Electric car with dual motor and all-wheel-drive unveiled by Tesla

Tesla Motors is making its Model S sedan safer and faster.

The luxury electric car manufacturer has recently announced its new Tesla P85D, an all-wheel-drive (AWD) electric vehicle that will have two motors, one powering the rear wheels and one powering the front wheels.

The new model will be able to compete better with other high-end sedans.

In front of an audience of over 1,000 people, the company’s CEO Elon Musk announced last week Tesla’s new electric vehicle model. Musk explained that although AWD gas-powered cars tend to be less efficient and are heavy, their electric car’s AWD system means a vehicle with improved acceleration, speed, and mileage.

The “D” in the Tesla P85D stands for “dual motor” according to Musk. This makes it different from its predecessor the Model S, which only has a single motor and rear wheel drive. The double motor version of the P85 performance sedan will be able to reach a top speed of 250 kilometers per hour (km/h), which is notably faster than the top 210 km/h of the current sedan. Similar to exotic sports cars, the new car will be able to accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in just over 3 seconds (3.2 seconds). “This car is nuts. It’s like taking off from a carrier deck,” Musk commented.

Tesla also upgraded the electric car safety features.

In addition to the AWD system helping the car have better grip on slippery roads, it also features a new “auto pilot” cruise control system that can sense traffic and will move the car over a lane when the driver activates the turn signal. Also, it uses cameras to read speed limits signs and will decelerate as necessary. However, according to Musk, this system does not mean that it can drive itself, although on private property the car can be summoned remotely by the driver.

Raj Rajkumar, who is a pioneer of self-driving cars with Carnegie Mellon University, commented that while he was impressed with the new “auto pilot” feature, he did question its limitations, such as how well it would perform in different road and weather conditions.

The base price for the new electric car P85D all-wheel-drive model is $120,000. The cars are already on sale at Tesla’s website and will be delivered starting in December.