Elon Musk’s schedule is looking really hectic nowadays as he tries to keep up with his responsibilities
as CEO of Tesla.
Just last month, the tech billionaire was somewhere on the outskirts of Berlin, inaugurating
Tesla’s new Giga-Berlin factory.
The car manufacturing company is at the peak of its powers and they're several milestones
that deserve to be celebrated, like the car-making plant we just talked about or the one million
electric vehicles the automaker delivered last year.
But for Elon Musk, there isn't much time to felicitate.
He has to deliver on his Cybertruck promise while also keeping up with enormous demand
for other Tesla models.
On the other hand, Musk is also initiating improvements to some of Tesla’s existing
technologies, including its lithium-ion batteries and the optimized carbon-wrapped Plaid electric
motor which is expected to further extend the performance limit of existing and forthcoming
Tesla vehicles.
Join us in this video as we unwrap Tesla’s new insane electric motor.
What's this new Plaid electric motor like?
How big is it?
Why is it wrapped in Carbon?
How is it different from Tesla’s current motor?
Does it have any flaws?[a]
And finally, which Tesla cars will benefit from the technology?
Let's find out together.
Growing up, we all got to hear this saying: “If it's not broken, don't fix it.”
It was repeated many times until it became a cliché.
Most of us adhere to this unofficial rule even to this day, but there are some opposite-minded
humans like Elon Musk who don't seem to get the memo.
Or maybe they grew up in a different world from ours, who knows?
Anyway, for some reasons unknown to us, these special breeds of people have continued to
fix things that are not broken.
Of course it has backfired on some of them.
But for others like Elon Musk, this approach has yielded great results.
I mean take a look at companies.
From Tesla to SpaceX to Neuralink and the so-called, which does fun things beneath the
earth’s surface.
Elon Musk’s investments are all thriving.
He has also become the highest shareholder at Twitter, and that’s thriving as well.
So, there’s basically no legal or moral ground to criticize Musk when he tries to
fix things that are not broken.
And the same applies to his efforts in developing the upgraded Tesla Plaid electric motor.
What’s This New Motor Like?
To find out how this upgraded electric motor works, we’ll first need to explain the basics
behind the current motor.
The electric motor is an underappreciated invention.
Nowadays, you’ll find it in different machines and appliances, including water pumps, refrigerators,
washing machines, computers, fans, and electric cars.
But its origin dates back to over a hundred years ago when legendary scientist Nikola
Tesla invented it.
The idea behind electric motors is quite simple - once you send current through one end, and
the axle or metal rod on the other end rotates.
This process supplies the energy you need to power a machine of some sort.
But how is this electrical energy converted to mechanical energy?
An electric motor does this conversion with the help of electromagnets.
These are slightly different from the normal magnets that you know.
You see, the magnetic field in electromagnets can only be created and sustained when there’s
a flow of electric current.
In other words, the magnetic field becomes non-existent as soon as the current stops
flowing.
Meanwhile, a permanent magnet literally does what its name suggests; it maintains a permanent
magnetic field at all times.
Inside every induction electric motor, you’ll find a rotor and stator.
The rotor is the part that rotates.
It is surrounded by iron bars that conduct electricity.
Stator on the other hand remains static as it cannot move, it's basically a set of copper
wires wrapped into coils.
The rotor is housed inside the stator which is connected to an electrical power supply
- in this case a DC battery.
The idea is once current is sent to the stator, it creates a charged environment and turns
the rotor, thereby powering the vehicle.
But there’s a little problem here - electric motors only work with alternating current
but batteries can only supply direct current.
So, to solve this discrepancy, the direct current from the battery first finds its way
into the inverter.
The direct current is converted into alternating current inside the inverter before it is then
sent to the electric motor, which in turn powers the vehicle.
Got it?
Of course, you did.
This optimized motor is expected to follow the same principles that we just described,
but it's certainly going to feature some important changes.
Not too much, but just enough to help it outperform its predecessor.
How Big Is It?
Well, maybe this question should be, how small is it?
Because we hear the new Plaid motor will be so small that a single human will be able
to lift it up.
