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Test drove ludicrous today...some bits I picked up.

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So I called my SC a week or so ago to see if they had a P90DL available for test drive. They informed they had received a P90D, but without ludicrous. A buddy of mine wanted to go test drive today and I came to learn that they now in fact DO have a car with ludicrous...that afternoon I spring out of work like a bat out of hell, hoping to make it there before they close.

I get there and see the car - no underline below the P90D. I ask whether they retrofitted ludicrous to the car they had or if they got a new one altogether. He informed they upgraded the car to ludicrous via software and went on to clarify that all P90D's have the special fuse and inconel components in the battery pack out of the factory. He said the process was a little difficult because the car kept throwing faults, but they eventually got everything figured out.

As for the car - It was late, so I was only able to test it without having Max Power in "ready" mode (ain't nobody got time fo dat). Having driven a P85D previously, there was indeed a noticeable difference in the 35-70 mph range. 0-35 felt similar to insane. I had a headache after flooring it from 30 several times. I giggled like a little girl during most of the drive.

He told me the Max Power mode eats energy like a goblin and should only be used sparingly. He stated their test drive car was averaging over 600wh/mi more or less doing nothing but ludicrous launches w Max Power on the past several days. He noted that each launch seemed to cut about 3 miles of range.

Finally, I also asked about the P85D retrofits. According to him, they're gearing up to tentatively start them in about one month and the process will take about a day to perform. Indeed, those were the words of an SC rep and not the Tesla mothership itself, though I hope it's still somewhat reassuring to P85D owners out there.
 
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I had a headache after flooring it from 30 several times. I giggled like a little girl during most of the drive.

He told me the Max Power mode eats energy like a goblin and should be only be used sparingly. He stated their test drive car was averaging over 600wh/mi more or less doing nothing ludicrous launches w Max Power on the past several days. He noted that each launch seemed to cut about 3 miles of range.

Glad you got the chance to drive one. I still get headaches from time to time. It can be intense, especially if you are at like 35 or 40, let regen take you to 30 and then punch it.

I honestly haven't noticed a big difference in the max battery option. It's also a massive PITA when you don't know how long it takes to be ready AND that it can turn off on you.
 
Glad you got the chance to drive one. I still get headaches from time to time. It can be intense, especially if you are at like 35 or 40, let regen take you to 30 and then punch it.

I honestly haven't noticed a big difference in the max battery option. It's also a massive PITA when you don't know how long it takes to be ready AND that it can turn off on you.

Maybe the Max Battery option should show a count down in minutes or seconds... :)

... Max Battery in 4:07
 
That's would be awesome because sometimes it takes like 2 miles to turn on and other times 10 miles. Until I see a difference though I don't plan on using it for more than occasional testing.

Glad to hear you think the difference is only marginal as it does seem to be quite cumbersome to use unless you have the luxury of planning ahead. Even then, it still seems like a gamble to me as the diminished SOC to get there could outweigh the benefits of having it on. If that were the case, cold weather environments would seem to obviate any theoretical speed advantage unless you're just coming off a charger while warmer climates may get closer to realizing a real world benefit I would think? Not sure...on the other hand, having it in cold climates would seem to be convenient for quickly getting you up to baseline when necessary.

Not sure if you've paid much attention to energy usage with it on, but did it seem to impact your SOC as much as the SC rep led me to believe?
 
Not sure if you've paid much attention to energy usage with it on, but did it seem to impact your SOC as much as the SC rep led me to believe?

I tried to pay attention, but it was hard. There are a couple fields in the API that might related to the preconditioning and I'm planning to see if they change when I turn it on. If I do then I can do some analysis this weekend to see if it is making a big difference. My staycation just started today so I am going to spend some more time playing this weekend.
 
I tried to pay attention, but it was hard. There are a couple fields in the API that might related to the preconditioning and I'm planning to see if they change when I turn it on. If I do then I can do some analysis this weekend to see if it is making a big difference. My staycation just started today so I am going to spend some more time playing this weekend.

Sounds good, no rush just curious - thanks again for the input as always!