Tesla Model S goes drifting

Who says you need petrol to go sideways? One of the benefits of electric cars is the massive slug of torque available as soon as you touch the accelerator pedal – ideal for drifting.

It seems Japanese drifting legend Nobuteru Taniguchi had the same idea when he rocked up to a Tokyo drift event in a Tesla Model S electric car recently.

The Model S P85+ Taniguchi is driving is powered by a 310kW/601Nm electric motor mounted on the rear axle. Some witchcraft has also been used to fully deactivate the Tesla’s stability control systems.

Normally the P85+ is good for 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds with a range of around 480km, but it won’t be achieving those numbers in the hands of Taniguchi, who has a strong hatred for tyres.

Watch the video below to see the Model S doing a pretty decent job of drifting despite emitting nothing but tyre noises.

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