The 'analysts' are saying otherwise and seem to think its not that different to what the current cars are doing, just well more.....
I think it's due to use a new style of motors but I can't imagine they're going to add 10,000rpm to their maximum speed - which is what they'd need to do without a gearbox, to hit their claimed targets - because that would be a remarkable feat. I wouldn't want to bet against them, mind, but there would be an awful lot of hurdles to overcome - thermal and durability issues being the biggest.
After all, the original Roadster was due to have a multi-speed gearbox so it could achieve and sustain its top speed. It gets thermally limited very quickly; obviously a lot has changed, since then, but temperature and efficiency issues are still rife.
Adding a gearbox will greatly increase the complexity of the drive train. Simple drive train is the biggest advantage of electric.
Not really - a GKN two-speed transmission, for example, is about the size of a ream of A4. Sure, they'd need three - but they wouldn't be difficult to integrate and they'd allow for even more impressive acceleration while retaining long-distance and top-speed credentials.
The way they do it in the other cars is to have different reduction gear ratio's on the front and back (front is smaller for less torque and better top speed). It's also why the AWD is more efficient than the old RWD models as the car drops to FWD when the power isn't needed.
I think it's far more complicated than that - the 85Ds, for example, will cruise on the rear motor in certain modes, or just use both all the time. Non-P variants had matching motors, etc. (I think). They're still, ultimately, restricted by how fast the motors can spin - and the fact that, at higher speed, their output tails off very quickly.
A P100D will go faster than 150, its just limited like most cars 'for our safety'.
No - the motors are limited to about 18,000rpm (from what Musk said, many moons ago) - so it can't exceed that without risking damage. I've not driven a Model S at sustained high speeds but I suspect you'd run into some thermal issues pretty quickly (or tank the battery, at least) - hell, one hot lap usually throws them into thermal protection, but then you are asking more of it (more regen/accel/etc).
They could make the final drive taller, but then that'd slow the acceleration. Swings and roundabouts. Personally, I wish they'd start prioritising range rather than useless top speed/acceleration.
Some of the above may be dated now, but I can't imagine it's changed that much. Interesting discussion!
