Thank you for taking time to read through the post explaining basics of the power/torque characteristics of the Tesla drivetrain. Understanding these basics is an absolute must
before anybody can attempt the comparison based on hp rating across drivetrains with vastly different technologies (EV vs. ICE). I have explained in detail why hp per lb of car weight is a legitimate metric to use for comparison between the ICE cars, but does not work in comparison between an EV and ICE car
here.
According to the Second Newton's Law, for a given object (mass) the acceleration at any speed is defined by Force (linear motion)/ Torque (rotational motion). As can be seen from the explanation of the EV curves, which are addressed in detail
here, the torque curve for an EV is not uniquely identified by the max hp rating. There is a trade-off between the low and high speed acceleration. As explained in the post referenced above, acceleration within the constant torque region of the curves is defined by the angle the power curve forms with the rpm(speed) axis, i.e. by torque rating of the motor. The steeper the curve, the faster the acceleration from the stand still. The problem, however, is that the steeper the slope of the power curve (i.e. the higher the motor torque rating), the lower the rpm coordinate of the inflection point between the constant torque and constant power portions of the curves. Since the torque produced by the motor declines proportionately to rpm (speed) in the constant horsepower region of the curves (note, there is no transmission to augment this), the lower rpm coordinate of the inflection point leads to lower torque at a given rpm past the inflection point (constant horsepower portion of the curves). Simply put, based on the above, for an EV drivetrain similar to Tesla's, a design with a higher (rated) torque, i.e. torque in the constant torque region of the curve, inevitably leads to the lower torque at a given (high) rpm (speed) beyond the inflection point, on the constant power portion of the curve.
The result of the above is that comparison that technically minded unhappy owners attempted to use to arrive at their conclusion about the high speed acceleration capabilities of P85D as compared with a hypothetical ICE car was not valid. Another problem, of course, that Tesla did not market P85D using the high speed acceleration capabilities to begin with.
So here you have it, the reason for the confusion is not entirely Tesla's fault, the fault lies with the new technology which is not analogous to the old one, with the resulting confusion at any attempt for drawing any expectations based on comparison across the differing technologies.
As for what Tesla should've done, any of the proposed solutions end up with it's own hefty baggage of deficiencies. As you can see from this and other horsepower related threads, it is very difficult to communicate technical concepts required to understand the issue to a wider audience, that might not necessary have technical background, especially when it is required to do not in an engineering classroom setting, but in a one page of a Web Site/marketing materials.
