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Watch Tesla Model S Plaid take on Harley-Davidson electric motorcycle in quietest drag race ever

A Tesla Model S Plaid lined up for a drag race with a Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle earlier this week in the first known case of this EV matchup.

The race was brought to us by the YouTube Channel Tesla Plaid Channel, whose owner frequently takes his Tesla Model S Plaid to the races.

We’ve actually seen a race between a Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle and a Tesla before, but last time it was a Tesla Model 3 Performance.

In that case, the LiveWire bested the Model 3, though it was certainly a close race.

This time a LiveWire is taking on a much more powerful Tesla, and it’s doing it on a shorter 1/8th-mile track.

Take a guess at who won, then check out the video below to see for yourself. Keep reading below the video for the spoiler.

As you can see, it wasn’t a particularly close race this time. The Model S Plaid crushed the LiveWire.

While we previously saw a LiveWire manage to edge out a Model 3 Performance, the electric Harley is no match for a Tesla Model S Plaid.

Despite the bike’s lower weight, the LiveWire’s 105 hp can’t compare to the total of 1,020 hp from the Tesla Model S Plaid. And while the Harley boasts an impressive 0-60 mph time of just over three seconds, the Tesla can do it in under two seconds.

The LiveWire did snatch a brief early lead before being overtaken by the Tesla. But the race was over quickly, both literally and figuratively.

The Tesla Model S Plaid finished the race in 6.1024 seconds while the LiveWire crossed the line after 7.2717 seconds.

That still improved upon the time posted by the last Harley-Davidson LiveWire drag race we saw, where the bike performed the 1/8th-mile in 7.358 seconds.

This isn’t the best showing for a Tesla Model S Plaid though. Another driver clocked an 8.994-second 1/4-mile run recently, and in doing so crossed the 1/8th-mile mark at 5.816 seconds.

The race was also remarkable for just how quiet it was. Anyone who has been trackside before can attest to how loud these races usually are. You can often feel the cars in your chest as the sound vibrations palpably shake the air.

But the Harley-Davidson LiveWire vs. Tesla run was oddly quiet as far as drag races go.

And the fact that they didn’t burn a cupful of fuel to travel a few hundred feet isn’t a bad thing either!

To see more Harley-Davidson LiveWire action, check out our review of the electric motorcycle below.

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Author

Avatar for Micah Toll Micah Toll

Micah Toll is a personal electric vehicle enthusiast, battery nerd, and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling books DIY Lithium Batteries, DIY Solar Power, The Ultimate DIY Ebike Guide and The Electric Bike Manifesto.

The e-bikes that make up Micah’s current daily drivers are the $999 Lectric XP 2.0, the $1,095 Ride1Up Roadster V2, the $1,199 Rad Power Bikes RadMission, and the $3,299 Priority Current. But it’s a pretty evolving list these days.

You can send Micah tips at Micah@electrek.co, or find him on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok.


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