However, it's potent enough to power a vehicle that weighs more than 1,800 kilograms.
Why Is It Wrapped In Carbon?
Wrapping carbon around his motor means it will generate more electromagnetic field than
a similar sized motor which is wrapped with a metal like for instance steel.
Also, the carbon is able to hold firm and prevent the expansion of the copper wires
due to extensive radial acceleration.
While this method is hugely beneficial, the process of wrapping carbon around copper is
extremely difficult.
This is because both elements have different thermal expansion rates.
So, to achieve its aim, Tesla Automation, a subsidiary of the car-making company, had
to create an entirely new machine that would serve this purpose.
Tesla Automation was founded in 1963 under the name Grohmann Engineering and acquired
by Tesla for approximately $150 million in 2017.
It's not the first time that Tesla is making components in-house to facilitate or optimize
its production process.
The American EV maker is known to manufacture its batteries, chargers, and body panels.
And during the terrible semiconductor scarcity that left so many automakers stranded, there
were rumors that Tesla could maybe set up a chip manufacturing plant.
Many competitors would be glad that didn't happen.
Before we explain what makes the Plaid motor different from the old motor, if you've made
it this far, make sure to like and subscribe for more content like this.
How Is It Different From The Existing Motor?
The new Tesla Plaid Motor is visibly smaller than the old motor, but it is expected to
deliver some top level of efficiency and unprecedented performance like we've never seen before.
Tesla claims it's the world’s most advanced electric motor.
It also doubles as the only production electric motor in the world to have carbon sleeves.
This guarantees more torque and enables the Plaid motor to reach higher RPM.
Does It Have Any Flaws?
Apparently there’s a tiny bit of complaint with the Plaid electric motor.
Initially, Tesla had predicted that this revolutionary motor as contained in the Tesla Model S will
sustain 1000 of its 1020 maximum horsepower on its way to reaching the stipulated top
speed of 200 miles per hour.
But test drivers for Car and Driver, an American automotive enthusiast magazine, alleged that
they were only about to hit a top speed of 162 miles per hour during an independent test
session.
Well, trust Elon Musk and Tesla to always find a way to tinker their way out of trouble.
The automaker has since announced that this issue will be resolved with the help of an
over-the-air software update.
So you, too, can enjoy the full performance of the Plaid electric motor.
On second thought, if we’re going to be practical, you really wouldn’t need to drive
above 162 miles per hour.
Well, except you’re behind the wheels of a formula one car.[b]
Which Cars Will It Fit Into?
The Plaid motor is basically small enough to fit into any production car, but one car
that looks like it needs it the most is the Tesla Roadster.
The Roadster was Tesla’s first automobile offering, but the American brand decided to
discontinue production.
Now Tesla is gearing up to introduce a second generation of the Roadster, and it will likely
carry the new Plaid motor.
With this in place, the new Roadster is expected to have a torque of around 10,000 Newton Meters
and drift from zero to 60 in 1.1 seconds.
For context, the Plaid version of the Model S drifted from zero to 60 in 1.99 seconds
during a test in 2021, making it the fastest production car at the time.
Another vehicle that could enjoy this remarkable piece of engineering is the Cybertruck.
Tesla has delayed the production of this car multiple times due to supply chain problems.
But those setbacks might have just presented Tesla with a golden opportunity to improve
its performance by adding this little magic motor to the mix.
The carbon-wrapped electric motor technology could potentially also benefit Tesla's next
incoming semi-truck, which aims to hit zero to 60 in 20 odd seconds while carrying 80,000
pounds of load.
Quite ambitious if you ask us.
The unofficially proposed Tesla electric airplane could also feature this new-age motor as well.
When it comes to EVs, Tesla leads the rest of the park by a mile.
And we can imagine that with the development of better-optimized batteries and this new
carbon-wrapped Plaid electric motor, we can imagine that the gap between Tesla and its
competitors will continue to widen even further.
What do you think about the new Plaid electric motor?
Should Tesla use it for its other car models?
Let us know in the comment section below.
Be sure to check out this video over here.