Frozen Lake Drag Race in Norway: Tesla AWD vs. Powerful Snowmobile (Video)

As reported by Tree Hugger.com: Drag-racing an all-wheel drive Tesla against a powerful snowmobile on a frozen lake in Norway might not be the most common of situations - how often are you going to do that? - but it's a fun test.

A Norwegian website did exactly that, pitting the Tesla P85D against a Lynx Boondocker 800cc (I think it's this one), with about 160hp and described as having "surreal" acceleration. Basically, it's a guy sitting on an engine, like a motorcycle, except made to have maximum traction on snow and ice, weighting only 230 kilos vs the 2,108 kilos of the Tesla, giving the snowmobile a better power-to-weight ratio.

Also note that the Tesla didn't have chains or studded tires, as Elon Musk points out:

"The drag race takes place on the ice rink at Tisleia in Gol , on a plowed strip of water. A thin layer of snow covers the ice." Who won? Find out here:

This is another example of why electric cars have the potential to be better than gasoline ones.

Electric motors react instantaneously, have flat torque curves, and can be monitored very precisely at all times. This means that a car's on-board computer can manage traction better than with a gasoline car, with its lag and mechanical links between engine and wheels. This is especially true with an all-wheel drive EV like the new Tesla P85D (all the "D" models are "dual motors", thus all-wheel drive). Each wheel only gets the exact amount of torque that it can handle without slipping, maximizing safety/performance in slippery conditions.