We had a great time driving our 415 hp Tesla Motors Model S P85+ around for three days, but one thing we didn't get a chance to do was push the car to its top speed. Fortunately, Martin Messer Thompsen of EV Network.dk was able to do just that on the Autobahn on an unrestricted stretch outside of Berlin. Thompsen's video captures the instrument cluster of his P85+ Model S as he zips from 106 kph (about 65 mph) up to 212 kph (about 131 mph):

The Model S goes from roughly 100 kph up to 160 kph (60 to 100 mph) in about five seconds, exhibiting identical neck-snapping acceleration to the car Ars got to drive. However, the mounting air resistance quickly makes itself felt, with the car taking another 15 seconds to nose up to the 212 kph mark. The Model S has a very low coefficient of drag at 0.24, but it still takes a considerable amount of power to hurl the car's 4,673-pound (2,108 kg) mass up to that speed. The energy meter can be seen pegging at 320 kW during the acceleration, though after a few seconds it limits itself to 300 kW (the dotted line appears on the gauge) to avoid damaging the battery.

Such speeds can have a tremendously detrimental affect on the car's range, of course, as we found out in our own drive between Houston and Austin. Sticking close to the speed limit can yield close to the car's rated range of 265 miles; cruising at 80-90 mph can cut that by a third or even a half depending on accessory usage (heater, AC, and so on). According to Motor Authority, Tesla Motors sold 98 Model S sedans in Germany in its first two months; German Model S owners who want to take advantage of their country's world-famous awesome stance on speed limits will need to be aware of the impact such driving will have on range. However, to be fair, driving a normal car north of 100 miles per hour isn't even remotely fuel efficient either.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has promised Germans some extra attention, though. In addition to building a large number of Superchargers throughout the country, Musk announced in October that Tesla Motors will offer "free, optional high-speed tuning" for Autobahn-bound Tesla cars. Musk explained that the tuning would be designed to improve the Model S' handling at Autobahn-attainable speeds; it also might involve tweaking the car's top speed upward.

Although the unrestricted sections of the Autobahn are truly unrestricted, most German auto manufacturers limit their vehicles' top speeds to 250 kph (155 mph) as a result of an informal "gentlemen's agreement," so Tesla would only need to allow the Model S to be wound out another 40 kph or so to be able to run neck-and-neck with the big BMWs, Audis, and Mercedes (Mercedeses?).