Tesla Hits a 'Profound Milestone'

Tesla on Tuesday introduced a car battery that's being hailed for two reasons: its ability to power an electric vehicle 315 miles on one charge, and the fact that it makes a four-door sedan the fastest accelerating production car (with an *; more on that below). The Wall Street Journal reports the 100 kilowatt-hour battery gives the carmaker a range unmatched by major car companies; it's the first to push past the 300-mile mark. The battery will be available in the Model S sedan and Model X SUV (the latter's range is 289 miles). More:

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk had big words in a conference call with the media, reports the BBC. "These are very profound milestones and I think will help convince people around the world that electric is the future."

• It's a profound milestone with a price: The Verge reports the Model S P100D with Ludicrous mode kicks off at $134,500, up $9,500 compared to the P90D. For the SUV, tack on an extra thousand.
• But hey, buying one is kind of charitable: Tesla again emphasized that the revenue is what facilitates the production of the much more affordable Tesla Model 3 that's in development.
• As for the *, Tesla itself explains the Model S P100D with Ludicrous mode now actually becomes the third fastest accelerating production car (as opposed to concept car) ever, able to go from 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds. But those ahead of it kind of don't count: The LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder were tiny two-seaters and "were limited run, million dollar vehicles and cannot be bought new."
• Slate notes fastest-accelerating isn't the same as fastest. The sedan's top speed is 155mph.
• Slate has a good rundown of how this battery differs from the 90 kilowatt-hour one that came before it. What doesn't differ at all: the size and shape.

(More Tesla stories.)