Tesla CEO Elon Musk held a press conference on Friday. He announced the introduction of "Ludicrous Mode" for the high performance variant of the Model S. In Ludicrous Mode, Tesla claims the upgraded P85D Model S will be able to 0-60 in just 2.8 seconds — down from 3.1 seconds in "Insane Mode." The previous acceleration was up there with the world's fastest supercars. But in Ludicrous Mode, an all-electric four-door is catching up or matching hypercars like the Ferrari LaFerrari (0-60 in 2.6 seconds) and McLaren P1 (0-60 in 2.8). When asked on the call whether Ludicrous Mode had been requested by customers, Musk replied, "No one was asking for Ludicrous Mode because it was too ludicrous." "The car can accelerate at 1.1g," Musk said. "That's faster than falling." In an amusing nod to the ludicrous-ness of Ludicrous Mode, Tesla's press release called it "Luuudicrous Mode." And for what it's worth, rapper Ludacris was the warm-up music for the call, via Tesla's normally space-age New Age-y Muzak. Technically speaking, Ludicrous Mode is enabled by a battery pack and electronics upgrade that effectively extends the acceleration of the P85D past a 30 mph threshold. Once you get to 30mph, the P85D can't boost the power it's extracting from its batteries to bust through the 3-second barrier without melting a fuse. With the upgrade, which will cost $10,000 for new Model S buyers and, for the next six months, $5,000 for existing P85D owners, the car can maintain Insane Mode power up to 60 mph and beyond. According to Tesla, the upgraded S will be able to run the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds and reach 155 mph in 22% less time. Ludicrous Mode will also be available on the upcoming Model X crossover SUV. Musk estimates the Ludicrous Mode-equipped Model X cars to be able to hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. In additional to a faster Model S, Musk also announced the introduction of a 90 kWh battery pack for the car. With the 90kWh pack, the S will have an additional 15 miles of range. As a result, the dual motor Model S with the 90 kWh pack is expected to achieve roughly 300 miles of highway range at 65mph. Musk also announced a $70,000 price tag for the 70 kWh single engine Model S. That's $5,000 less than the dual engine 70D. According to Tesla, with incentives and savings over five years of ownership, the price of the single engine Model S 70 falls to $52,500. SEE ALSO: Analyst: The fourth quarter is critical for Tesla Model X launch Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 6 mind-blowing facts about Greece's economy
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