We’ve seen Tesla’s Model S go up against a plethora of supercars in various drag racing scenarios, but this video really shows the brute power of the electric car.
For starters, if you were rooting for the guy on the bike, then we’ve got some bad news for you. The rider loses, and not by a small margin. Sorry we spoiled the outcome of the race right off the bat, but the 600cc bike didn’t stand a chance to begin with.
That’s because as fast as they are, motorcycles have peak power way up in the rev band, as opposed to a Tesla which offers it from standstill, all in a big lump at the press of the, ahem, “gas” pedal. But what about the power-to-weight ratio, you may ask? Well, there’s another explanation for that.
You see, the bike wasn’t starting the impromptu races in its optimal power-band, which made it an easy target for the Tesla. In fact, it was completely obliterated by the Model S. Again, and again, and again. A Kawasaki Ninja ZX6R like the one in the video, assuming it’s a newer model, has all of its power (horsepower and torque) beyond 12,000rpm; in comparison, the rider started the second race at ~3000 rpm.
We don’t know exactly what variant of the model S the biker was racing against, and the owner didn’t help out either, mainly because he said the car develops 900 ft-lb of torque, which adds up to 1,220 Nm. So let’s assume it’s the full-fat P90D.
Either way, the footage did provide a clear display of the EV’s power, which shouldn’t be taken likely, even with a 1,000cc bike.