Tesla Engineering VP Keeps Door Open to Tri-Motor Model 3 Plaid

• Tesla has not confirmed a Model 3 Plaid production plan.

• Lars Moravy said he regularly considers a tri-motor Model 3.

• Roadster development remains Tesla’s current performance priority.

Tesla’s high-performance lineup could once again hold a Plaid-badged entry below the former Model S, but the company has not confirmed any product plan.

Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice-president of vehicle engineering, said that he thinks about fitting a third motor into the Model 3 “all the time”. His comments were framed as an engineering possibility, a desirable product, not a launch announcement.

The idea carries significance because Tesla no longer has a Plaid model, as the Model S and Model X, once available with three electric motors, are no more.

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If a Model 3 Plaid isn’t available, it’s because it represents a major technical challenge. The current Model 3 Performance uses a dual-motor layout, with one motor at the front and one at the rear. Adding a second rear motor would require major packaging work in a smaller platform originally designed around a different performance ceiling.

Moravy specifically referred to carbon-sleeved motor technology, a key feature associated with Tesla’s highest-output Plaid powertrains. In short, adapting the hardware to the Model 3 would involve more than adding power. Cooling, weight distribution, software controls, durability targets and manufacturing complexity would all need to fit the business case.

That business case is currently unresolved. Moravy described the concept as a “work for reward” question, suggesting the required engineering effort does not currently match Tesla’s near-term priorities, especially for a limited-volume niche hyper-performance vehicle with a big price tag.

The next-generation Roadster is taking precedence in Tesla’s pure-performance development. Moravy indicated that Tesla’s newest motor technology is being directed there first, leaving any future trickle-down application to other models, dependent on timing and production decisions.

The bottom line is that a Model 3 Plaid remains speculative. Tesla Canada lists the current Model 3 Performance as capable of covering the 0–100 km/h sprint in 3.1 seconds, for about $78,0000 with fees.

Source: not a tesla app