Why Is Tesla So Fast? (How Can It Accelerate So Quickly)

Way back when electric cars first exploded on the scene, it was nearly impossible to be able to imagine that one day an electric car would be able to hit over 100mph – let alone be fun or exciting to drive! 

Fast forward to the modern-day, and Tesla (amongst others) is one of the leading electric car manufacturers in the world and has a growing catalog of electric vehicles that are becoming more and more desirable to drive.

So much so, that owning a Tesla is now even seen as a status symbol.

With Tesla’s growing popularity, Tesla has been able to create more impressive and advanced EVs, and in turn, at the very top of Tesla’s growing line of vehicles, models such as the P85D have the ability to accelerate up to 60mph in just 2.6 seconds, which is extremely impressive in an electric car. 

The only question left to ask is – why are Tesla electric cars so fast?

What gives them the ability to accelerate at such high speeds? If you’re currently asking yourself this, then rest assured that you have clicked on the right article! Below, we’re going to be talking you through why Teslas are so fast, and how they are able to accelerate so quickly. Read on!

Reason #1: Teslas Have Plenty Of Horsepower

One of the biggest reasons why Teslas are so fast is because they come packed with plenty of horsepower.

To give you an idea of just how much horsepower Teslas have, the Tesla S P90D 2015 Model offers a jaw-dropping 762 horsepower as well as a 731 lb-ft torque, which ensures that drivers will be able to get their Tesla up to 60mph in just 2.6 seconds.

This contrasts greatly with the average horsepower of standard, average cars, which are around 180-200 horsepower. Impressive or what?

Reason #2 Teslas Require No Need For Gear Shifting

If you’re already familiar with driving a car that has a manual transmission (otherwise known as using a stick shift to maneuver through gears) then we’re sure that you’re already familiar with the amount of time it can take to actually build up enough speed to hit around 60mph.

First, you need to start by putting your car in 1st, then carefully move to 2nd, make sure it’s safe to switch to 3rd, and then from there move up to either 4th or 5th, depending on how fast you are needing to go.

With that being said, while driving a regular car stick shift, it can take upwards of 20+ seconds to accelerate to a decent speed, and Teslas are all designed to not require this. 

Offering an automatic transmission, Teslas, despite being an electric motor, are able to offer you an almost maximum torque at any RPM, which means that you’ll be able to enjoy a super-fast acceleration as soon as your foot hits that pedal.

Plus, unique to Teslas, a large advantage to Teslas is that, as soon as you put your foot on the accelerator and begin picking up speed, the Tesla engine will begin driving and controlling the car via the wheels, which means that you won’t need to do worry about having to go through the hassle of gear shifting. 

Reason #3 Software Updates Can Increase Tesla Speeds

Another interesting reason why Teslas are so quick is due to software updates!

Just like your smartphone (or any other type of electronic device you have sitting around in your home) as an electric-powered vehicle, Tesla has its very own software that is constantly being improved and updated.

Thanks to all of these upgrades and advancements, it means that Tesla cars are able to reach faster speeds than other cars, while also ensuring that updates are also made to improve safety.

Plus, seeing as all Tesla software updates are entirely automatic, it means that you won’t have to worry about doing anything. 

Reason #4 Teslas Have Better Batteries Than Other Types of Cars

Even though electric cars tend to have a reputation for having much lower amounts of power as compared to gas-powered cars, thanks to Tesla’s engineering, it means that Tesla is now able to create cars that are fast, powerful, and able to offer more range for each full charge. 

To break that down, recent advancements made by Tesla have allowed Tesla engineers to innovatively increase the number of cells into the exact same amount of space used for older models.

Thanks to this increase in cells, it means that Teslas are able to utilize a significantly higher amount of power and offer longer ranges, which, in turn, has increased the overall energy efficiency and ensured that Tesla cars are able to run more quickly and with higher overall speeds, use after use.

Reason #5 They Can Easily Be Modified 

Last but certainly not least, you might be interested to learn that another reason why Teslas are so much faster than other types of cars, is due to the fact that they can be modified and upgraded to increase speeds.

If you already have a Tesla and are wanting to increase the maximum speed that your Tesla is able to reach (while also improving your cars overall acceleration speeds) then you have the option of upgrading your Tesla’s main battery contacts in order to increase the flow rate from 1,300 to 1,500 amps.

By getting this modification made, it means that you will be able to enjoy more power and torque due to your Tesla being able to access more power from the battery.