All of us know about Joby Aviation, Zero Motorcycles, Drako Motors, and Tesla. These companies are changing the world of transportation. And you gotta be amazed when you realize that all four companies are within a 20 mile radius of Santa Cruz. Let’s take a quick look at news from Tesla. Don’t blink, or you might miss this article.

Tesla S Plaid

Shiv Sikand was one of the first to order and receive the latest innovation from Tesla: the Tesla S Plaid. You may remember Shiv presenting Drako Motors at several Santa Cruz Works New Tech events. Shiv is not your average car enthusiast. He decided no car on the market is good enough, so he co-founded his own car company: Drako Motors. Recently he purchased a Tesla Plaid, the new super car that takes another step towards reinventing the car.

“When Elon says the Plaid is the most advanced car on earth" Shiv exclaims, “believe it. The feel beneath your foot, mind blowing. To be sure, it is not fair to any other vehicle on the road. Maybe compare it to a spaceship. But spaceships would be illegal on the ground. Zero to 60 in 2 seconds!”

The car's name is a reference to the movie “Spaceballs.” In the space-action parody, stars brightly streak past as the spaceship enters “Ludicrous” speed, the velocity eventually represented by an equally ridiculous pattern: “Plaid.” But the real news is not just the speed or the eccentric naming.

Plaid Powertrain

Tesla's high-performance tri-motor EV powertrain was designed with one motor at the front and two more in the back — with each rear wheel getting its own for greater power and more precise torque vectoring.

“The drive train in the Plaid is a game-changer”, says Shiv. “Ordinary cars can’t keep consistent power delivery. This powertrain delivers.”

The Drako Difference

Drako was the first to market with a multi-motor car. Where the Tesla Plaid has 3 motors, Drako has 4. The delivery of multi-motors enables each wheel to perform better for any condition. Check out this video of the Drako car executing controlled drifts on ice. “Think of it as ice ballet,” says Shiv with a smile.