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Tesla’s Dual Motor AWD tech takes on Audi’s Quattro system in 4×4 roller test
Being all-electric, Tesla’s vehicles enjoy a number of advantages. They have instant torque for quick acceleration runs, a low center of gravity for great handling, and large crumple zones for protection during a crash. Recent traction tests on metal rollers have also shown that the electric car maker’s Dual Motor AWD setup gives vehicles like the Model 3 some very impressive traction.
It is pertinent then to see just how well Tesla’s Dual Motor AWD setup stacks up against one of the best 4×4 systems available today: Audi’s Quattro. The German automaker’s all-wheel-drive system has been around for nearly 40 years, and it was tempered and developed at a time when the Audi was competing in the 1980’s rally championships. Audi sedans with Quattro technology are known today as vehicles that can handle wet, slippery conditions without any issues.
Compared to the long history of Audi’s Quattro, Tesla’s Dual Motor AWD is a newcomer. The electric car maker’s all-wheel-drive system made its debut on October 2014 with the Model S P85D, and it has received refinements since. Tesla’s Dual Motor AWD setup, just like Audi’s Quattro, gives the company’s vehicles, from the Model S to the Model X to the Model 3, notable traction even in slippery conditions.
The capabilities of these two AWD systems was recently compared by YouTube group duszaniespokojna – 4×4 tests on rollers, which conducts traction tests on a variety of vehicles using rollers, from serious off-roaders like the Land Rover Discovery to sedans like the Tesla Model 3. For its comparative test, the YouTube group opted to use a Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor AWD and an Audi A4 Allroad 2.0 TFSI Quattro Ultra, both of which are midsize vehicles.
The Tesla Model 3 aced all of the group’s traction tests, both in its Standard and in Slip Start settings. Even when three of its wheels were in rollers, the electric sedan was able to find its traction without any issue. This is likely due to several factors, including the Model 3’s weight thanks to its hefty battery pack, as well as the instant torque from the vehicle’s two electric motors.
In comparison, the Audi A4 Allroad struggled in a couple of tests. While the vehicle had no issues finding its traction during tests that involved one or two rollers, the A4 had a notably difficult time when three of its wheels were fitted with rollers. When all but one rear wheel of the A4 Allroad was on rollers, the car actually got stuck when it was in its Standard setting.
Tesla may be a new carmaker, but it is steadily gaining a reputation as one of the best, if not the best, maker of premium electric cars on the market. It should also be noted that the Model 3 Dual Motor AWD is designed for city driving, which makes its 4×4 performance even more impressive. It takes a great city car, after all, to beat Audi’s Quattro system at its own game.
Watch a Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor AWD take on an Audi A4 Allroad 2.0 TFSI Quattro Ultra in the video below.
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Armored Tesla Cybertruck “War Machine” debuts at Defense Expo 2025
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Tesla Megapacks chosen for 548 MWh energy storage project in Japan
Tesla plans to supply over 100 Megapack units to support a large stationary storage project in Japan, making it one of the country’s largest energy storage facilities.
Tesla’s Megapack grid-scale batteries have been selected to back an energy storage project in Japan, coming as the latest of the company’s continued deployment of the hardware.
As detailed in a report from Nikkei this week, Tesla plans to supply 142 Megapack units to support a 548 MWh storage project in Japan, set to become one of the country’s largest energy storage facilities. The project is being overseen by financial firm Orix, and it will be located at a facility Maibara in central Japan’s Shiga prefecture, and it aims to come online in early 2027.
The deal is just the latest of several Megapack deployments over the past few years, as the company continues to ramp production of the units. Tesla currently produces the Megapack at a facility in Lathrop, California, though the company also recently completed construction on its second so-called “Megafactory” in Shanghai China and is expected to begin production in the coming weeks.
READ MORE ON TESLA MEGAPACKS: Tesla Megapacks help power battery supplier Panasonic’s Kyoto test site
Tesla’s production of the Megapack has been ramping up at the Lathrop facility since initially opening in 2022, and both this site and the Shanghai Megafactory are aiming to eventually reach a volume production of 10,000 Megapack units per year. The company surpassed its 10,000th Megapack unit produced at Lathrop in November.
During Tesla’s Q4 earnings call last week, CEO Elon Musk also said that the company is looking to construct a third Megafactory, though he did not disclose where.
Last year, Tesla Energy also had record deployments of its Megapack and Powerwall home batteries with a total of 31.4 GWh of energy products deployed for a 114-percent increase from 2023.
Other recently deployed or announced Megapack projects include a massive 600 MW/1,600 MWh facility in Melbourne, a 75 MW/300 MWh energy storage site in Belgium, and a 228 MW/912 MWh storage project in Chile, along with many others still.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
Tesla highlights the Megapack site replacing Hawaii’s last coal plant
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Elon Musk responds to Ontario canceling $100M Starlink deal amid tariff drama
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, opens new tab on February 3 that he was “ripping up” his province’s CA$100 million agreement with Starlink in response to the U.S. imposing tariffs on Canadian goods.
Elon Musk company SpaceX is set to lose a $100 million deal with the Canadian province of Ontario following a response to the Trump administration’s decision to apply 25 percent tariffs to the country.
Starlink, a satellite-based internet service launched by the Musk entity SpaceX, will lose a $100 million deal it had with Ontario, Premier Doug Ford announced today.
Starting today and until U.S. tariffs are removed, Ontario is banning American companies from provincial contracts.
Every year, the Ontario government and its agencies spend $30 billion on procurement, alongside our $200 billion plan to build Ontario. U.S.-based businesses will…
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) February 3, 2025
Ford said on X today that Ontario is banning American companies from provincial contracts:
“We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with Starlink. Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy. Canada didn’t start this fight with the U.S., but you better believe we’re ready to win it.”
It is a blow to the citizens of the province more than anything, as the Starlink internet constellation has provided people in rural areas across the globe stable and reliable access for several years.
Musk responded in simple terms, stating, “Oh well.”
Oh well https://t.co/1jpMu55T6s
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025
It seems Musk is less than enthused about the fact that Starlink is being eliminated from the province, but it does not seem like all that big of a blow either.
As previously mentioned, this impacts citizens more than Starlink itself, which has established itself as a main player in reliable internet access. Starlink has signed several contracts with various airlines and maritime companies.
It is also expanding to new territories across the globe on an almost daily basis.
With Mexico already working to avoid the tariff situation with the United States, it will be interesting to see if Canada does the same.
The two have shared a pleasant relationship, but President Trump is putting his foot down in terms of what comes across the border, which could impact Americans in the short term.
Armored Tesla Cybertruck “War Machine” debuts at Defense Expo 2025
Tesla Megapacks chosen for 548 MWh energy storage project in Japan
