to whether it is still worth keeping them around.

Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, said on the Ride the Lightning podcast yesterday that there are currently no plans to eliminate the Model S and Model X from the lineup.

When asked about whether there were plans for the Model S and Model X moving forward, Moravy replied:

“Just give it a minute. We’ll get there. The upgrade a couple of years ago was bigger than most people thought in terms of architecture and structure of the car got a lot better, too. But, we’ll give it some love later this year and make sure it gets a little bit…you know, with the stuff we’ve been putting in 3 and Y. Obviously, with 3 and Y, the higher volume stuff, you’ve gotta focus there.”

He confirmed that the two vehicles were not going anywhere “anytime soon.”

? When @DMC_Ryan asked Lars Moravy if Model S and Model X have some updates coming, the Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering said:
“Just give it a minute. We’ll get there.”
Sounds like another refresh is coming, and the flagships aren’t going anywhere. pic.twitter.com/Y6MPp47MJC
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— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 23, 2025

Moravy said the Model S and Model X are great consider when you consider autonomy and the robotaxi use: the Model S due to its overall quality and the Model X because of its interior space.

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Please email me with questions and comments at joey@teslarati.com. I’d love to chat! You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

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Tesla is offering a crazy Supercharging incentive on its two ‘sentimental’ vehicles

Published

3 months ago

February 8, 2025

Joey Klender

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is offering a crazy Supercharging incentive for those who choose to buy two vehicles that CEO Elon Musk said the company is keeping around for “sentimental reasons” a few years ago.

Tesla Supercharging incentives are pretty hard to come by, and it is hard to tell when the company is going to offer them. Usually, they are used to move vehicles and nudge consumers toward purchasing one model over another.

However, Tesla sometimes offers Supercharging incentives at random times for no real reason other than luck of the draw.

However, Tesla is using the Supercharging incentive to help move two of the cars that are low-volume sellers, but are kept around for what Musk called “sentimental reasons” in 2019.

Tesla is offering free Supercharging for those who choose to purchase or lease a new Model S or Model X.

The offer is good for the life of your ownership or lease. Tesla talks more about the terms on its website:

“Customers who purchase or lease a new Model X (or Model S) are eligible for free Supercharging during your ownership of the vehicle. Offer is tied to your Tesla Account and cannot be transferred to another vehicle, person or order, even in the case of ownership transfer. Used vehicles, business orders and vehicles used for commercial purposes (like taxi, rideshare and delivery services) are excluded from this promotion. You are still responsible for Supercharger fees, like idle and congestion fees, when applicable.”

This is a great promotion to attempt and move some of Tesla’s vehicles, especially two that the company only keeps around because they are two of the company’s foundational, flagship cars.

Musk said in 2019:

“I mean, they’re very expensive, made in low volume. To be totally frank, we’re continuing to make them more for sentimental reasons than anything else. They’re really of minor importance to the future.”

Tesla has not released a major update to the Model S or Model X in a few years. In 2022, it launched the Plaid configuration, but it has not received any true modifications since then, leading some to believe they could be sunsetted in the future.

For now, it seems they will be sticking around, but Tesla is still adjusting the prices and incentives of the two vehicles. Earlier this week, Tesla pushed the Model X’s price in the U.S. up by $5,000.

Need accessories for your Tesla? Check out the Teslarati Marketplace:

Please email me with questions and comments at joey@teslarati.com. I’d love to chat! You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.