While we’re testing the performance capabilities of the Tesla Model S by running it down the 1/4 mile in heads up races such as Tesla vs Corvette Stingray and Tesla vs Viper, others are digging deep into how the Tesla Model S functions internally.

Being the technical marvel that the Model S is with it’s 17″ multi-touch display, all digital dashboard, all electric drivetrain, remote control Apps and more,  along with the fact that the car was designed from the ground up with no predecessor, it’s no surprise that internally it’s using the latest technologies to run these systems.

Some tech savvy Model S owners have located a 4 pin connector (HSD 4 pole M12) on the left side of the Tesla Model S dashboard that turns out to be a disguised ethernet networking port.  After taking apart one end of an ethernet patch cable and trying different pin combinations to connect with the Tesla’s port, a networking connection was established between the Model S and a laptop computer.  This connection allowed for port scanning and data sniffing to explore  how the Tesla Model S systems communicate with each other and what services are running and used.

The car’s internal 100 Mbps, full duplex ethernet network consists of 3 devices with assiged IP addresses in the 192.168.90.0 subnet, the center console, dashboard/nav screen and one more unknown device.  Some ports and services that were open on the devices were:

• 22 (SSH)
• 23 (telnet)
• 53 (open domain)
• 80 (HTTP)
• 111 (rpcbind)
• 2049 (NFS)
• 6000 (X11)

Port 80 one one device was serving up a web page with the image or media of the current song being played.  The operating system is modified version of Ubuntu using an ext3 filesystem.

Using X11 it also appears that an owner was able to somewhat run Firefox on both screens as per the pictures.

All of this technology certain brings up the question as to when and if Telsa’s internal systems will be hacked and jailbroken to allow 3rd party applications to run on the large 17″ touchscreen.  Hacking your iPhone is one thing, hacking your car is quite another.

We should also note that apparently Tesla engineers detected this hacking or exploring and sent a nastygram to the cars owner, “Tesla USA engineers have seen a tentative of hacking on my car.”, “can be related to industrial espionage and advised me to stop investigation, to not void the warranty”.

Does Tesla have an network intrusion detection system installed on the cars?  Do they have the right to not allow you to tinker with your own car?

This is certainly going to be interesting as more Tesla’s hit the road and more people attempt to get into it’s systems.  So far just about every consumer device that’s been desired to be hacked into, has.

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Reference: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com

Here is another featured race from the StreetCarDrags.com event at Palm Beach International Raceway this past weekend.  We put our 2013 Tesla Model S P85  heads up against the brand new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z51 with the 6 speed automatic transmission.

It’s a rehash of our wildly popular Tesla vs Viper race we did last year where we pit new age American electric against modern American muscle and the results were similar with the Tesla Model S winning one race and the Chevrolet Corvette winning the other.

Tech Specs:

• 2013 Tesla Model S P85: 415 HP, 4,690 pounds, no transmission
• 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: 460HP, 3,450 pounds, 6 speed automatic transmission

Can the Tesla Model S with 45 less horsepower carrying 1,240 more pounds keep up with the Corvette Stingray?    Click play below and find out…

A race car owner recently tested their Tesla Model S in A2′s wind tunnel.  While the results were close, the Tesla Model S reportedly edged out the Daytona Race car in terms of it’s coefficient of drag.  Check out the pictures and video below:

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Take a look at this bright green Tesla Model S spotted with Elon Musk and some other execs in the background at the Tesla factory.  All kinds of rumors are running rampant with this one from it being an all wheel drive test mule Model S with 600HP to just a new color, or the possibility of it being featured in an upcoming movie.

Related Links:

• Tesla Model S Drag Racing Energy Usage and Cost
• Tesla Model S Performance sets World Record for the Quickest Production Electric Car
• Tesla Model S 60 kWh vs Tesla Model S 85 kWh Performance

Source: TeslaMotorsClub

A member over at TeslaMotorsClub spotted this Tesla Model S Performance 85 sitting at the Hertz in San Diego available for rental.   If you want to rip up the streets quietly (0-60 in 3.9 seconds) in a Tesla Model S then head on over and be ready to spend quite a bit at $1,500 per day.

