04.23.16 - Qantas Boeing 737-800

The Race for Greatness

What is greatness? It seems we keep finding new ways to define what really is great and with the widespread reach of social media many terms are used to define what a finite number of people feel is great. Greatness on a grand scale is not limited to the positive either; when was the last time you heard the term “epic fail”? Most likely it showed up somewhere in your social media feeds just yesterday. As we try to define greatness on a variety of different scales from the good to the bad, something that truly can be considered great may be an item we discuss on a regular basis.

There have been several videos of cars that try to accelerate faster than an airplane on a runway, but most of the time the only purpose in that testing is to see if the car really can outrun the plane. Until now we haven’t seen collaboration between a car company and an airline, but there is a partnership with Tesla and Qantas to bring us sustainable transportation that offers little to no emissions. Not only is the effect on the environment great, the fact these two are collaborating for this venture is amazing.

In an effort to show off and have an attention grabbing advertisement the two companies put a Tesla Model S P90D up against a Qantas Boeing 737-800 on the runway in Melbourne, Australia. Qantas is an Australian airline after all and this partnership is meant to appeal to the population of the continent down under. Using the Ludicrous mode the Tesla is able to reach 100 km/h in only three seconds but has a maximum speed of 250 km/h. The plane has a take-off speed of 140 knots which eventually leads to even faster speeds in the air, but getting up to speed is the trick for an airplane.

In the video we see the Tesla leading the way the entire time, which is a testament to what an EV or hybrid vehicle can do. With the engines under the hood that are able to maximize torque from the start this car and any other that is of the same ilk is able to instantly take off and reach speeds much faster than other vehicles that have to wait for the engine to reach the rpm needed to maximize the power, at least the torque portion of the power.

Watching the video you can easily feel the drama and see the Tesla pull ahead of the plane all the way up to the point of takeoff. This is one dramatic way to show the level of greatness that is part of what the Tesla is. Even though this is certainly one way to measure the greatness of the Tesla, the fact there is little to no emissions is amazing and the partnership between Tesla and Qantas seems to be one that may become quickly sustainable, which is another way to measure the greatness of this ad and the two vehicles that will offer the sustainable transportation for the people of Australia. You can check out the video here.

This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning a commission is given should you decide to make a purchase through these links, at no cost to you. All products shown are researched and tested to give an accurate review for you.

Leave a Comment