The American electric car manufacturer Tesla has set a new official time for electric production vehicles with the Model S Plaid. Driver Tom Schwister completed a lap of the 20.8-kilometre Nordschleife in 7:25.231 minutes with the vehicle, reaching a top speed of 289 km/h. The updated Plaid model was equipped with the latest Track Pack for the time.

According to carmaker Tesla, the Track Pack was developed for better performance on the track and allows for a top speed of 322 km/h. In addition, the Model S Plaid features a carbon ceramic brake package, 20-inch forged wheels and Goodyear Supercar 3R tyres. The latest version of Tesla's Track Mode improved the Model S Plaid's previous official 2021 lap time of 7:35.579 by over 10 seconds. The time is now listed as the fastest in the electric production vehicle category.

The onboard video of the record drive can be seen on the Nürburgring's Youtube channel. Like all record runs, the S Plaid's lap was officially recorded and confirmed by the Nürburgring. In addition to timekeeping with calibrated measuring equipment, official record attempts and attempts to achieve a lap time are always accompanied by a notary. In addition, the vehicles and the drivers are inspected by TÜV Rheinland as a partner of the Nürburgring and neutral inspection organisation. The scrutineering is not required for racing vehicles, special vehicles and prototypes or concept vehicles.

All official times set on the Nordschleife so far can be found here.