2026 Tesla Model S Plaid

Plaid

Tri-Motor Electric

Three motors deliver a violent, almost disorienting surge of acceleration that holds strong to a 200 mph top speed instead of tapering off, a hallmark of the Plaid powertrain.

'Plaid' is Tesla's tri-motor performance flagship for the Model S and X, the name a nod to the 'ludicrous speed... they've gone to plaid' gag from Mel Brooks' Spaceballs, escalating Tesla's own 'Ludicrous' mode.

• It was the first series-production EV to use carbon-sleeved rotors, wrapping each rotor in carbon fiber so it can spin past 20,000 rpm without flying apart.
• A Model S Plaid lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:35.579, setting a production-EV record at the time.
• The carbon wrap is what lets the motors sustain over 1,000 hp across the entire speed range rather than only at lower rpm.