Tesla is upgrading the high-end Model S and Model X with a December update that will have them go from 0 to 60 miles within an insane 2.4-second period. Instead of an automatic over-the-air (OTA) update implementation, however, Tesla wants owners to hunt for it and discover how it can be unlocked.
Performance Boosting Easter Egg
The Easter Egg, which is the term used by the industry for such stunts, will purportedly get unlocked through a combination of gestures. It was announced by Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, through a Twitter post.
Looks like the Model S P100D Easter egg will allow it to do 0 to 60 mph in 2.4 sec and a 10.6 sec 1/4 mile via software update next month
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Nov. 16, 2016
The Easter Egg, which is being referred to as a software optimization, will cut acceleration time from 0 to 60 mph by a tenth of a second. The updated vehicle will also be able to cover a quarter-mile in 10.6 seconds. These effectively make the Tesla Model S vehicle, which is already touted as the fastest-accelerating production car in the world today, even faster.
The acceleration speed should put the Model S on par with the speed of the $1.4 million LaFerrari, which registers 0 to 60 miles acceleration within a range of 2.4 and 2.5 seconds. The Ferrari car, however, is limited run. It also means that the Model S will continue to leave the Porsche's 918 Spyder and the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse in the dust. The supercars are worth $845,000 and $2.2 million, respectively but both can manage 0 to 60 miles in 2.5 seconds. To top it all, these supercars have smaller bodies with less luggage space.
According to Tesla, the Easter Egg, which should be the 8.1 update, will only improve all the P100D Ludicrous vehicles in the Tesla Model S and Model X range. That includes both existing and new models.
Previous Easter Eggs
The Easter Egg has impressed enthusiasts because it reveals that the current Ludicrous vehicles are not yet realizing their full potential. It also trounces previous Easter Eggs that Tesla has introduced. For example, a hidden function released in February last year will "turn" the Tesla Model S into the Lotus Esprit submarine, which made an appearance in the 1977 James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me.
That Easter Egg will not really transform the vehicle physically. The change only happened in the dashboard. If the driver holds down the T button in the control menu, a technician login pops up. Upon entering the 007 code, the Model S sedan in the menu will become Lotus Esprit submarine.
Tesla vehicle owners should already know that almost all software updates come with an Easter Egg. The latest has been introduced last May and it involved a toggle to change the settings of the LED found in the car's charge port. Once discovered, the Easter Egg will have the LED display the colors of the rainbow.
