132 mph on the autobahn? No problem for the Tesla Model S

By Nick Jaynes November 5, 2013

132 mph autobahn problem tesla model s silver on road — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Until Tesla, electric cars weren’t known for speed.

Yes, there were some one-off units capable of impressive quarter-mile times but few could accelerate, cruise, and travel long distances with any sort of reliability.

Luckily for Germans, the Model S changed all of that, as the autobahn is a place where cars need to be able to hold high speeds for long periods of time. And that’s exactly what the Model S – fitted with the special autobahn tuning package – can do.

As you can see in the video below, Martin Thomsen from EV Network DK pushed a Model S up to 132 mph during a drive from Berlin to Copenhagen.

Watch as Thomsen’s Model S pushes from 60 to 100 mph in seconds. Only when the luxury EV nears 124 mph does the rapid acceleration slow a bit. Another thing you’ll notice about the Model S speed run is how impressively quiet the whole thing is.

130 mph is no problem for most modern sports sedans. Being able to do it so quietly, however, is something that few cars – outside the Audi RS 7 – can claim.

Pushing all 416 horsepowers to the road, I doubt very much that Thomsen’s Model S will be able to travel anywhere close to its EPA-rated 256-mile range. But that’s OK because Germany is getting a full Tesla Supercharger fast-charge network very soon.

Do you have a Model S? Have you dared push it to its top-speed limits? Tell us in the comments section.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

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