We wonder if you have to bring it back with a full charge or be hit with some crazy charging fees??

Source: TeslaMotorsClub

While we’ve done quite a few tests with the 2012 and 2013 Tesla Model S 85 Performance, we recently had some seat time in Tesla’s base model, the Model S 60 kWh.  The base Model S with the 60 kWh battery is rated at 302 HP (225 kW) and 317 ft-lbs of torque.   Tesla claims a 0-60 MPH time of 5.9 seconds and a 1/4 mile of 14.2 but as we’ve seen in the past with the high end Model S 85 performance, Tesla seems under rate their cars, so we decided to bring out the VBOX and test it out.

This Model S was equipped with the 19″ wheels, technology package,  no panoramic roof and was painted in what we think is not the best color for the Model S, BROWN.  We charged up the Model S 60 to it’s full capacity (208 EPA rated miles) and headed out for a few runs.   The Model S 60 was amazing consistent running 3 consecutive 0-60 MPH runs in just 5.1 seconds with 0-100 MPH coming in at 12.8 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 13.7 @ 102.8 MPH.  This is significantly  quicker and faster than what Tesla quotes and actually beats Tesla’s numbers for the Tesla Model S 85 Non-Performance. View our world record run for the Model S Performance.

We noticed that the while on full throttle, the Tesla Model S 60 was showing a peak power of 240 kW on the digital dash display, this is a little higher than what Tesla lists on their website, 225 kW.   So maybe they are sending out these base models with a bit more power.   The Model S 85 is rated at 270 kW (362HP) and the 85 Performance at 310 kW (416 HP).

We put together two videos, one of just the Model S 60 and another that shows the Model S 60 vs the 85 Performance digital dashes side by side from 0-114 MPH.   Both runs were done on the same road but at different times, enjoy!

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We’ve had a few questions and interesting comments on our posts and videos about just how much all out racing could be done with a Tesla Model S along with how much that racing might cost.   We did some testing with a 2013 Tesla Model S Performance and took some video of the runs to address these questions in the real world.

The Tesla Model S we tested was equipped with the 85 kWh battery and the Performance Package which makes it the most powerful and highest capacity car that Tesla currently offers.  Power output for this Model S is 416 HP and 443 ft-lbs of torque and the car weighs in at 4,700 pounds.

The state of charge for the Tesla’s battery at the beginning of the test was about 82% full showing 253 miles of ideal range .   We reset the trip computer and set regenerative braking to it’s max setting before the run so we could monitor the Tesla’s energy usage as well as the regenerative braking to determine an approximate net energy usage during the 1/4 mile run.

After coming to a complete stop and turning off traction control we launched the Model S and ran the 1/4 mile under full throttle.   We held down the power just past the 1/4 mile hitting 114 MPH and then let off the accelerator allowing the regenerative braking to bring the car down to almost a complete stop without touching the actual brakes.

As you can see in the video below the Tesla’s total energy consumption was 1.1 kWh at 114 MPH and after the car slowed down using the regenerative braking .6 kWh was put back into the battery.   This results in a net energy usage of .5 kWh for the 1/4 mile pass.  Pretty amazing that the car can recover just over half of energy used and put it back into the battery using it’s regenerative braking.

Using the Tesla’s 85 kWh battery specification we divided 85 kWh by .5 kWh and came up with an estimated 170 all out races before needing to charge back up.  Using our electricity rates here in South Florida @ ~12 cents per kWh from FPL, each race costs just 6 cents!

For those interested in the performance data, the VBOX measured 0-60 MPH in 3.9 seconds and the 1/4 mile at 12.4 @ 111.3 MPH.   Also take a look this Tesla Model S setting the world record for the quickest production electric car.

Take a look at the video below and also check out our other Tesla Model S articles and videos.

Our Other Tesla Videos

We have some screens shots of some hidden menus on a Tesla Model S which reveals some very interesting information about some possible upcoming features Tesla might have in store for it’s Model S.  In the APPS section there are options for an Image Viewer, Sketch Pad, and Scheduler along with a few testing apps.

Even more interesting is the DATA area which shows configuration options for Blind Spot Detection, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning Systems all of which are currently not available in the Model S.  Also shown is a really cool diagram showing the current status of the battery management, charging and cooling systems.

In the settings area there are additional options such as a top speed limiter and derate sport torque.  While those are interesting we were really hoping for a Launch Control option with some more torque off the line to get the Model S into the 11′s at the drag strip.

Holding down the Tesla Logo in the top middle of the Model S 17″ touch screen for 5 seconds and releasing brings up a prompt for a password which allows access to these screens.   No, we don’t have the password and we highly recommend not getting into these hidden menus as they could cause major issues with the Model S if not properly used.

Below is a video showing how to access the hidden menu password prompt along with some screen shots of what’s in the hidden menus.

We had some time to test out the brand new Tesla Model S Performance at the StreetCarDrags.com event this weekend at Palm Beach International Raceway.    The Tesla Model S Performance is a zero emissions all electric car with an AC induction motor pushing out 416HP and 443 ft-lbs of torque from 0-5,100 RPM.

The Tesla Model S Performance ended up running a best time of 12.371 @ 110.84 MPH with 0-60 MPH coming up in just 3.9 seconds.  The National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) was on site running their Winter EV Nationals and verified the Tesla runs to have set a new world record for the quickest production electric vehicle in the 1/4 mile.

We started out with a full charge on the Tesla which indicated a range of 314 miles, after a 78 mile trip to Palm Beach International Raceway at 70 MPH the Tesla showed a range of 205 miles left.  We made a few passes in the car shortly after arriving and the car was amazingly consistent running two back to back 12.678 passes @ 108 MPH.   We then drove the car over to the RV parking area at the track and plugged into their 240v 40AMP charging station.

After 3 hours the car was fully charged and we made another pass running 12.371 @ 110.84 MPH which was backed up by a few 12.4x passes.   We’re not sure if the increase in performance is due a full battery or having the car cooled down, comments from electron buffs on this?

Our test car was equipped with the 21″ wheel and tire package which weigh more than the standard 19″ wheels.  We’re going to try and get our hands on some of the 19″ wheels to do some more testing to see what kind of performance gain they might have.  We also put the Model S on the scales where it weighed in at 4,690 pounds.

It’s very impressive how a single motor the size of an office trash can propel this 4,690 pound car (4,870 with driver) to 60 MPH in under 4 seconds and runs low 12′s in the 1/4 mile in a rear wheel drive configuration.   Imagine if Tesla put another one of those motors in the front.  An all wheel drive, 832 horsepower electric sedan?  Build it and we’ll be first in line!

We have a lot of video to go through, but here is a teaser of the Tesla Model S racing heads up against a 2005 Dodge Viper SRT10 with exhaust and air filters.

Tesla Model S Performance Drag Racing 1/4 Mile Timeslips

Tesla Model S Performance 0-60 MPH in 3.9 Seconds (VBOX)

Video: Tesla Model S Performance vs Dodge Viper SRT10

Video: Tesla Model S Performance: 12.3 @ 110.8 MPH

Video: Tesla Model S Performance vs Chevrolet Volt

We have some video and dyno results of the first Tesla Model S Performance on a DynoJet in Texas.   With no RPMs to record,  no transmission and instant torque it’s interesting to see how electric cars demonstrate their power on the dyno.  The DynoJet recorded a max power output of 368 horsepower at the wheels at around 55 MPH but from looking at the video they started the dyno run from a pretty good roll.  We think it would have probably made more power if they started earlier.  The power slowly decreases as the Tesla’s speed increases to it’s max speed of 130 MPH and the owner noted all sorts of error lights on the Tesla while on the dyno so it might have been pulling some power back.

We also noted a correction factor of .98 was applied which isn’t necessary since weather/DA should not play a role in the Tesla’s power output.   Adding the 2% back in brings the power to 375HP at the wheels, very impressive from electric motor the size of a small office trash bin.   Tesla specs the power outoput at 416HP and 443 ft-lbs of torque and we’ve seen the Tesla put down 0-60 MPH in just 3.9 seconds and a 1/4 mile time of 12.2 @ 112 MPH.

Take a look at the dyno graph and video below:

Tesla Model S P85 Dyno

Video: