Connect with us

Tesla Model S

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

Published

9 years ago

on

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.

Advertisement

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

2011_ford_mustang_gt_engine_614x345knIf 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.

Advertisement
Related Topics:

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

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla teases new color while testing refreshed Model S, X

Tesla teased a new color that could be coming to the United States with the new Model S and Model X.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

May 27, 2025

By

Credit: @supergeek18 | X

Tesla appears to be teasing a brand new color while it was testing the refreshed Model S and Model X, which was spotted last week in California.

Tesla currently offers six paint options in the United States, but they are all pretty basic. This has not been a problem for owners as wrapping the vehicles is a common practice, but some people would likely see more versatility from Tesla in terms of their standard paint colors.

This is especially relevant as Europe has been able to have both Midnight Cherry Red and Quicksilver, which were, at one time, exclusive to the market.

Quicksilver made its way to the United States, and Tesla did release a new Red last year with “Ultra Red,” but Midnight Cherry Red never made its way outside the walls of Gigafactory Berlin.

Last week, as the first spy images of the new Model S and Model X were taken and released by The Kilowatts, there was a very noticeable difference with the vehicle, as other changes seemed to be relatively underwhelming: a new paint color.

Advertisement

Many believed this was simply a wrap, but Ryan Levenson of The Kilowatts, a former Tesla employee, dispelled that rumor after several questions about it.

He said that this is absolutely a factory paint color and not a wrap:

More images were shared by @supergeek18 on X:

Tesla released a new color earlier this year, but it was just a revision to Black, now called “Diamond Black,” featuring speckles that give a reflection and refraction of light as a diamond would.

Advertisement

However, this new color is certainly quite different than anything Tesla has previously offered in the U.S. before. It is relatively similar to Glacier Blue, a color Tesla launched in Asia. Earlier this year, Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Chief Designer, talked about bringing the color to the U.S.:

“Glacier Blue is just a color that we’ve been talking about with our team — the team is like right through that window by the way — and we were looking at the impact of silver, how do we get pigment into silver and really add a little bit of personality to it. If you look at our palette, you know it was either darks or white, and so we were looking for something in between. Blue is always a fairly popular color.”

It would be a refreshing addition to the options Tesla currently offers, and a breath of fresh air for those who have been wanting a different look altogether.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla’s new Model S and X spotted, but they leave a lot to be desired

The Model S and Model X testing mules spotted by The Kilowatts have few minor visual changes.

Published

3 weeks ago

on

May 23, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has been hinting for a few months now that the flagship Model S and Model X would be getting some attention in 2025 as the vehicles continue to be sold in extremely low volumes.

Both models seem to be under the knife, especially as their newest versions were spotted in California earlier this week.

However, images of the vehicles seem to show that Tesla is not planning a major overhaul, which begs the question: why even do it in the first place?

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

The Model S and Model X are grouped with the Cybertruck in Tesla’s quarterly delivery releases, and Q1 saw just 12,881 units of the three cars delivered. The Cybertruck likely made up the majority of this number, as some outlets reported around 6,400 deliveries of the all-electric pickup in Q1.

Advertisement

This is unconfirmed.

The Model S and Model X have stuck around for “sentimental reasons,” according to CEO Elon Musk, who said back in 2021:

“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.”

However, the cars seem to be in need of a serious refresh. As Tesla changed up the exterior aesthetic on both the Model 3 and Model Y, recent images captured of the Model X by The Kilowatts seem to show this is not the strategy with the Model X or Model S:

As we can see, the overall aesthetic of the X, if this is what Tesla plans to release, has literally no changes from a purely visual standpoint. There is the addition of the front bumper camera, which was first implemented on the Cybercab unveiled in October 2024, and then on the new Model Y this year.

There are some new 20″ wheels, and the interior has been fitted with ambient lighting.

The Model S looked to be relatively the same, other than these few hardware changes, including a rear diffuser on this Plaid that was spotted:

While these changes are welcome and should be beneficial, they don’t seem like they will encourage major sales growth, which might be something Tesla is okay with.

Admitting the two cars are low volume and not contributors to the company’s long-term goals, Musk is likely willing to just upgrade things to make these more compatible and better functioning with the Full Self-Driving suite.

Earlier this year, VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said the S and X were not going anywhere and would get “some love” before the end of 2025:

“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.”

Advertisement

It seems these strategies have held true — the S and X appear to be getting what the 3 and Y got with the ambient lighting and front bumper camera (at least on the Model Y).

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

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

Published

3 months ago

on

March 11, 2025

By

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:

Advertisement

“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.”

Advertisement

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.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending