Tesla Model S P85D Now Faster… Thanks To Software Update

A software upgrade to Tesla’s new Model S P85D will soon, among other improvements, make the new flagship sedan even faster.

Delivered in much the same fashion as an update to your smartphone, the upgrade promises to shave 0.1 seconds off the P85D’s already impressive 3.2 second run to 60mph (96km/h).

For existing owners of the still brand-new hero sedan, the software tweak - described as a change to electric drive system's inverter algorithm - should prove a welcome surprise.

Tesla P85D 0 to 60mph acceleration will improve by ~0.1 sec soon via over-the-air software update to inverter algorithm

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2015

The news was delivered this week in a tweet by Tesla founder Elon Musk, at the same time promising that a similar upgrade will also improve the now superseded P85 model’s acceleration, “but not quite as much”.

Software updates this significant are a rare thing even with today's advanced automotive offerings, but an 'over the air' update delivered via either home wifi or mobile data remains a uniquely Tesla experience.

New Australian owners are also receiving a software update this week, with one TMR reader describing "a bunch of new features and improvements" as the car's onboard computer is upgraded from version 6.0 to 6.1.

"Not a normal car experience, that is for sure," our reader told us in an email this week.