A Tesla Model S Plaid reached 216 mph at a Canadian airfield earlier this week. The Plaid was modified by Ingenext, an EV tuning company based in Trois-Rivières, Canada. Ingenext removed the Plaid's software limiter to see its true top speed potential and they were not let down.
Although Tesla's website claims the Model S Plaid has a 200 mph top speed, that is not achievable with current software limitations. For now, the stock Model S Plaid has a 175 mph max speed. When it first launched last year the Plaid's top speed was capped at 163 mph. However, it was increased by 12 mph in a January software update that also saw the addition of a Track Mode.
That said, Ingenext's Plaid comfortably reached 200 mph before eventually topping out at 216 mph. Such speeds are typically achieved by supercars, not 2-ton sedans. For example, the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ also has a top speed of 216 mph. Meanwhile, the McLaren P1 (one of the most iconic hypercars of the 2010s) has a 217 mph max speed.
Ingenext used a 1.8-mile runway at Trois-Rivières airport to achieve the feat. As well as removing the limiter, Ingenext equipped its Plaid with Mountainpass Performance brakes and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. Besides those adjustments, the Plaid was entirely stock. The person behind the wheel was actually Ingenext's CEO, Guillaume André.
This is not the first time an electric sedan has reached well over 200 mph. Way back in 2017, a prototype Lucid Air reached 235 mph. Although the production Air Grand Touring has a top speed of 168 mph, it would be interesting to see Ingenext remove its limiter and do a similar test to see if it can better the Plaid.
